Editing Hoonah, Alaska

{{short description|Town in Alaska}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name            = Hoonah, Alaska
| native_name              = Xunaa / Gaaw Yat’aḵ Aan
     
| native_name_lang        = tli
| settlement_type          = [[City (Alaska)|City]]
| nickname                 = 
| motto                    = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline            = Aerial photo of Hoonah, Alaska.jpg
| imagesize                = 
| image_caption            = Aerial photo of Hoonah
| image_flag               = 
| image_seal               = <!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map              = USA Alaska
| pushpin_label            = Hoonah
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Alaska

<!-- Location -->
| coordinates              = {{coord|58|06|34|N|135|26|11|W|region:US-AK|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = United States
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1        = [[Alaska]]
| subdivision_type2        = [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|Census Area]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska|Hoonah-Angoon]]
| government_footnotes     = 
| government_type          = 
| leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name              = Bill Miller
| leader_title1            = [[Alaska Senate|State senator]]
| leader_name1             = [[Bert Stedman]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| leader_title2            = [[Alaska House of Representatives|State rep.]]
| leader_name2             = [[Rebecca Himschoot]] ([[Independent politician|I]])
| established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date         = June 8, 1946<ref>{{cite book|title=1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory|location=[[Juneau]]|publisher=Alaska Municipal League/[[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development|Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs]]|date=January 1996|page=66}}</ref>

<!-- Area -->
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_02.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
| area_magnitude           = 
| area_total_sq_mi         = 7.13
| area_land_sq_mi          = 5.87
| area_water_sq_mi         = 1.26
| area_total_km2           = 18.47
| area_land_km2            = 15.20
| area_water_km2           = 3.28

<!-- Elevation -->
| elevation_footnotes      = 
| elevation_ft             = 52
| elevation_m              = 16

<!-- Population -->
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 931
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_density_km2   = auto

<!-- General information -->
| timezone                 = [[Alaska Time Zone|Alaska (AKST)]]
| utc_offset               = -9
| timezone_DST             = AKDT
| utc_offset_DST           = -8
| postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code              = 99829
| area_code                = [[Area code 907|907]]
| area_code_type           = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] code
| blank_info               = {{FIPS|02|33360}}
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = {{GNIS4|1403488}}
| website                  = {{URL|www.cityofhoonah.org}}
| footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|unit_pref = Imperial
}}
'''Hoonah''' ({{langx|tli|Xunaa}} or ''Gaaw Yat’aḵ Aan'') is a largely [[Tlingit]] community on [[Chichagof Island]], located in [[Alaska]]'s [[Southeast Alaska|panhandle]] in the southeast region of the state. It is {{convert|30|mi}} west of [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]], across the Alaskan [[Inside Passage]]. Hoonah is the only first-class [[City (Alaska)|city]] on Chichagof Island, the 109th-largest island in the world and the 5th-largest [[List of islands of the United States|island in the U.S.]] At the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] the population was 931,<ref name="2020 Census Data">{{cite web | url = https://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/cen/2020-census-data.html | title = 2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places | format = Web | publisher = State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development | access-date = October 31, 2021}}</ref> up from 760 in 2010.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/1600000US0233360| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hoonah city, Alaska| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=April 17, 2017}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In the summer the population can swell to over 1,300 depending on fishing, boating, hiking and hunting conditions.<ref name="hoonah_population">{{cite book |date=1985|title=Alaska Pulp Corporation Long Term Sale Area, 1986-90 Operating Period: Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4KQ2AQAAMAAJ|publisher=Northwestern University|pages=3–59}}</ref>

"Hoonah" became the official spelling in 1901, with establishment of the Hoonah branch of the United States Post Office.<ref>Donald J. Orth, Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, U.S. Gov't. Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1967</ref> "Hoonah" is the approximate pronunciation of the Tlingit name {{lang|tli|Xunaa}}, which means “[[leeward|lee]] of the north wind”, i.e., protected from the north wind.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Sonia C. Tidemann|author2=Andrew Gosler|title=Ethno-ornithology: Birds, Indigenous Peoples, Culture and Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7qoeBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA182|year=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-136-54384-5|page=182|quote= Xunaa, 'In the Lee of the North Wind', is a descriptive name for the main village's location}}</ref>

