Editing Nikolski, Alaska

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Nikolski
|native_name              = Chalukax̂
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place|CDP]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = WEST FRONT AND SOUTH SIDE, WITH VILLAGE - St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Nikolski, Aleutians West Census Area, AK HABS AK,1-NIKO,2-11 (CT) (cropped).tif
|image_caption            = Houses and the St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Nikolski
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = 
|mapsize                  = 
|map_caption              = 
|pushpin_map              = USA Umnak Island#USA Alaska
<!-- Location -->
|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        = [[Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska|Aleutians West]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Alaska Senate|State senator]]
|leader_name              = [[Lyman Hoffman]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|leader_title1            = [[Alaska House of Representatives|State rep.]]
|leader_name1             = [[Bryce Edgmon]] ([[Independent politician|I]])
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- 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 |access-date=October 29, 2021 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>
|area_total_km2           = 343.91
|area_land_km2            = 342.01
|area_water_km2           = 1.90
|area_total_sq_mi         = 132.78
|area_land_sq_mi          = 132.05
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.73

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 39
|population_density_km2   = 0.11
|population_density_sq_mi = 0.30

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Alaska Time Zone|Alaska Standard (AKST)]]
|utc_offset               = −9
|timezone_DST             = [[Alaska Time Zone|Alaska Daylight (AKDT)]]
|utc_offset_DST           = −8
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 
|elevation_ft             = 
|coordinates              = {{coord|52|56|29|N|168|51|39|W|region:US-AK|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = ZIP code
|postal_code              = 99638
|area_code                = [[Area code 907|907]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 02-54260
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|pop_est_footnotes        = 
|population_est           = 
|unit_pref = Imperial
}}
'''Nikolski''' (''Chalukax̂''<ref name="Bergsland">{{Cite book |last=Bergsland |first=K. |author-link=Knut Bergsland |title=Aleut Dictionary |publisher=Alaska Native Language Center |year=1994 |location=Fairbanks}}</ref>  in [[Aleut language|Aleut]]; {{langx|ru|Никольский}}) is a [[census-designated place]] (CDP) on [[Umnak Island]] in [[Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska]], United States. The population was 39 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], up from 18 in 2010. Nikolski is on Nikolski Bay, off the southwest end of the island. It is 116 air miles west of [[Unalaska]], and 900 air miles from [[Anchorage]]. Residents are known as Unangan, and Aleut is spoken in most of the remaining homes.

==History==
The Aleutian [[Pribilof Islands]] Association reports that Nikolski is thought to be one of the oldest continuously occupied communities in the world. Archaeological evidence from [[Anangula Archeological District|Ananiuliak Island]], 5&nbsp;km offshore in Nikolski Bay, dates human habitation to 8,500 years ago.<ref>Douglas W. Veltre, Melvin A. Smith. 2010. Historical Overview of Archaeological Research in the Aleut Region of Alaska. ''Human Biology'' 82(5/6): 487-506 [https://doi.org/10.3378/027.082.0502]</ref> A site known as Chaluka in Nikolski shows 4,000 years of virtually continuous occupation.<ref>https://www.apiai.org/tribes/niko-lski/#:~:text=History,back%20as%208%2C500%20years%20ago. Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association web</ref> Subsistence activities, sheep and cattle raising, and fishing are the main livelihoods and the latter has been traced back thousands of years by archaeologists, through analysis of midden sites and fish hook designs in the 1960s.<ref>Lois K. Lippold. 1972. Mammalian Remains from Aleutian Archaeological Sites: A Preliminary Report. ''Arctic Anthropology'' 9(2): 113-115.</ref> Previous activities from the 1800s included sea otter hunting and fox farming. A sheep ranch was established in 1926 as part of the Aleutian Livestock Company and there are thousands on the island today. In the early 1900s the residents purchased a large fishing boat with money made from those activities, the “Umnak Native”, but it was wrecked in 1933.

