Selawik (Alaska)
| Selawik | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 House in Selawik (1974) |
|||
| Location in Alaska | |||
|
|||
| Basic data | |||
| Foundation : | 1926 | ||
| State : | United States | ||
| State : | Alaska | ||
| Borough : | Northwest Arctic Borough | ||
| Coordinates : | 66 ° 36 ′ N , 160 ° 1 ′ W | ||
| Time zone : | Alaska ( UTC − 9 / −8 ) | ||
| Residents : | 841 (as of 2016) | ||
| Height : | 3 m | ||
| Postal code : | 99770 | ||
| Area code : | +1 907 | ||
| FIPS : | 02-68230 | ||
| GNIS ID : | 1413930 | ||
| Mayor : | Tillie ticket | ||
Selawik is a municipality in the Northwest Arctic Borough in the US state of Alaska , 110 km east of Kotzebue . The place is on the bank of the Selawik River not far from its confluence with Selawik Lake . The white salmon gives the place and the adjacent river its name . "Siilvik" is the Inupiaq name for Selawik and means "place of the Sheefish".
The population was 841 in 2016 and the trend is rising. The population consists of 85 percent Iñupiat Eskimos. The place is spread over three land areas, which are separated by two arms of the Selawik River. The districts are connected to one another by bridges. On the eastern edge of the town there is an airfield (IATA code WLK), from which several daily passenger flights to Kotzebue take place. In the summer months, the place is supplied with fuel and supplies by barge from Kotzebue. The means of transport on site are quads and motorbikes, and in winter snowmobiles. In summer, during the ice-free period, smaller boats are used as a means of transport on the surrounding waters.
history
In 1840 Russian sailors found an Eskimo village on the site of today's Selawik. In 1880, the first Alaskan census counted 100 inhabitants. Missionaries built a church and school in Selawik in 1897. Reindeer farming began in Selawik in the 1920s . In 1926, Selawik was officially established under the Alaska Native Town Site Act . In 1974 Selawik received city rights and has been called City of Selawik ever since .
climate
Temperatures drop to –20 ° C in winter. In summer temperatures fluctuate between 8 and 18 ° C. Most precipitation falls between July and September. The area is characterized by the tundra landscape. It is under protection as the Selawik National Wildlife Refuge .