Toksook Bay, Alaska

Toksook Bay (TOOK-sook or TUCK-sook)[5] is a city[3][6] and village on Nelson Island in Bethel Census Area, Alaska. The population was 590 at the 2010 census, up from 532 in 2000. As of 2018, the estimated population was 667,[3][7] making it the largest village on the island.

Toksook Bay Nunakauyaq, Tuqsuq/Tuqsuk
City
Aerial photo of Toksook Bay Airport
Toksook Bay Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 60°31′50″N 165°06′12″W
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Bethel
Incorporated	April 4, 1972[1]
Government
• Mayor	Sam Chanar
• State senator	Lyman Hoffman (D)
• State rep.	Tiffany Zulkosky (D)
Area [2]
• Total	70.53 sq mi (182.67 km^2)
• Land	28.71 sq mi (74.35 km^2)
• Water	41.82 sq mi (108.32 km^2)
Elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2010)[3]
• Total	590
• Estimate  (2019)[4]	673
• Density	23.44/sq mi (9.05/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−8 (AKDT)
ZIP Code	99637
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-78240
GNIS feature ID	1411060, 2418864

Toksook Bay (pronounced Tuqsuk Bay in Yup'ik) was established in 1964 by residents of nearby Nightmute. Nunakauyaq is its ‘real name’.[8][9] Almost the entire population are members of the Alaska Native Nunakauyarmiut ("People of Nunakauyaq"), who rely on fishing and other subsistence activities.

History

The community was chosen as the site of first enumeration of the 2020 U.S. Census, due to the remoteness of the Alaskan Bush and the necessity of collecting census data early from remote sites. The enumeration started on January 21, 2020.[10]

Demographics

Wind turbine in Toksook Bay

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1970	257		—
1980	333		29.6%
1990	420		26.1%
2000	532		26.7%
2010	590		10.9%
Est. 2019	673	[4]	14.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

Toksook Bay first appeared on the 1970 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1972.

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 532 people, 106 households, and 94 families residing in the city. The population density was 16.1 people per square mile (6.2/km²). There were 110 housing units at an average density of 3.3 per square mile (1.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 2.44% White, 94.36% Native American, and 3.20% from two or more races.

There were 106 households out of which 68.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.3% were non-families. Of all households 10.4% were made up of individuals and 0.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 5.02 and the average family size was 5.45.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 44.0% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 14.1% from 45 to 64, and 4.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 118.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 124.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,208, and the median income for a family was $32,188. Males had a median income of $22,813 versus $36,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,761. About 26.9% of families and 27.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.4% of those under age 18 and 28.6% of those age 65 or over.

View south toward Toksook Bay

Education

The Lower Kuskokwim School District operates Nelson Island School, K–12.[13]

References

1. 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 152.
2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
3. "Toksook Bay city, Alaska". Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
5. "Toksook Bay". Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
6. "Alaska Taxable 2011: Municipal Taxation - Rates and Policies" (PDF). Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-25.
7. "Toksook Bay, Alaska". City Data. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
8. Dick Anthony (January 1995). "Toksook Mask Exhibit" (.DOC). Negta/Nightmute, Alaska. The village was called Nunakauyaq before people started calling it Toksook. When people relocated here, they started searching a new name for it. When people met and began tossing different names around, one of them said—these places we call kangiqutat, are they called bay in English? Then these two young men said that we should call it Toksook Bay [Tuqsuk Bay]. Then that name was picked. The real name [atpi-a] for the place was Nunakauyaq.
9. Miyaoka, Osahito (2010). "Number" (.DOC). A Grammar of Central Alaskan Yupik. Nunakauyaq is the ‘real name’ (atpi-a) for Toksook Bay (on Nelson Island), while Tuqsuk is a new name given after the river going from the Bay to Negta (Nightmiut) when a part of people moved from the latter village to the new site (David Chanar, p.c.).
10. Shoichet, Catherine E. (2020-01-19). "Why the census is starting months early in this remote Alaskan fishing village". CNN. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
13. "Home". Nelson Island School. Retrieved on July 13, 2018.

Further reading

• Brad Reynolds SJ and Don Doll SJ (photographs; June 1984): "Eskimo Hunters of the Bering Sea", National Geographic, Vol. 165. No. 6, pp. 814–834