==History==
{{Multiple issues|section=yes|{{Prose|section|date=May 2014}}
{{Recentism|section|date=May 2014}}}}
[[File:Native art at the dock in Hoonah, Alaska.jpg|thumb|Native art at the dock in Hoonah]]
The clans comprising the Huna Tlingit originally settled what is now [[Glacier Bay National Park]] as well as [[Icy Strait]], [[Cross Sound]], and the outer coast north to Sea Otter Creek. Two catastrophic events forced the Tlingit from their homeland; rapid glacial advance in Glacier Bay and a landslide-induced [[tsunami]] in Lituya Bay along the outer coast. Tlingit oral tradition recounts these events as well as the clans' ultimate resettlement in Xunaa.

A partial timeline of modern Hoonah history is below:

*1750s - Xunaa was settled by clans fleeing glacial advance in Glacier Bay.
*1880 - The [[North West Trading Company]] built the first store in Hoonah.
*1881 - The Presbyterian Home Mission and school was built.
*1887 - 450 to 500 people were wintering in the village.
*1901 - Hoonah post office was opened.
*1912 - The Hoonah Packing Co. built a large [[cannery]] north of town. The cannery was shut down after decades of use and is now a tourist attraction at [[Icy Strait Point]].
*1934, 1936 - Hoonah Indian Association was constituted as a federally recognized tribe, authorized to act on behalf of the Huna Tlingit.
*1944 - A fire destroyed much of Hoonah, including many priceless Tlingit cultural objects. The United States federal government assisted in rebuilding Hoonah.
*1953 - Last year that Icy Strait Salmon Company operated as a full-fledged canning operation. From this point until 1999 the property functioned as a maintenance and support facility for the [[seine fishing|seine boat]] fishing fleet.<ref name="icystrait">{{Cite web|url=https://icystraitpoint.com/our-history/|title=Our History – Icy Strait Point|website=icystraitpoint.com}}</ref>
*1964 - First graduating class from Hoonah High School, in May.
*2001 - Groundbreaking ceremony for Icy Strait Point, at abandoned Hoonah Packing Company site.<ref name="icystrait" /> 
*2004 - Celebrity MV ''Mercury'' makes inaugural call at Icy Strait Point.<ref name="icystrait" />
*2007 - ZipRider! The world's largest zipline opens at Icy Strait Point.
*2010 - Alaska State Troopers assisted Hoonah police in a 2-day manhunt for a man who was reported to be armed in a wooded area in the city. He was later apprehended without incident.
*2010 - A fire and subsequent series of explosions destroyed the Icy Strait Lumber Mill. No criminal activity was suspected in the fire.<ref>[http://juneauempire.com/stories/072310/sta_681613595.shtml Explosion and fire destroys Hoonah saw mill] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095355/http://juneauempire.com/stories/072310/sta_681613595.shtml |date=April 2, 2015 }}, ''Juneau Empire'', July 23, 2010</ref>
*2010 - Two police officers from the city were shot and killed in an ambush on Front Street. The suspect subsequently barricaded himself inside his own home on August 29, 2010. State, local and federal law enforcement officers and SWAT personnel from agencies throughout Alaska responded in the wake of the shooting. The suspect, John Marvin, was taken into custody the next day.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Suspect in killing of Hoonah officers arrested |access-date=August 30, 2010 |publisher=adn.com |url=http://www.adn.com/2010/08/30/1431297/suspect-in-killing-of-hoonah-officers.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902030701/http://www.adn.com/2010/08/30/1431297/suspect-in-killing-of-hoonah-officers.html |archive-date=September 2, 2010 }}</ref><!--Remaining details are out of balance with the rest of the items in the article: The officers killed in the incident were: Officer Matthew D. Tokuoka, 39 and Sgt. Anthony M. Wallace, 32. Tokuoka was a former Marine who served in special operations; Wallace was a former All-American collegiate wrestler and one of only a handful of legally deaf police officers in the United States. Police identified the alleged lone gunman as John Marvin Jr., 45, a local resident with a lengthy criminal record. Marvin was arrested after a 2-day standoff and charged with 2 counts of 1st degree murder and other charges arising from the incident. The murders of the two officers in the 4-officer agency was the highest per capita loss of lives for police in modern Alaska history. Over 1100 citizens and peace officers from all over Alaska, the [[Contiguous United States|U.S. mainland]] and Canada attended the slain officer's funeral, along with Governor Sean Parnell and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. The service was the largest officer funeral in Alaska police history and the largest gathering in the history of Hoonah. The State of Alaska provided an extra ferry and charged no fee for those attending the funeral.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Standoff continues after 2 police officers killed in Hoonah |access-date=August 30, 2010 |publisher=adn.com |url=http://www.adn.com/2010/08/29/1430097/two-police-officers-killed-in.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100831033810/http://www.adn.com/2010/08/29/1430097/two-police-officers-killed-in.html |archive-date=August 31, 2010 }}</ref> ...end comment -->