In June 1942 during [[World War II]], the Japanese attacked Unalaska to the East and had also seized [[Attu Island|Attu]] and [[Kiska]] islands, to the west. Residents of Umnak Island were evacuated to the [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]] area in far southeastern Alaska, although an American airstrip and military base on the north of the island, [[Fort Glenn Army Air Base]] (abandoned by 1950) repelled Japanese forces. The [[Battle of Attu]] and associated campaigns in 1943 recaptured the lost islands to the west. Nikolski locals returned in 1944, but some had experienced the outside world for the first time and since then, many natives have remained offshore, working in canneries or on fishing vessels. The US Air Force built a [[White Alice Communications System|White Alice]] radar communication site on the edge of town in the 1950s, but it was abandoned by 1977. A 3,500-foot gravel runway, the unattended [[Nikolski Air Station]] remains, and there are passenger, mail and cargo services depending on the harsh weather conditions. Nikolski has no harbour.

==Geography==
[[File:Nikolski.jpg|thumb|left|Aerial Photo of Nikolski]]

Nikolski is located at {{coord|52.941485|-168.860765|type:city_region:US|format=dms|display=inline}}.<ref name="GR1">{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2011 |title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=April 23, 2011 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|132.8|sqmi|km2}}, of which, {{convert|132.1|sqmi|km2}} of it is land and {{convert|0.7|sqmi|km2}} of it (0.55%) is water. The island is in the maritime climate zone. Temperatures range from 11 degrees F (−11 C) to 65 degrees (18 C). Snowfall is considerable and covers [[Mount Vsevidof]] and other peaks, with rain and strong winds much of the year, and summer fog.

On a clear day the view from Nikolski is dominated by [[Mount Vsevidof]] to the northeast, the highest point on Umnak Island ({{convert|7,051|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}). Vsevidof is tectonically active, and an eruption last occurred on March 11, 1957, following an earthquake. A cataclysmic eruption of [[Mount Okmok]] in the northernmost part of the island severely affected Nikolski residents in July 2008.

The boundary between the [[Alaska Time Zone]] ([[UTC−9]]) and [[Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone]] ([[UTC−10]]) passes just west of Nikolski, along the line of 169°30'W<ref>{{Cite web |title=Code of Federal Regulations, 49 CFR 71.12 |url=http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/49cfr71_03.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040515055748/http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/49cfr71_03.html |archive-date=May 15, 2004 |access-date=April 12, 2008}}</ref> through Samalga Pass.<ref>Federal Aviation Administration, Dutch Harbor Sectional Aeronautical Chart, Retrieved from SkyVector.com [http://skyvector.com/#35-44-3-2706-2902] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404132639/http://skyvector.com/#35-44-3-2706-2902 |date=April 4, 2009 }} on April 12, 2008</ref> This places Nikolski in the Alaska Time Zone.
However, as Nikolski is part of the Aleutian Region School District the settlement effectively observes Hawaii–Aleutian time.<ref>e-mail communication with Dan Masoni, Librarian, Unalaska Public Library, June 18, 2008; see also http://osdir.com/ml/time.tz/2004-11/msg00009.html</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 127
|1890= 94
|1920= 83
|1930= 109
|1940= 97
|1950= 64
|1960= 92
|1970= 57
|1980= 50
|1990= 35
|2000= 39
|2010= 18
|2020= 39
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Decennial Census |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |access-date=June 6, 2013 |publisher=Census.gov}}</ref>
}}

Nikolski first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Aleut village of "Nikolsky."<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 10, 1949 |title=Geological Survey Professional Paper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rr9RAQAAMAAJ&q=nikolski&pg=PA49 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |via=Google Books}}</ref> It had 127 residents, of whom 117 were Aleut, 8 were Creole (Mixed Russian & Native) and 2 were White.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1880 |title=Statistics of the Population of Alaska |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1880a_v1-17.pdf |website=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> In 1890, it returned as "Umnak", with 94 residents, of whom 80 were native and 14 were Creole.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Report on Population and Resources of Alaska at the Eleventh Census: 1890 |url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1890a_v8-01.pdf |website=United States Census Bureau |publisher=Government Printing Office}}</ref> It did not appear again until 1920, when it again reported as "Umnak." Beginning with the 1930 census and to date, it has reported as Nikolski. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980.

As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{Cite web |title=U.S. Census website |url=https://www.census.gov |access-date=January 31, 2008 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> of 2000, there were 39 people, 15 households, and 12 families residing in the CDP. The population density was {{convert|0.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 28 housing units at an average density of {{convert|0.2|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the CDP was 30.77% [[Race (United States Census)|White]] and 69.23% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]].

