Coldfoot, Alaska

{{short description|Census-designated place in Alaska, U.S.}} {{More citations needed|date=July 2022}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox settlement |official_name = Coldfoot, Alaska |settlement_type = CDP |nickname = |motto =

||pushpin_map = Alaska |pushpin_label_position = left  |pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Alaska |pushpin_mapsize = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 =

|area_magnitude = |area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{Cite web |title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_02.txt |access-date=October 29, 2021 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> |area_total_km2 = 92.83 |area_land_km2 = 92.83 |area_water_km2 = 0.00 |area_total_sq_mi = 35.84 |area_land_sq_mi = 35.84 |area_water_sq_mi = 0.00

|population_as_of = 2020 |population_footnotes = |population_total = 34

|timezone = Alaska (AKST) |utc_offset = -9 |timezone_DST = AKDT |utc_offset_DST = -8 |elevation_footnotes = |elevation_m = 309 |elevation_ft = 1014 |coordinates = {{coord|67|15|5|N|150|10|34|W|region:US-AK|display=inline,title}} |postal_code_type = ZIP code |postal_code = 99726<ref>{{Cite web |year=2023 |title=Coldfoot AK ZIP Code |url=https://www.zipdatamaps.com/99726 |access-date=June 16, 2023 |publisher=zipdatamaps.com}}</ref> |area_code = 907 |blank_name = FIPS code |blank_info = 02-16630 |blank1_name = GNIS feature ID |blank1_info = 1412829 |website = |footnotes = |pop_est_as_of = |pop_est_footnotes = |population_est = |unit_pref = Imperial |population_density_sq_mi = 0.95 |population_density_km2 = 0.37 }}

'''Coldfoot''' is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 34 at the 2020 census. It is said that the name was derived from travelers getting "cold feet" about making the 240-some-mile journey north to Deadhorse.

Coldfoot primarily serves as a truck stop on the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} North of Coldfoot, there are no services for 240 miles (400 km), until Deadhorse. It has a restaurant and a small number of overnight accommodations (converted pipeline construction camp quarters).{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} Bus tours along the highway typically take two days, with passengers spending the night in Coldfoot.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} The BLM, USFWS, and NPS jointly staff a small visitor center during the summer.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} The Coldfoot truck stop was founded by Iditarod champion Dick Mackey, who started his operation by selling hamburgers out of a converted school bus.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} Truckers helped build the existing truck stop and cafe.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} The Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (DOT&PF) has a camp (maintenance station) in Coldfoot.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northern Region, Statewide M & O, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska |url=https://dot.alaska.gov/stwdmno/mno_nr.shtml |access-date=March 21, 2023 |website=dot.alaska.gov |publisher=Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities}}</ref>

The town was originally a mining camp named Slate Creek, and around 1900 got its present name when prospectors going up the nearby Middle Fork Koyukuk River would get "cold feet" and turn around.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} In 1902, Coldfoot had two roadhouses, two stores, seven saloons, and a gambling house.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}} A post office operated from 1902 to 1912, then reopened in 1984.{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

Coldfoot Airport, on the west side of the Dalton Highway, consists of a {{convert|4000|foot|m}} gravel strip, used for air taxi and general aviation.

Coldfoot has been featured on ''Ice Road Truckers'', a Canadian reality television series airing on the History Channel. The truck stop was first seen during the show's third season.<ref name="history.com">{{Cite web |title=Ice Road Truckers Season Three – History.com |url=http://www.history.com/content/iceroadtruckers-season-three |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209153548/http://www.history.com/content/iceroadtruckers-season-three/ |archive-date=February 9, 2010 |access-date=July 12, 2010}}</ref>

==Geography== According to the United States Census Bureau, Coldfoot has a total area of {{convert|37.0|sqmi|km2}}, which is all land.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020" />

===Climate=== Coldfoot belongs to the typical subarctic climate type (Köppen ''Dfc''), characterized by long and extremely cold winters and short, mild summers. Year-round temperature extremes range from {{convert|-74|F}} to {{convert|88|F}}. A low temperature of {{convert|-82|F}} has been measured at this place before but not officially recognized, otherwise making Coldfoot the coldest place in the United States, not Prospect Creek.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 28, 2023 |title=This Small Town in Alaska Is One of the Best Places to See the Northern Lights |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/coldfoot-alaska-northern-lights-national-park-6827428 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230528023948/https://www.travelandleisure.com/coldfoot-alaska-northern-lights-national-park-6827428 |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |website=travelandleisure.com}}</ref>