The town of Hoonah is featured on the [[Discovery Channel]] show ''[[Alaskan Bush People]]''.

===Education and schools===
[[File:Hoonah City Schools, Alaska.jpg|thumb|Hoonah City Schools]]
Sheldon Jackson established the first school house and teacher's residence in November 1881. The school was initially overseen by Mr. and Mrs. Walter B. Styles of New York until their transfer to [[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]] in 1882. The Reverend and Mrs. John McFarland assumed responsibility for the school in 1884, and by 1885 219 Tlingit students were enrolled: 69 boys, 76 girls and 74 adults.<ref>Rev. Sheldon Jackson, D.O. ''Report on Education in Alaska''. U.S. Gov't Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 1886</ref> A territorial school and government school were built in 1923. In 1932 the government school was demolished and replaced by a [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] school.<ref name="ReferenceA">J. Hembree, S. Ashton, S. Hanlon ''et al.'', ''Hoonah History'', 1975</ref>

Hoonah City Schools currently serves the needs of Hoonah's elementary and secondary students. Six graduating seniors made up the Hoonah City Schools class of 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hoonah.ss10.sharpschool.com/home|title=Home|website=hoonah.ss10.sharpschool.com}}</ref>

===Hoonah Packing Company===
[[File:Hoonah Packing Company.jpg|thumb|The Hoonah Packing Company building at Icy Strait Point, now used as a tourist destination for cruise ships]]
The Hoonah Packing Company ("HPC"), built in 1912, was one of eight canneries operating in the area during the early twentieth century, representing Hoonah's major industry at the time. HPC was sold several times until coming to be owned by Wards Cove Packing, which also owned Hoonah Trading. The cannery ceased operating in 1954, but continued to see use by commercial fishermen for storing and repairing their boats and gear.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
{{Clear}}

==Geography==

Hoonah is on the north shore of [[Chichagof Island]], on [[Icy Strait]], at {{Coord|58|6|34|N|135|26|11|W|type:city}} (58.109435, -135.436349).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> The communities of [[Whitestone Logging Camp, Alaska|Whitestone Logging Camp]] (which was being dismantled in early 2011) and [[Game Creek, Alaska|Game Creek]] just south of the city limits. The port at Hoonah is called [[Port Frederick]]. Other incorporated communities nearby on Chichagof Island include [[Tenakee Springs, Alaska|Tenakee Springs]] to the south and [[Pelican, Alaska|Pelican]] to the west. A study began in 2009 regarding the feasibility of a road from Hoonah to Pelican and possibly connecting to Tenakee Springs to allow an energy corridor to hot spring thermal energy sources in the region for Hoonah, to lower heating and energy costs. Most Tenakee residents expressed opposition to the road, while Pelican has generally supported the idea. The road would save the Alaska Department of Transportation ferry costs in summer snow-free months, by connecting these areas to Hoonah.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city of Hoonah has a total area of {{convert|18.9|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|15.6|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|3.3|km2|order=flip}}, or 17.59%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

[[Tongass National Forest]] borders the area and has an unpaved road system of over {{convert|300|mi}}. Recreation areas include Game Creek, Kennel Creek, and Freshwater Bay which has a small boat harbor, all to the east; and Whitestone boat landing and False Bay recreation area to the southeast. These areas are inaccessible in winter due to deep snow.

==Climate==
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, Hoonah has a [[humid continental climate]] (Dfb), or an [[oceanic climate]] (Cfb) depending on the isotherm used.

