St. George, Alaska

St. George (ale: Anĝaaxchalux̂ or Sangiurgiix̂, Russian: Сент-Джордж) is a city in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is the main settlement of St. George Island in the Pribilofs, a small island group in the Bering Sea. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67, down from 102 in 2010 and the lowest figure since records began in 1880.

History

The island was discovered by Gavriil Pribylov on June 25, 1786, during a search for the breeding grounds of northern fur seals. The island is named after Pribylov's ship, the St. George. St. George Island was the first of the Pribilofs to be discovered.^[3]

Built in 1935, the sole church on the island is St. George Church, an Eastern Orthodox Church in the Diocese of Alaska of the Orthodox Church in America.

On February 29, 1996 the crab-fishing vessel All American ran aground on the island without loss of life.^[4]

Geography

St. George is located at 56°36′20″N 169°33′35″W (56.605546, −169.559584).^[5]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 182.4 square miles (472 km²), of which, 34.8 square miles (90 km²) of it is land and 147.6 square miles (382 km²) of it (80.94%) is water.

The city is served by an airport with scheduled service to St. Paul Island Airport and Unalaska Airport provided by Grant Aviation. Alaska Central Express also offers flights to Anchorage.

Demographics

St. George first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated Aleut village. Of its 92 residents, 88 were Aleut and 4 were White.^[6] It returned again in 1890 with 93 residents, reporting 49 Natives (presumably Aleut), 36 Creoles (Mixed Russian & Native), and 8 Whites. It did not report on the 1900 census. From 1910 to 1940, it reported as "St. George Island." In 1950, it reported as St. George. In 1960, it reported again as "St. George Island." From 1970-onwards, it has reported as St. George. It formally incorporated in 1983.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, St. George had a population of 67. The median age was 44.5 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 131.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 116.0 males age 18 and over.^[7][8]

0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.^[9]

There were 26 households in St. George, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 11.5% were married-couple households, 30.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 38.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[7]

There were 52 housing units, of which 50.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 31.3%.^[7]

2000 census

As of the census^[10] of 2000, there were 152 people, 51 households, and 42 families residing in the city. The population density was 4.4 inhabitants per square mile (1.7 /km²). There were 67 housing units at an average density of 1.9 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 92.11% Alaska Native and 7.89% White.

There were 51 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 15.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.6% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.29.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 36.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 113.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $57,083, and the median income for a family was $60,625. Males had a median income of $50,625 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,131. About 4.9% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Education

St. George is served by the Pribilof Island School District. In 2004, the district began offering 9–12th grade to St. George students via video conference. Students have a choice: they can live at home and attend distance education classes or they can leave home and attend a boarding school like Mt. Edgecumbe High School.

In 2017, St. George School was closed entirely due to low enrollment. The district now offers a correspondence program for grades K-10.^[11]

Geography and wildlife

The island is notable as being the breeding site of over 75% of the known population of red-legged kittiwakes.^[12]

In 2016, a new species of beaked whale, Berardius beringiae, was discovered near the island.^[13]

St. George Island is considered part of the Bering Sea Volcanic Province.^[14]

References

1. ^ 2024 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League. 2024.
2. ^ 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 128.
3. ^ "Pribilof Islands Restoration Project Historical Overview". NOAA. November 10, 2005. Archived May 8, 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
4. ^ "alaskashipwreck.com Alaska Shipwrecks (A)". Archived February 6, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Archived August 24, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
6. ^ "Report on Population and Resources of Alaska at the Eleventh Census: 1890". United States Census Bureau. Archived August 29, 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
7. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
8. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
9. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Archived December 27, 1996 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
11. ^ Kraegel, Laura (September 8, 2017). "Low Enrollment Forces St. George Island To Shut Down Its School". www.kucb.org. Archived August 11, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
12. ^ Byrd, G. V. & Williams, J. C. (1993). "Red-legged Kittiwake". Birds of North America Online. Archived August 26, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
13. ^ Rosen, Yereth (July 27, 2016). "New and rare whale species identified from carcass found in Pribilofs". Alaska Dispatch News. Archived July 28, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
14. ^ "The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar chronology and eruption rates of Cenozoic volcanism in the eastern Bering Sea Volcanic Province, Alaska". Archived June 3, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 11, 2017.

External links

• Official website^{[dead link]}
• St. George Tanaq Corporation