Kupreanof, Alaska

Kupreanof is a city at the eastern shore of Kupreanof Island in the Petersburg Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 27 as of the 2010 census, up from 23 in 2000. It was formerly the smallest incorporated city in the state as of 2000,[4] but is now the second smallest as of 2010, with Bettles, Alaska being the smallest, with 12 residents.

Kupreanof
City
March 2009 view of Kupreanof from Petersburg.
Kupreanof Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 56°49′21″N 132°58′57″W
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Petersburg
Incorporated	1975[1]
Government
• Mayor	Tom Reinarts
• State senator	Bert Stedman (R)
• State rep.	Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D)
Area [2]
• Total	4.65 sq mi (12.04 km^2)
• Land	3.02 sq mi (7.82 km^2)
• Water	1.63 sq mi (4.21 km^2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	27
• Estimate  (2019)[3]	26
• Density	8.61/sq mi (3.32/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-42160
GNIS feature ID	1424959, 2419419

History

Among the incorporators of Kupreanof were former longtime and much beloved Petersburg Grade School Principal Harold Bergman. Kupreanof was once called West Petersburg and was a thriving community of fur farms and commercial fishermen in the early- to mid-20th century. Gradually most residents moved over to the larger, more metropolitan city of Petersburg.

Kupreanof remained a separate municipality when the Petersburg Borough incorporated, unlike the neighboring city of Petersburg. However, Kupreanof now lies inside the Petersburg Borough, whereas before, it was a home-rule city inside the unorganized Petersburg Census Area.

Robert "Bobby" Dolan was mayor of Kupreanof for over 40 years.

Geography

Kupreanof is located at 56°49′21″N 132°58′57″W (56.822384, -132.982506).[5] It is across the Wrangell Narrows from Petersburg on Mitkof Island.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (16 km²), of which, 4.0 square miles (10 km²) of it is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it (34.32%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	45		—
1940	50		11.1%
1950	60		20.0%
1960	26		−56.7%
1970	36		38.5%
1980	47		30.6%
1990	23		−51.1%
2000	23		0.0%
2010	27		17.4%
Est. 2019	26	[3]	−3.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]

Kupreanof first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as the unincorporated village of West Petersburg, appearing under that name until the 1970 census. It formally changed its name to Kupreanof and incorporated as a city in 1975.

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 23 people, 12 households, and 6 families residing in the city. The population density was 5.7 people per square mile (2.2/km²). There were 26 housing units at an average density of 6.5 per square mile (2.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.30% White, 4.35% Asian, and 4.35% from two or more races.

There were 12 households, out of which 16.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, and 50.0% were non-families. 50.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city population was spread out, with 17.4% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 47.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,833, and the median income for a family was $100,470. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,650. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.

References

1. 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 89.
2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
4. "Population of all Alaska cities". Alaska.com. Retrieved June 18, 2006.
5. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.