{{Weather box
| collapsed =
| location = Hoonah, Alaska (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1941–present)
| single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 61
|Feb record high F = 50
|Mar record high F = 59
|Apr record high F = 72
|May record high F = 78
|Jun record high F = 86
|Jul record high F = 86
|Aug record high F = 86
|Sep record high F = 75
|Oct record high F = 62
|Nov record high F = 56
|Dec record high F = 55
| Jan avg record high F = 45.7
| Feb avg record high F = 45.0
| Mar avg record high F = 48.8
| Apr avg record high F = 59.4
| May avg record high F = 71.2
| Jun avg record high F = 76.5
| Jul avg record high F = 77.8
| Aug avg record high F = 76.6
| Sep avg record high F = 67.1
| Oct avg record high F = 56.8
| Nov avg record high F = 47.5
| Dec avg record high F = 44.7
|year avg record high F = 80.5
|Jan high F = 34.4
|Feb high F = 36.7
|Mar high F = 39.9
|Apr high F = 48.5
|May high F = 57.5
|Jun high F = 62.3
|Jul high F = 64.5
|Aug high F = 64.4
|Sep high F = 57.7
|Oct high F = 48.1
|Nov high F = 39.0
|Dec high F = 35.6
|year high F= 49.1

|Jan mean F = 30.6
|Feb mean F = 31.7
|Mar mean F = 34.1
|Apr mean F = 41.0
|May mean F = 48.6
|Jun mean F = 54.6
|Jul mean F = 57.8
|Aug mean F = 57.4
|Sep mean F = 51.3
|Oct mean F = 42.9
|Nov mean F = 35.0
|Dec mean F = 31.9
|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 26.7
|Feb low F = 26.7
|Mar low F = 28.4
|Apr low F = 33.4
|May low F = 39.8
|Jun low F = 46.9
|Jul low F = 51.0
|Aug low F = 50.5
|Sep low F = 44.9
|Oct low F = 37.7
|Nov low F = 31.0
|Dec low F = 28.3
|year low F= 37.1
| Jan avg record low F = 13.0
| Feb avg record low F = 15.7
| Mar avg record low F = 16.6
| Apr avg record low F = 24.9
| May avg record low F = 31.3
| Jun avg record low F = 39.0
| Jul avg record low F = 44.5
| Aug avg record low F = 43.1
| Sep avg record low F = 34.9
| Oct avg record low F = 28.4
| Nov avg record low F = 19.6
| Dec avg record low F = 15.4
|year avg record low F = 7.7
|Jan record low F = 3
|Feb record low F = 0
|Mar record low F = 6
|Apr record low F = 13
|May record low F = 27
|Jun record low F = 31
|Jul record low F = 32
|Aug record low F = 30
|Sep record low F = 22
|Oct record low F = 22
|Nov record low F = 2
|Dec record low F = 1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 6.75
|Feb precipitation inch = 5.02
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.43
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.13
|May precipitation inch = 2.51
|Jun precipitation inch = 2.67
|Jul precipitation inch = 3.30
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.86
|Sep precipitation inch = 7.26
|Oct precipitation inch = 9.19
|Nov precipitation inch = 8.81
|Dec precipitation inch = 7.86
|year precipitation inch= 65.79
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.6
|Nov snow inch = 13.4
|Dec snow inch = 17.0
|Jan snow inch = 25.0
|Feb snow inch = 12.3
|Mar snow inch = 20.0
|Apr snow inch = 1.7
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|year snow inch= 90.0
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|Jan precipitation days = 19.5
|Feb precipitation days = 15.8
|Mar precipitation days = 15.7
|Apr precipitation days = 16.9
|May precipitation days = 14.7
|Jun precipitation days = 16.0
|Jul precipitation days = 17.8 
|Aug precipitation days = 19.3
|Sep precipitation days = 21.6
|Oct precipitation days = 23.7
|Nov precipitation days = 20.1
|Dec precipitation days = 21.0
|year precipitation days=
| Jul snow days = 0.0
| Aug snow days = 0.0
| Sep snow days = 0.0
| Oct snow days = 0.3
| Nov snow days = 5.2
| Dec snow days = 8.0
| Jan snow days = 8.1
| Feb snow days = 5.9
| Mar snow days = 6.5
| Apr snow days = 1.0
| May snow days = 0.0
| Jun snow days = 0.0
|year snow days =35.0
| source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=ajk |title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date = February 16, 2022}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00503695&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Hoonah, AK
|access-date = February 15, 2023
}}
</ref>

