Platinum, Alaska

Platinum
Arviq
City

Destroyed airplane at Platinum, 1948
Platinum

Location in Alaska

Coordinates: 59°0′47″N 161°48′59″W / 59.01306°N 161.81639°W / 59.01306; -161.81639
Country United States
State Alaska
Census Area Bethel
Incorporated February 13, 1975[1]
Government
 • Mayor Mark Moyle[2]
 • State senator Lyman Hoffman (D)
 • State rep. Zach Fansler (D)
Area[3]
 • Total 45.12 sq mi (116.85 km2)
 • Land 45.07 sq mi (116.74 km2)
 • Water 0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)
Elevation 13 ft (4 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 61
 • Estimate (2016)[4] 66
 • Density 1.46/sq mi (0.56/km2)
Time zone Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
 • Summer (DST) AKDT (UTC-8)
ZIP codes 99651
Area code 907
FIPS code 02-61080

Platinum (Arviiq in Central Alaskan Yup'ik) is a city in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 61 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Platinum is located at 59°00′47″N 161°48′59″W / 59.01306°N 161.81639°W / 59.01306; -161.81639.[5] It is located on Goodnews Bay adjacent to the mouth of the Small River and eleven miles southwest of Goodnews and the Kilbuck Mountains.[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.7 square miles (116 km2), of which, 44.6 square miles (116 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.16%) is water.[6]

History

Platinum was named in the 1930s due to the platinum ore found in the area. The site was a mining boomtown by 1937 boasting a roadhouse, two trading posts and a population of fifty. A post office had been established in 1935. An earlier Eskimo village called Agvik had been abandoned. The town was incorporated as a city in 1975.[5]

During World War II, the Alaska Territorial Guard served to safeguard it against Japanese attack as it was the only source of the strategic metal platinum in the Western Hemisphere.[7]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
194045—
19507260.0%
196043−40.3%
19705527.9%
1980550.0%
19906416.4%
200041−35.9%
20106148.8%
Est. 201666[4]8.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 41 people, 17 households, and 9 families residing in the city. The population density was 0.9 people per square mile (0.4/km²). There were 26 housing units at an average density of 0.6 per square mile (0.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 7.32% White, 90.24% Native American, and 2.44% from two or more races.

There were 17 households out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.4% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 41.2% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 26.8% under the age of 18, 2.4% from 18 to 24, 43.9% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $22,500. The per capita income for the city was $7,632. There are 33.3% of families living below the poverty line and 22.0% of the population, including 33.3% of under eighteens and none of those over 64

References

  1. ↑ 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 120.
  2. ↑ 2015 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League. 2015. p. 126.
  3. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jun 22, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 GNIS Feature Detail Report for: Platinum
  6. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. ↑ Marston, Marvin R. (1969). Men of the Tundra: Alaska Eskimos at War. October House. pp. 51, 54–57.
  8. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

Coordinates: 59°00′47″N 161°48′59″W / 59.01306°N 161.81639°W / 59.01306; -161.81639

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.