Of the 15 households, 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 20.0% 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 2.60 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 35.9% under the age of 18, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $40,250. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $11,875 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $14,083. There were 23.5% of families and 20.7% of the population living below the [[poverty line]], including 13.6% of under eighteens and 55.6% of those over 64.

==Education==
[[File:NikolskiSchool.jpg|thumb|Nikolski School, which closed in 2009]]
Nikolski is served by the [[Aleutian Region Schools]].

The Nikolski School served grades K-12. The school had one live-in teacher that occupied a small home owned by the school district adjacent to the school building and purpose-built for teachers and their family.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}} The school was constructed in 1939 by the [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]].<ref name="Yardley">{{Cite news |last=Yardley |first=William |date=November 25, 2009 |title=Alaska's Rural Schools Fight Off Extinction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/us/26alaska.html?hp |access-date=May 20, 2010 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Circa 1978, the school had a single teacher,<ref name="Aleutp58">''Aleutian Islands, Aleutian Peninsula Debris Removal: Environmental Impact Statement''. [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], 1980. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UvoyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA58 58].</ref> and 15 students.<ref name="Aleutp59">''Aleutian Islands, Aleutian Peninsula Debris Removal: Environmental Impact Statement''. [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]], 1980. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=UvoyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA59 59].</ref> In 2008, the number of students fell below 9. Beginning in 1998, schools in rural Alaska had to have at least 10 students, in order to retain funding from the state, and campuses not meeting the number had to close. The school district used its budget to keep the school open. An American Samoan family arrived, but as the school lost more students, that family did not have enough children to enroll to make up the required 10 students and, subsequently, the family moved away. A student living elsewhere was offered to relocate to Nikolski, where he would be the 10th student, but he chose not to,<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2009 |title=Alaska's Rural Schools Fight Off Extinction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/us/26alaska.html |access-date=July 15, 2021 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> partly because the Nikolski School could not offer welding classes, and thus the school could not reach the 10 student threshold.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2009 |title=Inside Nikolski Slide 8 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/25/us/1125alaska_index/s/1125alaska_slide8.html |access-date=July 15, 2021 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The school closed down after the conclusion of the 2009–2010 school year.<ref>"[http://www.aleutregion.org/nikolski_school_information Nikolski School Information]." [[Aleutian Region School District]]. Retrieved on February 13, 2017.</ref> The permanent teacher left during the fall semester, so a volunteer had to fill in for the rest of the school year. After it closed down, some of the students left the village, while others were [[home school]]ed.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 25, 2009 |title=Inside Nikolski Slide 4 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/25/us/1125alaska_index/s/1125alaska_slide4.html |access-date=July 15, 2021 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

==Media==
An episode of angler and TV presenter [[Jeremy Wade]]'s Dark Waters (2019) was partially filmed in Nikolski. He failed to catch elusive large halibut offshore, and was stranded due to bad weather for several days.

==See also==
* [[Nikolski Air Station]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite news |last=Olsen |first=Erik |date=November 25, 2009 |title=An Alaskan Village in Crisis |url=http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/11/25/us/1247465851581/an-alaskan-village-in-crisis.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625045849/http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/11/25/us/1247465851581/an-alaskan-village-in-crisis.html |archive-date=June 25, 2012 |access-date=March 6, 2010 |work=[[The New York Times]]}} - [http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/11/25/us/1247465851581/an-alaskan-village-in-crisis.html Live link on ''The New York Times'' official YouTube channel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625045849/http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/11/25/us/1247465851581/an-alaskan-village-in-crisis.html |date=June 25, 2012 }}
* {{Cite news |date=November 25, 2019 |title=Inside Nikolski |url=https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/25/us/1125alaska_index/s/1125alaska_slide1.html |work=[[The New York Times]]}} - Slide show of images

==External links==
*{{HABS |survey=AK-95 |id=ak0314 |title=Village of Nikolski, Nikolski, Aleutians West Census Area, AK}}

{{Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Archaeological sites in Alaska]]
[[Category:Fox Islands (Alaska)]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Alaska]]
[[Category:Umnak]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Unorganized Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Alaska]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean]]