}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 800
|1890= 438
|1900= 447
|1910= 462
|1920= 402
|1930= 514
|1940= 716
|1950= 563
|1960= 686
|1970= 748
|1980= 680
|1990= 795
|2000= 860
|2010= 760
|2020= 931
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
Hoonah first reported on the 1880 U.S. Census as the Tlingit settlement of Koudekan.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rr9RAQAAMAAJ&q=hoonah&pg=PA49 | title=Geological Survey Professional Paper| year=1949}}</ref> It reported as "Huna" on the 1890 U.S. Census.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CRcwAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Annovokhamiut%22&pg=RA2-PA164 |title = Report on Population and Resources of Alaska at the Eleventh Census, 1890|year = 1893|last1 = Census Office|first1 = United States}}</ref> It next appeared on the 1900 U.S. Census as "Hooniah." From 1910 onwards, it appeared as Hoonah. It formally incorporated in 1946.

Hoonah is the principal village for the Huna Tlingit who originally settled Glacier Bay, Icy Strait, Cross Sound, and the Outer Coast. The four original Tlingit clans present are Chookaneidi, T'aakdeintaan, Wooshkeetaan, and Kaagwaantaan. Numerous other clans migrated to, or married into, the community, as have non-native peoples.

As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 860 people, 300 households, and 215 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|130.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 348 housing units at an average density of {{convert|52.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the city was 28.72% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.23% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 60.58% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.12% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.81% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 9.53% from two or more races.  3.60% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 300 households, out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.34.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 29.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 112.9 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,028, and the median income for a family was $45,125. Males had a median income of $37,083 versus $23,958 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,097.  About 14.3% of families and 16.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

The old fish cannery, which ceased operations in the 1950s, located near Icy Strait, was obtained by the Huna Totem Corporation (HTC), the village ANCSA Corporation. The road to the site, Cannery Road, was paved in 2000 and the site was converted into a tourism destination for cruise ship passengers. From May to September, cruise ships anchor off [[Icy Strait Point]], and visits from ship passengers enhance Hoonah's warm-weather economy weekly. The former [[Hoonah Air Force Station]], once a [[White Alice Communications System]] facility during the [[Cold War]], which closed in the mid-1970s, is now the start point of a [[zip-line]], one of the longest in the world, which ends at the cannery site. The cruise ship passengers, visiting fishing vessels, and summertime boaters who dock in the Hoonah city small boat harbor, all bring revenue to the city. The closing of the logging industry in southeast Alaska hurt the town economically in the early 1990s, but limited logging, tourism and fishing have helped to replace the void.

Hunters, hikers, campers, boaters and fishers all visit Hoonah as tourists throughout the year. The mild weather, much like that of [[Seattle]], attracts tourists to the city.

==Transportation==
[[File:The fishing vessel Reluctant. Photo courtesy of US Coast Guard Sector Juneau.jpg | thumb|250px | The ''John F. Middleton'' rescued the crew of the stranded fishing vessel ''Reluctant'' on September 23, 2020.<ref name=Kiny2020-09-23/>]]

Hoonah, being an island community, is only accessible by boat or plane.

===Ferry===
The [[Alaska Marine Highway]] serves Hoonah with the [[M/V LeConte|M/V ''LeConte'']] with recent gaps in coverage due to state funding and needed repair work.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dot.alaska.gov/comm/pressbox/arch_2019/PR19-0050.shtml|title = Press Release, Transportation & Public Facilities, State of Alaska}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ktoo.org/2019/10/31/leconte-repairs-delayed-potentially-dropping-another-alaska-ferry-from-the-winter-schedule/|title=LeConte repairs delayed, potentially dropping another Alaska ferry from the winter schedule|date=October 31, 2019}}</ref>{{r|Resneck}}  The ferry service has traditionally offered residents a slower but more dependable and cheaper option to travel to and from Hoonah to [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]].

The city of Hoonah operates a small boat harbor, a large vessel mooring harbor and a new boat haul-out facility. The Alaska Department of Transportation built a new ferry facility that opened in early 2001 in Hoonah.

===Airport===
The [[Hoonah Airport]] was expanded in 2011 and now has a {{convert|3000|ft|adj=on}} runway. The airport is planned for expansion to better allow military [[C-130]]s from the Coast Guard and Air National Guard to land in Hoonah.

