Editing Stebbins, Alaska

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Stebbins
|native_name              = {{native name|esu|Tapraq}}<br>{{native name|ik|Tapqaq}}
|settlement_type          = [[City (Alaska)|City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = <!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = 
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = <!-- Maps -->
|pushpin_map  = USA Alaska
|pushpin_map_caption  = Location in 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        = [[Nome Census Area, Alaska|Nome]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Ward Walker.<ref>{{Cite book|title=2015 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory|location=Juneau|publisher=Alaska Municipal League|year=2015|page=150}}</ref>
|leader_title1            = [[Alaska Senate|State senator]]
|leader_name1             = [[Donny Olson|Donald Olson]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|leader_title2            = [[Alaska House of Representatives|State rep.]]
|leader_name2             = [[Neal Foster]] (D)
|established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date         = July 15, 1969<ref>{{cite journal|title=Directory of Borough and City Officials 1974|journal=Alaska Local Government|volume=XIII|issue=2|page=78|location=Juneau|publisher=[[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development|Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs]]|date=January 1974}}</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_km2           = 88.39
|area_land_km2            = 84.45
|area_water_km2           = 3.94
|area_total_sq_mi         = 34.13
|area_land_sq_mi          = 32.61
|area_water_sq_mi         = 1.52

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 634
|population_density_km2   = 7.51
|population_density_sq_mi = 19.44
|timezone                 = [[Alaska Time Zone|Alaska (AKST)]]
|utc_offset               = -9
|timezone_DST             = AKDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -8
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 5
|elevation_ft             = 16
|coordinates              = {{coord|63|30|43|N|162|16|29|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 99671
|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               = 02-72960
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = {{GNIS 4|1410158}}  
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|unit_pref = Imperial
}}
'''Stebbins''' ({{langx|esu|Tapraq}}, {{langx|ik|Tapqaq; Atqa.wik}}) is a city in [[Nome Census Area, Alaska]], United States. At the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]] the population was 556, up from 547 in 2000.

==Geography==
Stebbins is located at {{coord|63|30|43|N|162|16|29|W|type:city}} (63.511893, -162.274632),<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> on the north side of [[St. Michael Island, Alaska|St. Michael Island]], which is on the south side of the [[Norton Sound]] in western Alaska.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|36.9|sqmi|km2}}, of which, {{convert|35.2|sqmi|km2}} of it is land and {{convert|1.7|sqmi|km2}} of it (4.71%) is water.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1940= 98
|1950= 115
|1960= 158
|1970= 231
|1980= 331
|1990= 400
|2000= 547
|2010= 556
|2020= 634
|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>
}}
Stebbins first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1969.

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 547 people, 123 households, and 104 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|15.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 134 housing units at an average density of {{convert|3.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the city was 5.12% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.18% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 93.97% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], and 0.73% from two or more races.

Of the 123 households, 64.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 12.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 4.45 and the average family size was 4.86.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 47.2% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 13.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.4 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,125, and the median income for a family was $28,214. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $20,000 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $8,249.  About 40.4% of families and 41.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 45.5% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Stebbins is served by the [[Bering Strait School District]]. The Tukurngailnguq School served grades K through 12, and was the only school in town when it burned down on June 26, 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://alaskapublic.org/2024/06/27/stebbins-fire-destroys-school-several-buildings/ |title=Fire destroys Stebbins school and surrounding buildings |last=Townsend |first=Ben |date=June 27, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241011220602/https://alaskapublic.org/2024/06/27/stebbins-fire-destroys-school-several-buildings/ |archive-date=October 11, 2024 |publisher=[[KNOM]], [[Alaska Public Media]]}}</ref> The Alaska Department of Public Safety released an incident report on the fire, but it did not identify the cause of the blaze.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://knom.org/2024/09/30/incident-report-detailing-stebbins-school-fire-released/ |title=Incident Report Detailing Stebbins School Fire Released |date=September 30, 2024 |last=Townsend |first=Ben |publisher=[[KNOM]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241011221350/https://knom.org/2024/09/30/incident-report-detailing-stebbins-school-fire-released/ |archive-date=October 11, 2024}}</ref> Students are being bussed to nearby St. Michel to attend school there while a replacement school is built.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nomenugget.com/news/stebbins-remains-steadfast-rebuilding-after-school-fire |title=Stebbins remains steadfast in rebuilding after school fire |last=Lionas |first=Anna |date=27 July 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=October 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241011222318/http://www.nomenugget.com/news/stebbins-remains-steadfast-rebuilding-after-school-fire |publisher=[[The Nome Nugget]]}}</ref>

==City government==

A July 2019 report revealed that all city police officers, including the chief of police, have lengthy criminal records (including [[domestic violence]]), and only one has any training.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.propublica.org/article/stebbins-alaska-cops-criminal-records-domestic-violence|title=The Village Where Every Cop Has Been Convicted of Domestic Violence|date=July 18, 2019 }}</ref>

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2007}}

A Russian fort, Redoubt St. Michael, was built at nearby [[St. Michael, Alaska|St. Michael]] by the [[Russian-American Company]] in 1833.  The name Stebbins was first recorded in 1900; the [[Yupik language|Yupik]] name for the village is ''Tapraq''. The first [[United States Census|census]] in the area, in 1950, listed 80 [[Yupik peoples|Yupik]]s residing in Stebbins. The city was incorporated in 1969.

The Stebbins economy depends on commercial fishing, for [[herring]] and other fish, and subsistence fishing, gardening and hunting, supplemented by part-time wage earnings. Hunting is for [[Seal (musician)|seal]], [[walrus]], [[caribou]], and [[Beluga (whale)|beluga]] whale. The city government and school of about 200 students provide the only full-time positions.

The Stebbins/St. Michael Reindeer Corral Project was completed in 1993 for a herd on [[Stuart Island, Alaska|Stuart Island]], just north of Stebbins. The reindeer are currently unmanaged.

In September 2022, a storm caused significant flooding and property damage.<ref>{{cite web |title='Stebbins is resilient': Eastern Norton Sound communities recovering from storm damage |url=https://alaskapublic.org/news/2022-09-21/stebbins-is-resilient-eastern-norton-sound-communities-recovering-from-storm-damage |website=Alaska Public Media |access-date=9 January 2025 |language=en |date=21 September 2022}}</ref> A November 2022 fire destroyed the town's only store.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fire destroys the only grocery store and fuel source in Stebbins |url=https://alaskapublic.org/2022/11/29/fire-destroys-the-only-grocery-store-and-fuel-source-in-stebbins/ |website=Alaska Public Media |access-date=9 January 2025 |language=en |date=30 November 2022}}</ref> In June 2024, a fire broke out in a shop close to the Tukurngailnguq School. The shop, the school, and several other nearby buildings were destroyed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fire destroys Stebbins school and surrounding buildings |url=https://alaskapublic.org/uncategorized/2024-06-27/stebbins-fire-destroys-school-several-buildings |website=Alaska Public Media |access-date=9 January 2025 |language=en |date=27 June 2024}}</ref>

== Notable people ==

* [[Mary Pete]], Yu'pik anthropologist and educator<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shallenberger |first=Krysti |date=2018-11-19 |title=Bethel remembers Mary Ciuniq Pete |url=https://alaskapublic.org/2018/11/19/bethel-remembers-mary-ciuniq-pete/ |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=[[Alaska Public Media]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [http://stebbins.bssd.org/ Stebbins School Website]

{{Nome Census Area, Alaska}}

{{authority control}}

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