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Information About

Petersburg, Alaska





GEOGRAPHY


Petersburg is located at 56°48'16" North, 132°56'31" West (56.804414, -132.942013). It is on the north end of Mitkof Island , where the Wrangell Narrows meets Frederick Sound . Petersburg is halfway between Juneau , 190 km (120 miles) to the north, and Ketchikan , 180 km (110 miles) to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 119.2 Km&2 (46.0 Mi&2 ). 113.6 km&2 (43.9 mi&2) of it is land and 5.6 km&2 (2.2 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 4.74% water.


DEMOGRAPHICS


As of the Census of 2000, there were 3,224 people, 1,240 households, and 849 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 28.4/km&2 (73.5/mi&2). There were 1,367 housing units at an average density of 12.0/km&2 (31.2/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.64% White , 0.31% Black or African American , 7.20% Native American , 2.76% Asian , 0.19% Pacific Islander , 1.86% from Other Races , and 6.05% from two or more races. 2.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,240 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were Married Couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 108.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,028, and the median income for a family was $54,934. Males had a median income of $42,135 versus $28,792 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $25,827. 5.0% of the population and 3.3% of families were below the Poverty Line . 3.5% of those under the age of 18 and 4.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.


HISTORY

The north end of Mitkof Island was a summer fish camp utilized by Kake Tlingit from Kupreanof Island . Some began living year-round at the site, including Chief John Lot. Petersburg was named after Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian immigrant who arrived in the late 1890s. and homesteaded on the north end of the island. He built a cannery, a sawmill and a dock between 1890 and 1900. His family's homesteads grew into Petersburg, which was populated largely by people of Scandinavia n origin thus giving Petersburg the nickname "Little Norway". As of today, May 17th (Norwegian Independence Day) is celebrated annually in Petersburg. The cannery, along with three others have operated continuously since their completion. Petersburg is now one of Alaska's major fishing communities.


TRIVIA

  • Petersburg is 12th most lucrative fisheries port in the United States by volume according to the National Marine Fisheries Service . In 2004 , 103 million pounds of fish and shellfish passed through Petersburg.

  • Petersburg is served by a weekly newspaper, the '' Petersburg Pilot ''.

  • Petersburg usually serves as the jumping off point for the attempted ascents of Devil's Thumb , a very advanced peak located in the Stikine Icecap .



EXTERNAL LINKS