The airport offers service via bush carrier [[Alaska Seaplanes]] which offers multiple flights a day between Hoonah and Juneau and other local communities. Connections can be made in Juneau with [[Alaska Airlines]] for regional and interstate travel or to other bush carriers traveling to remote villages or communities from Juneau.

==Infrastructure==
Hoonah has a K-12 school with approximately 120 students. There are two grocery stores, a fuel dealership, hardware store, bar, hotel and restaurant-bar, two cafes, an auto service center, several gift shops, several bed and breakfasts, a U.S. post office, a regional U.S. Forest Service office for Tongass National Forest, a fish processing facility, and a sporting goods store. In 2015, a local brewery was established under the name Hoonah Brewing Company. Plans are underway to build a new jail.

The city is an Alaskan first class city and provides all municipal services including police, utilities and road maintenance. The city also maintains a city park, built in 2010 near the harbor, and a youth activity center.

The police department has a five-bed jail and employs four paid police officers, along with volunteer reserve officers. The Hoonah volunteer Emergency Medical Service (EMS) was recognized by the state of Alaska in 2009 for excellence, and the Hoonah Volunteer Fire Department was accredited by the Alaska Fire Commission in 2010. The Alaska State Troopers have an office post in Hoonah, with one "brown shirt" wildlife enforcement trooper-pilot posted there.

The Alaska Courts maintain a court house in Hoonah for district court, presided over by a magistrate.

The Hoonah Indian Association maintains a tribal office, a senior citizens center and other services to local tribal members.

==Health care==
The SEARHC Hoonah Health Center (or SEARHC Hoonah Medical Center) is the primary health clinic in the community. Its senior staff are Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners. The facility operates as part of the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (or SEARHC).<ref>[http://www.searhc.org/locations/hoonah Hoonah Health Center (SEARC)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027025029/http://www.searhc.org/locations/hoonah |date=October 27, 2014 }}, October 29, 2014</ref> It is open Monday through Friday for primary care and acute concerns, and offers assistance after hours in emergency situations. In the summer of 2015, the health center was moved to a new, larger facility. Bartlett Regional Hospital in [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]], roughly 40 miles away (or an approximately 20 minute flight), is the nearest hospital. Because no roads lead in or out of Hoonah, individuals in need of dire medical attention are often airlifted to Juneau or Sitka via air ambulance or Coast Guard helicopter. The community is also served by local Emergency Medical Service. The volunteer EMS team retains two fully functioning ambulances as well as a modified ambulance for off-road emergencies.

==Religion==
Hoonah has eight churches:

* Sacred Heart Parish ([[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]])
* St. Nicholas [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
* Harbor of Faith [[Lutheran Church]]
* Hoonah United Presbyterian Church ([[ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians|ECO]])
* Abundant Life Christian Fellowship ([[Assemblies of God]])
* Hoonah Pentecostal Church ([[United Pentecostal]])
* The [[Salvation Army]] Corps, Center for Worship and Service
* Hoonah [[Baptist]] Fellowship

==Bibliography==
* Dombrowski, Kirk (2001) ''Against Culture: Development, Politics, and Religion in Indian Alaska.''  Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=Kiny2020-09-23>
{{cite news     
| url         = https://www.kinyradio.com/news/news-of-the-north/fishing-vessel-rescue-in-hoonah/
| title       = Fishing vessel rescue in Hoonah
| work        = [[KINY]]
| date        = September 23, 2020
| location    = Hoonah, Alaska
| access-date  = September 24, 2020
| quote       = Juneau command center watchstander Scott Cichoracki said the John McCormick was close by when the call came in Tuesday morning, {{'}}We were able to quickly get a crew on scene to assist and the radio communications were clear.{{'}}
}}</ref>
<ref name=Resneck>{{cite news
 | last =Resneck
 | first =Jacob
 | title =State calls lean winter ferry schedule 'the best we could do'
 | newspaper =KTOO
 | location =Juneau, Alaska
 | date = August 12, 2020
| url =https://www.ktoo.org/2020/08/12/state-calls-lean-winter-ferry-schedule-the-best-we-could-do/
 | access-date = November 20, 2020}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* [http://www.cityofhoonah.org/ City of Hoonah official website]
* [http://www.hoonahschools.org Hoonah Schools]

{{Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Alaska]]
[[Category:Cities in Hoonah–Angoon Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean]]