Chenega, Alaska

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Chenega (Template:IPAc-en; Alutiiq: Template:Lang) is a census-designated place (CDP) on Evans Island in the Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located in Prince William Sound, the CDP consists of the Chugach Alutiiq village of Chenega Bay, which was established only after the Good Friday earthquake destroyed the original community on Chenega Island to the north. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 59, largely Alaska Natives; as of 2021, the population of Chenega is estimated at 49. Chenega Bay is in the Chugach School District and has one school, Chenega Bay Community School, serving approximately 16 students from preschool through high school.

History

Original Chenega

The original village of Chenega, located on Chenega Island, was inhabited by the Chenega tribe, a subgroup of the Chugach Alutiiq.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The name Chenega derives from "Beneath the Mountain".<ref name=":0" /> The village was a fishing village that was settled before Russian arrival in the area.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> A post office operated there from 1946 until the destruction of the town in 1964.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Destruction of Chenega

The original village of Chenega was destroyed in 1964 by a tsunami from the Good Friday earthquake, which killed 26 residents,<ref name=":0" /> a third of the 68 people who lived there at the time, and leveled all the buildings in the town except for the school and a singular house.<ref name=":1" /> Immediately following the tsunami, survivors were taken to Cordova, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs later permanently resettled them at Tatitlek.<ref name=":1" />

Construction of Chenega Bay

After the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was passed, former residents of Chenega formed the Chenega Corporation, which acquired the right to select 76,093 acres of land near the site of the old Chenega Village Township.<ref name=":1" /> In 1977, following research into the landscape and the needs of villagers, a new town location was chosen at Crab Bay on Evans Island.<ref name=":1" /> Following the acquisition of funding for infrastructure, the new village, named Chenega Bay, was first occupied in 1984.<ref name=":1" />

Former and current Chenega residents gathered each Good Friday to remember the dead of Chenega. On the 25th Good Friday after the earthquake, in 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, causing an oil spill that again devastated Chenega and other places around the area economically.

Geography

Chenega is located at Template:Coord (60.066327, -148.010991).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of Template:Convert, of which, Template:Convert of it is land and Template:Convert of it (1.17%) is water.Template:Citation needed The village location is isolated, only accessible by boat or by plane.<ref name=":0" />

Demographics

Old Chenega (1880–1964)

The original Chenega, then located on the south end of Chenega Island at Template:Coord,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated Sugpiaq village (all 80 residents were Sugpiaq/Alutiiq).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It reported on the 1890 census as "Ingamatsha."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 71 of the residents were Native Alaskans and 2 were "Creole" (mixed Russian/Caucasian and Native Alaskan).

It returned in 1900 as Chenega.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It did not appear on the 1910 & 1920 censuses. It appeared as "Chanega" in 1930<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> & 1940<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and lastly as Chenega in 1950<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 1960.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was largely destroyed in the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964 and its residents relocated. The old village has not been reported on the census since. Some buildings remain as of 2019.

New Chenega (Chenega Bay) (1990–)

Template:US Census population The new Chenega (or Chenega Bay) first appeared on the 1990 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was founded in 1982 by former residents from the Old Chenega and is located on the east side of Evans Island, named for the old village and island.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 86 people, 22 households, and 17 families residing in the CDP. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 27 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the CDP was 22.09% White, 73.26% Native American, and 4.65% from two or more races.

File:Chenega, Alaska Aerial 2.jpg

Distant aerial view of Chenega, Alaska, 1989

Of the 22 households, 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 13.6% 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 3.55 and the average family size was 3.83.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 33.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 132.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,750, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $75,938 versus $32,500 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,382. There were 16.7% of families and 15.6% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

References

• Chenega CDP, Alaska United States Census Bureau