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Bethel (Mamterilleq in Central Alaskan Yup'ik) is a city located near the west coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, 340 miles (540 km) west of Anchorage. It is the main port on the Kuskokwim River and is an administrative and transportation hub for the 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Bethel is the largest community in western Alaska and in the Unorganized Borough, as well as the 9th largest in the state, with a population estimated to be 6,356 in 2006.[3] Annual events in Bethel include a noted dogsled race, the Kuskokwim 300, and a traditional dance festival held each spring.
HistoryBethel, at its original location, was a Yup'ik village called Mumtrekhlogamute, meaning "Smokehouse People," after the nearby fish smokehouse.[4] It was an Alaska Commercial Company trading post during the late 1800s. It had a population of 41 people in the 1880 U.S. Census. The Moravian Church established a mission in the area in 1885, under the leadership of Rev. John Henry Kilbuck, Jr. Kilbuck learned Yup'ik, which greatly enhanced his effectiveness as a missionary. Missionaries moved Bethel from Mamterillermiut to its present location on the west side of the Kuskokwim River. A United States Post Office was opened in 1905. Alaska Natives in this area also have a long Christian history, in part from Russian Orthodox, Catholic and Moravian influence. As in many Alaskan villages, Christian tradition has become interwoven with its cultural history. On February 19, 1997, a school massacre attracted widespread media attention to Bethel when then-sixteen-year-old Evan Ramsey, a student at Bethel High School, shot and killed his principal and one student and wounded two others, for which he later received a 198-year prison sentence. GeographyBethel is located at (60.792222, -161.755833)[5]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 50 square miles (126 km²), of which, 44 square miles (113 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (13 km²) of it is water. The total area is 10% water. Though the region is flat and generally treeless, Bethel lies inside the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, the largest wildlife refuge in the United States ClimatePrecipitation averages 16 inches a year in this area, with snowfall of 50 inches. The average low in July is 49 °F and the average high is 63 °F, although temperatures as low as 32 °F or as high as 87 °F have been recorded in July. In January, the average low is 1 and the average high is 12 °F, while extremes of -49 to 49 °F have been recorded[1][2]. DemographicsAs of the census of 2000,[6] there were 5,471 people, 1,741 households, and 1,190 families residing in the city. The population density was 125.0 people per square mile (48.3/km²). There were 1,990 housing units at an average density of 45.5/sq mi (17.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 26.83% White, 0.93% Black or African American, 61.78% Native American, 2.87% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 6.91% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.70% of the population. There were 1,741 households out of which 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.00 and the average family size was 3.65. The age distribution was 35.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 110.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $57,321, and the median income for a family was $62,431. Males had a median income of $45,321 versus $39,010 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,267. About 10.6% of the families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under the age of 18 and 18.3% of those ages 64 and over. Transportation and economyThe state-owned Bethel Airport is the regional transportation center, and is served by six passenger carriers: Alaska Airlines, Arctic Circle Air Service, Grant Aviation, Hageland Aviation Service, Yute Air and Frontier Flying Service. It also receives service from five cargo operators: Everts Air Cargo, Northern Air Cargo, Alaska Central Express, Arctic Transportation Services, and Lynden Air Cargo, and numerous small air taxi services. The airport ranks third in the state for total number of flights. It offers a 6,400' asphalt runway and 1,850' gravel crosswind runway, and is currently undergoing a $7 million renovation and expansion. Three float plane bases are nearby, Hangar Lake and H Marker Lake and the Kuskokwim River. The Port of Bethel is the northernmost medium-draft port in the United States. River travel is the primary means of local transportation in the summer. A Bethel-based barge service provides goods to Kuskokwim villages. Within Bethel there are approximately 16 miles of roads, which are not connected to any contiguous highway system. Winter ice roads lead to several local villages, but their condition varies depending on temperature and snow fall. An extensive network of snow machine trails connects Bethel to villages all over the Delta, from the Bering Sea to the Yukon. The town's single paved road--about 10 miles--supports a surprisingly large taxicab industry. With 93 taxi drivers, the town has more cab drivers per capita than any other city in the country, making it the unlikely taxicab capital of the United States. Just as surprising, most local cab drivers are Albanian or South Korean immigrants, lured north by reports of good money.[7] Bethel is also the site of a proposed major, relative to Alaska, coal powered generating station, and a unique 8.5 mile prototype single-wire earth return electrical intertie to Napakiak, Alaska, constructed in 1981.[citation needed] Sports and recreationBethel is home to a noted mid-distance dogsled race, the Kuskokwim 300. Held every January since 1980, the race commemorates an early mail route that once tied the settlement to the outside world. Top mushers and hundreds of sled dogs participate in the race for a purse of $100,000, the largest offered by any 300-mile sled dog race.[8] Local recreational activities include snowmachineing, skiing, bicycling, kayaking, caribou hunting, and salmon fishing. Arts and cultureTraditional dancers from all over Alaska and beyond participate every March in the Camai Dance Festival. Hundreds of costumed dancers, drummers, and singers perform traditional Yup'ik story dances during the three-day festival, sponsored by the Bethel Council on the Arts. "Camai" (pronounced Cha-Mai) translates as "a warm hello." MediaBethel has a television station, KYUK-TV, and two radio stations, KYUK-AM and KYKD. It is also home to the weekly regional newspapers Delta Discovery and Tundra Drums. References
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