| Official Name: | St. Michael |
| Native Name: | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Alaska |
| 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: | Nome |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Alice Fitka[1] |
| Leader Title1: | State senator |
| Leader Name1: | Donald Olson (D) |
| Leader Title2: | State rep. |
| Leader Name2: | Neal Foster (D) |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | July 15, 1969[2] |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 72.69 |
| Area Land Km2: | 56.33 |
| Area Water Km2: | 16.36 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 28.06 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 21.75 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 6.32 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 456 |
| Population Density Km2: | 8.10 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 20.97 |
| Timezone: | Alaska (AKST) |
| Utc Offset: | -9 |
| Timezone Dst: | AKDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -8 |
| Elevation M: | 8 |
| Elevation Ft: | 26 |
| Coordinates: | 63.4711°N -162.0531°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 99659 |
| Area Code: | 907 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 02-66360 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
St. Michael (Taciq, Inupiaq: Tasiq; Taziq, Russian: Сент-Майкл), historically referred to as Saint Michael, is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska. The population was 401 at the 2010 census,[4] up from 368 in 2000.
St. Michael is located at 63.4785°N -162.0371°W on the east side of St. Michael Island at the southeastern end of the Norton Sound.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.1sqmi, of which, 21.8sqmi of it is land and 6.3sqmi of it (22.40%) is water.
Saint Michael first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Inuit villages of "Saint Michael and Tachik."[5] Of the 109 residents, 100 were Inuit, 5 were Creole (Mixed Russian and Native) and 4 were White.[6] It returned in 1890 as Saint Michael (though it also included the native village of Tachik and a camp of miners).[7] Of the 101 residents, 38 were natives, 33 were Creole and 30 were White. Saint Michael has continued to report in every successive census to date. It formally incorporated in 1969.
As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 368 people, 90 households, and 65 families residing in the city. The population density was 16.9sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 93 housing units at an average density of 4.3sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 6.79% White, 92.66% Native American, and 0.54% from two or more races. 0.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 90 households, 54.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.09 and the average family size was 4.79.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 43.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 14.1% from 45 to 64, and 3.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,036, and the median income for a family was $34,000. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,692. About 24.2% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 41.7% of those age 65 or over.
St. Michael is served by the Bering Strait School District. Anthony A. Andrews School serves grades Pre-K through 12 grades.
Redoubt St. Michael was founded in 1833 by traders of the Russian-American Company, as a trading post for trade with the Yup'ik people of the area. The trading settlement and the island were named after the archangel Michael.
Fort St. Michael, a U.S. military post, was established in 1897. During the gold rush of 1897, it was a major gateway to the Alaskan interior via the Yukon River Delta (located about 40miles to the southwest). As many as 10,000 persons were said to live in St. Michael during the gold rush. St. Michael was also a popular trading post for Alaska Natives to trade their goods for Western supplies. Centralization of many Yup'iks from the surrounding villages intensified after the measles epidemic of 1900 and the influenza epidemic of 1918.[9]
St. Michael's population today is largely Yup'ik. Many residents are also descendants of the Russian traders.
The St. Michael economy is based on subsistence food harvests (hunting, fishing and gardening) supplemented by part-time wage earning. Most wage-earning positions are in city government, the IRA council and village corporation, schools and local stores. Some residents hold commercial fishing permits, primarily for the herring fishery.