Dillingham
Dillingham | ||
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Aerial view of Dillingham |
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Location in Alaska | ||
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Basic data | ||
Foundation : | July 12, 1963 | |
State : | United States | |
State : | Alaska | |
Borough : | Unorganized Borough | |
Coordinates : | 59 ° 3 ′ N , 158 ° 31 ′ W | |
Time zone : | Alaska ( UTC − 9 / −8 ) | |
Residents : | 2,329 (as of 2010) | |
Population density : | 26.7 inhabitants per km 2 | |
Area : | 92.6 km 2 (approx. 36 mi 2 ) of which 87.1 km 2 (approx. 34 mi 2 ) are land |
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Height : | 29 m | |
Area code : | +1 907 | |
FIPS : | 02-18950 | |
GNIS ID : | 1401203 | |
Mayor : | Alice Ruby |
Dillingham is a city in the Dillingham Census Area in Alaska . According to official estimates, 2347 people lived there in 2008.
geography
Dillingham is located at the northern end of Nushagak Bay , a bay of Bristol Bay , at the confluence of the Wood River and the Nushagak River .
history
The Dillingham area was inhabited by the Yupik people. The Russians built a trading post there in 1818. The area was named Nushagak after the river of the same name. At Nushagak, various groups from the Kuskokwim River , the Alaska Peninsula and the Cook Inlet met to trade or to settle there. In 1837 a Russian Orthodox Mission was built near Nushagak .
After the United States bought Alaska , the United States Army Signal Corps built a weather station in Nushagak. In 1884 the first salmon canning factory was built in Bristol Bay east of what is now Dillingham. Ten more were built by 1900. The Post Office east of Nushagak at Snag Point and the city were named in 1904 after US Senator Paul Dillingham , who toured Alaska extensively with his Senate subcommittee in 1903.
In 1918 and 1919 the population shrank to 500 due to a flu epidemic . After the epidemic, a hospital and orphanage were established in Kanakanak , 10 km south of Dillingham.
In 1963 Dillingham received town charter .
In 1974 the first regional radio station for the Bristol Bay area was built in Dillingham for educational purposes. Using the callsign KDLG 670kHz, the station is still broadcasting education, entertainment and important safety information for the fishing fleet and the surrounding communities.
The main industries in and around Dillingham today are commercial fishing , sport fishing , tourism and canning.
traffic
Dillingham has a state airport with regular flights to and from Anchorage . A seaplane base is 3 miles west at Shannon's Pond. Kanakanak Hospital has a heliport . The city maintains a small port with 320 berths. Since 1960 there has been a gravel road to Aleknagik .
Web links
- Official Website of Dillingham (English)
- Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation (English)