{{Weather box |width = auto |location = Coldfoot, Alaska |single line = Y |collapsed = Y |Jan record high F = 32 |Feb record high F = 38 |Mar record high F = 40 |Apr record high F = 52 |May record high F = 77 |Jun record high F = 88 |Jul record high F = 88 |Aug record high F = 82 |Sep record high F = 68 |Oct record high F = 50 |Nov record high F = 43 |Dec record high F = 31 |year record high F = 88 |Jan high F = -10.1 |Feb high F = -0.4 |Mar high F = 11.4 |Apr high F = 32.0 |May high F = 52.8 |Jun high F = 66.0 |Jul high F = 69.5 |Aug high F = 63.7 |Sep high F = 47.4 |Oct high F = 23.6 |Nov high F = 4.9 |Dec high F = -1.5 |year high F = 29.9 |Jan mean F = -18.9 |Feb mean F = -11.6 |Mar mean F = -1.6 |Apr mean F = 18.8 |May mean F = 42.3 |Jun mean F = 54.5 |Jul mean F = 57.3 |Aug mean F = 52.2 |Sep mean F = 38.3 |Oct mean F = 15.7 |Nov mean F = -3.1 |Dec mean F = -10.3 |year mean F = 19.4 |Jan low F = -27.7 |Feb low F = -22.9 |Mar low F = -14.9 |Apr low F = 5.6 |May low F = 31.9 |Jun low F = 43.0 |Jul low F = 45.1 |Aug low F = 40.6 |Sep low F = 28.8 |Oct low F = 7.4 |Nov low F = -11.2 |Dec low F = -19.1 |year low F = 8.9 |Jan record low F = -74 |Feb record low F = -68 |Mar record low F = -58 |Apr record low F = -41 |May record low F = 9 |Jun record low F = 28 |Jul record low F = 30 |Aug record low F = 23 |Sep record low F = -2 |Oct record low F = -35 |Nov record low F = -52 |Dec record low F = -61 |year record low F = -74 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 0.37 |Feb precipitation inch = 0.44 |Mar precipitation inch = 0.43 |Apr precipitation inch = 0.31 |May precipitation inch = 0.96 |Jun precipitation inch = 1.91 |Jul precipitation inch = 2.66 |Aug precipitation inch = 2.03 |Sep precipitation inch = 2.79 |Oct precipitation inch = 1.50 |Nov precipitation inch = 1.05 |Dec precipitation inch = 0.90 |year precipitation inch = 15.34 |Jan snow inch = 17.4 |Feb snow inch = 11.5 |Mar snow inch = 11.4 |Apr snow inch = 6.7 |May snow inch = 0.8 |Jun snow inch = 0.0 |Jul snow inch = 0.0 |Aug snow inch = 0.0 |Sep snow inch = 5.0 |Oct snow inch = 23.4 |Nov snow inch = 16.2 |Dec snow inch = 20.7 |year snow inch = 113.1 |source 1 = WRCC<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coldfoot Camp, Alaska (502103) |url=https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak2103 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230528022658/https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak2103 |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |access-date=May 28, 2022 |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center}}</ref>}}

==Demographics== {{US Census population |2000= 13 |2010= 10 |2020= 34 |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{Cite web |title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html |publisher=US Census Bureau}}</ref> 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004/> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/> }}

Coldfoot first appeared in the 2000 U.S. census as a census-designated place.

===2020=== {| class="wikitable" |+'''Coldfoot, Alaska – racial and ethnic composition''' (''NH = Non-Hispanic'') {{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}} !Race / Ethnicity !Pop 2000<ref name="2000CensusP004">{{Cite web |title=P004 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Coldfoot CDP, Alaska |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US0216630 |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> !Pop 2010<ref name="2010CensusP2">{{Cite web |title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Coldfoot CDP, Alaska |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0216630&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2 |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> !{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name="2020CensusP2">{{Cite web |title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Coldfoot CDP, Alaska |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0216630&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> !% 2000 !% 2010 !{{partial|% 2020}} |- |White alone (NH) |13 |9 |style='background: #ffffe6; |21 |100.00% |90.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |61.76% |- |Black or African American alone (NH) |0 |0 |style='background: #ffffe6; |0 |0.00% |0.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00% |- |Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) |0 |1 |style='background: #ffffe6; |3 |0.00% |10.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |8.82% |- |Asian alone (NH) |0 |0 |style='background: #ffffe6; |0 |0.00% |0.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00% |- |Pacific Islander alone (NH) |0 |0 |style='background: #ffffe6; |0 |0.00% |0.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00% |- |Some Other Race alone (NH) |0 |0 |style='background: #ffffe6; |2 |0.00% |0.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |5.88% |- |Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) |0 |0 |style='background: #ffffe6; |4 |0.00% |0.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |11.76% |- |Hispanic or Latino (any race) |0 |0 |style='background: #ffffe6; |4 |0.00% |0.00% |style='background: #ffffe6; |11.76% |- |'''Total''' |'''13''' |'''10''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''34''' |'''100.00%''' |'''100.00%''' |style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%''' |}

In the 2000 census, there were thirteen people, six households, and one family residing in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|0.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|sigfig=1}}. There were twelve housing units at an average density of {{convert|0.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|sigfig=1}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 100% White.<ref name="GR2">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov |access-date=January 31, 2008 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=March 2023|reason=No mention of Coldfoot at the given link}} There were six households: two had children under the age of eighteen living with them, two were married couples living together, and four were non-families. Three households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.17, and the average family size was 4.

The age distribution was three under the age of 18, one from 18 to 24, five from 25 to 44, and four from 45 to 64. The median age was 40 years. There were four females and nine males, including three females and seven males aged eighteen and over.

The median household income was $61,250, and the per capita income was $42,620. None of the population was living below the poverty line.

==Education== The community was previously served by a school of the Yukon–Koyukuk School District.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Alaska School Map |url=https://education.alaska.gov/facilities/pdf/doe2013map.pdf |access-date=March 13, 2017 |website=education.alaska.gov |publisher=Alaska Department of Education & Early Development}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{Portal|Alaska}} {{Commons category-inline}} * {{wikivoyage inline|Coldfoot}} * [http://coldfootcamp.com Coldfoot Camp]

Category:Census-designated places in Alaska Category:Census-designated places in Unorganized Borough, Alaska Category:Census-designated places in Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska Category:Populated places of the Arctic United States