Mekoryuk (Nunivak Cup'ig: Mikuryarmiut; Central Yup'ik: Mikuryar) is a city located on Nunivak Island in the Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Mekoryuk had a population of 206.[4]
History
Nunivak Island has been inhabited for 2,000 years by the Nuniwarmiut, or Nunivak Cup'ig people.
The community's first contact with Europeans was in 1821 when explorers from the Russian-American Company arrived on their island. These Russians recorded 400 people living in 16 villages on the Nunivak Island.
While conducting the 1880 United States Census, Ivan Petrof recorded 702 Yup'ik in 9 villages, including 117 people at "Koot", near the site of present-day Mekoryuk. An epidemic in 1900 left only four surviving families in the village.
In the 1930s, the Evangelical Covenant Church was built at Mekoryuk, followed by a school in 1939. People moved to the village from other areas of the island to be near the school. Reindeer herding was introduced in 1920 by an Eskimo-Russian trader. The operation was purchased by the United States government in the 1940s and a slaughterhouse was built in 1945. The reindeer were crossed with caribou from Denali Park. The resulting animals were larger and less tame than other reindeer. 34 musk ox from Greenland were transferred to the Nunivak Island in 1934 in an effort to save the species from extinction. Today, the musk-ox herd numbers around 500, and calves from this herd have been relocated and introduced to other areas of Alaska.
In the mid-20th century, Mekoryuk became the only permanent population center on the island. Until the 1940s, the traditional lifestyle and traditional ceremonies and religious beliefs were practiced.
The 1950s and 1960s brought considerable change. Mekoryuk Airport was built in 1957. When the Territorial Guard was formed, men were sent to Fort Richardson near Anchorage for training. During this time, many families moved to Bethel during the winter to be near the high school, returning in the spring for fishing and sea mammal hunting. A high school was constructed in Mekoryuk in 1978.
Geography
Mekoryuk is located at the mouth of Shoal Bay on the north shore of Nunivak Island in the Bering Sea. The island lies 48 km (30 mi) west of the Alaska coast. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19 km2), of which, 7.4 square miles (19 km2) of it is land and 0.14% is water.
Climate
Mekoryuk has a tundra climate (Köppen: ET), that borders on a subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc).
Demographics
Mekoryuk first appeared on the 1950 U.S. Census as "Mekoryok." It appeared as the current spelling in 1960. It was formally incorporated in 1969.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Mekoryuk had a population of 206. The median age was 35.0 years. 28.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 121.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 137.1 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 72 households in Mekoryuk, of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 36.1% were married-couple households, 36.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[7]
There were 95 housing units, of which 24.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.5%.[7]
2000 census
Según el censo de 2000, [ 10 ] había 210 personas, 73 hogares y 48 familias residiendo en la ciudad. La densidad de población era de 28,5 habitantes por milla cuadrada (11,0/km² ) . Había 96 unidades de vivienda con una densidad promedio de 13,0 unidades por milla cuadrada (5,0 unidades/km² ) . La composición racial de la ciudad era 3,33% blanca , 90,48% nativa americana y 6,19% de dos o más razas. El 0,48% de la población era hispana o latina de cualquier raza.
Se registraron 73 hogares, de los cuales el 31,5% tenía hijos menores de 18 años, el 45,2% estaba formado por parejas casadas, el 15,1% tenía una mujer como cabeza de familia sin cónyuge presente y el 34,2% no eran familias. El 32,9% de todos los hogares estaban compuestos por una sola persona, y el 2,7% tenía una persona de 65 años o más viviendo sola. El tamaño promedio del hogar era de 2,88 personas y el tamaño promedio de la familia era de 3,77 personas.
En la ciudad, la distribución por edades de la población muestra que el 32,4% tiene menos de 18 años, el 6,7% entre 18 y 24 años, el 29,0% entre 25 y 44 años, el 22,4% entre 45 y 64 años, y el 9,5% tiene 65 años o más. La mediana de edad fue de 36 años. Por cada 100 mujeres, había 116,5 hombres. Por cada 100 mujeres mayores de 18 años, había 136,7 hombres.
El ingreso medio por hogar en la ciudad era de $30,833 y el ingreso medio por familia era de $33,750. Los hombres tenían un ingreso medio de $25,417, frente a los $11,667 de las mujeres. El ingreso per cápita de la ciudad era de $11,958. Aproximadamente el 13.7% de las familias y el 21.9% de la población se encontraban por debajo del umbral de pobreza , incluyendo el 36.7% de los menores de dieciocho años y el 15.8% de los mayores de 65 años.
Educación
El distrito escolar de Lower Kuskokwim administra la escuela Nuniwarmiut, que abarca desde preescolar hasta el último año de secundaria. El edificio fue construido en 1984. [ 11 ]
Salud
La venta, importación y posesión de alcohol están prohibidas en el pueblo. [ 12 ]
Referencias
- ↑ "Directorio de funcionarios de distritos y ciudades 1974". Gobierno local de Alaska . XIII (2). Juneau: Departamento de Asuntos Comunitarios y Regionales de Alaska : 53. Enero de 1974.
- ↑ Directorio de funcionarios municipales de Alaska 2015. Juneau: Liga Municipal de Alaska. 2015. pág. 102.
- ↑ "Archivos del nomenclátor de EE. UU. de 2020" . Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos . Consultado el 29 de octubre de 2021 .
- ↑ "Datos de redistribución de distritos del censo decenal de 2020 (Ley pública 94-171)" . Oficina del Censo de los Estados Unidos . 2021. Consultado el 4 de febrero de 2026 .
- ↑Mekoryuk, Alaska - Period of Record : 9/6/1923 to 8/28/1987Archived May 25, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
- ↑"Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- 123"2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- 12"2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ↑"2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ↑"U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑"Nuniwarmiut School." Lower Kuskokwim School District. Retrieved on July 13, 2018.
- ↑"Schedule of Local Option Communities"(PDF). Alcoholic Beverage Control Board. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
External links
- Historic photos of Mekoryuk
60°23′21″N166°12′25″W / 60.389278°N 166.207082°W / 60.389278; -166.207082
- Bering Sea
- Cities in Alaska
- Cities in Bethel Census Area, Alaska
- Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean