Everything about Petersburg Alaska totally explained
Petersburg is a city in
Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area,
Alaska, in the
United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,010.
History
The north end of
Mitkof Island was a summer fish camp utilized by
Kake Tlingits from
Kupreanof Island. Remnants of fish traps and some petroglyphs have been carbon-dated back some 2,000 years. Alaskan Natives 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 (thanks to the plentiful number of
icebergs from the nearby
LeConte Glacier which would provide a source for cooling fish), a sawmill, and a dock between 1890 and 1900. His family's homesteads grew into Petersburg which, by 1910 was incorporated and was populated largely by people of
Scandinavian origin thus giving Petersburg the nickname "Little Norway".
May 17 (
Norwegian Constitution Day) is celebrated annually in Petersburg on the third weekend in May. The cannery, along with three others have operated continuously since their completion. Petersburg is one of Alaska's major fishing communities.
Geography
Petersburg is located at (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 46.0
square miles (119.2
km²), of which, 43.9 square miles (113.6 km²) of it's land and 2.2 square miles (5.6 km²) of it (4.74%) is water.
The island is largely covered by low mountains, while the lowlands are mainly comprised of
muskeg, a type of soil made up of plants in various states of decomposition.
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 73.5 people per square mile (28.4/km²). There were 1,367 housing units at an average density of 31.2/sq mi (12.0/km²). 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. About 3.3% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Since it's located on an island, Petersburg can only be accessed by air or sea.
Marine transportation
Petersburg receives service from two separate ferry services: the
Inter-Island Ferry Authority and the
Alaska Marine Highway.
The Inter-Island Ferry Authority has dedicated weekend service (May-October) with the
M/V Stikine on its
Coffman Cove-
Wrangell-Petersburg-Wrangell-Coffman Cove route. For the Alaska Marine Highway, Petersburg is a stop on its
Inside Passage route that sees near-daily service both southbound and northbound to other
Southeast Alaskan communities, Bellingham Washington and Prince Rupert, BC Canada.
Small cruise-ships (up to 250 passengers) and private yachts visit from May thru September.
Air transportation
The jet carrier
Alaska Airlines serves Petersburg with both cargo and passenger service from the
Petersburg James A. Johnson Airport from Ketchikan and Juneau daily, with service ultimately reaching Anchorage and Seattle. Bush carrier
L.A.B. Flying Service also offers service to Petersburg from
Kake and ultimately
Juneau (via Kake). Three charter air companies are available for regional flights.
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 Devils Thumb, a very advanced peak located in the Stikine Icecap.
- Petersburg celebrates Norwegian Constitution Day in a celebration called "Mayfest" locally on the third weekend in May.
- It's home to the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center(External Link
). "Much is known about whales and other marine mammals; yet there's more to be learned. It exists to teach others that which is known, and to learn from and support the research into new discoveries."
Further Information
Get more info on 'Petersburg Alaska'.
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