Ekwok, Alaska Explained

Official Name:Ekwok, Alaska
Native Name:Iquaq
Native Name Lang:esu
Settlement Type:City
Pushpin Map:USA Alaska
Pushpin Label:Ekwok
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Alaska
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Alaska
Subdivision Type2:Census Area
Subdivision Name2:Dillingham
Leader Title:Mayor
Leader Name:Luki Akelkok, Sr.[1]
Leader Title1:State senator
Leader Name1:Lyman Hoffman (D)
Leader Title2:State rep.
Leader Name2:Bryce Edgmon (I)
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:1974[2]
Area Footnotes:[3]
Area Total Km2:46.64
Area Land Km2:43.37
Area Water Km2:3.27
Area Total Sq Mi:18.01
Area Land Sq Mi:16.75
Area Water Sq Mi:1.26
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:111
Population Density Km2:2.56
Timezone:Alaska (AKST)
Utc Offset:-9
Timezone Dst:AKDT
Utc Offset Dst:-8
Elevation M:30
Elevation Ft:98
Coordinates:59.3492°N -157.4853°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Postal Code:99580
Area Code:907
Area Code Type:Area code
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:02-21810
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Population Density Sq Mi:6.63
Unit Pref:Imperial

Ekwok (Iquaq) is a city in Dillingham Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 111.

History

Ekwok means "end of the bluff" (river's edge) in Yupik,[4] [5] from iquk ("end").[6] It is the oldest continuously occupied Yupik village on the Nushagak River. During the 1800s, the settlement was used in the spring and summer as a fish camp, and in the fall as a base camp for picking berries. By 1923, it was the largest settlement along the river.

From the early 1900s until 1941, mail was delivered by dog sled from Dillingham. In 1941 a post office opened in Ekwok. Before 1960, most of the buildings in Ekwok were located in a low area near the river. After a flood in the early 1960s, the village was relocated to its current location.

Geography

Ekwok is located at (59.349260, -157.485404).[7]

Ekwok is on the Nushagak River in southwestern Alaska, 69km (43miles) northeast of Dillingham.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Ekwok has a total area of 45.4km2, of which 42.1km2 is land and 3.2km2, or 7.10%, is water.[8]

Demographics

Ekwok first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as "Ekwak", an unincorporated village, and again in 1940. The name (or spelling) was changed to Ekwok with the 1950 U.S. Census. It was formally incorporated in 1974.

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 130 people, 42 households, and 29 families residing in the city. The population density was 8.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 56 housing units at an average density of 3.5/mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 6.15% White, 91.54% Native American, and 2.31% from two or more races.

There were 42 households, out of which 47.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.93.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 43.8% under the age of 18, 3.8% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $16,250, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $35,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,079. There were 29.2% of families and 32.1% of the population living below the poverty line, including 24.4% of under eighteens and 40.0% of those over 64.

Education

The William "Sonny" Nelson School of the Southwest Region School District serves the village.[10]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: 2015 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau. Alaska Municipal League. 2015. 58.
  2. Book: 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau. Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. 52.
  3. Web site: 2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. October 29, 2021.
  4. Book: Sandy Nestor. Indian Placenames in America . 2003. McFarland. 978-0-7864-1654-7. 11. In Yup'ik Eskimo, the name is translated as "end of the bluff.".
  5. Book: Travel Holiday. 1985. Travel Magazine. 796. the word Ekwok means river's edge.
  6. Book: William Bright. Native American Placenames of the United States. 2004. University of Oklahoma Press. 978-0-8061-3598-4. 142. From Yupik (Eskimo) iquaq, based on iquk 'end' (Jacobson 1984)..
  7. Web site: US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990. United States Census Bureau. April 23, 2011. February 12, 2011.
  8. Web site: Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Ekwok city, Alaska. U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. October 8, 2015.
  9. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  10. "Ekwok ." Southwest Region School District. Retrieved on March 26, 2017.