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Hooper Bay
(HOO-pur); a.k.a. Naparyarmiut
For Photos of Hooper Bay click here
For a Map of Hooper Bay click here
| Current Population: |
1,160
(2008 DCCED Certified Population)
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| Incorporation Type: |
2nd Class City |
| Borough Located In: |
Unorganized |
| Taxes: |
Sales: 4%,
Property: None, Special: None
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| Coastal Management District: |
Ceñaliulriit CRSA |
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| Location
and Climate |
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Hooper Bay is located 20 miles south of Cape Romanzof and 25 miles south of Scammon Bay in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The city is separated into two sections: a heavily built-up townsite located on gently rolling hills and a newer section in the lowlands. Hooper Bay is located 500 miles west of Anchorage. The community
lies at approximately 61.531110° North Latitude
and -166.096670° West Longitude.
(Sec. 26, T017N, R093W, Seward Meridian.)
Hooper Bay is located in the
Bethel Recording District.
The area encompasses 8.7
sq. miles of land and 0.1 sq. miles
of water.
The climate in Hooper Bay is maritime. The mean annual snowfall is 75 inches, with total precipitation of 16 inches. Temperatures range between -25 and 79 °F. Winter ice pack and winds often promote severe conditions. The Bering Sea is ice-free from late June through October. |
Topographic
map of
Hooper Bay
area
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| History, Culture
and Demographics |
| "Askinuk" or "Askinaghamiut" are the early Eskimo names for Hooper Bay. The village was first reported in 1878 by E.W. Nelson of the U.S. Signal Service. The 1890 Census found 138 persons living in 14 homes. The name Hooper Bay came into common usage after a post office with this name was established in 1934. The present-day Eskimo name "Naparyarmiut" means "stake village people." The city government was incorporated in 1966.
A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Native Village of Hooper Bay.
The population of the community consists of 95.8%
Alaska Native or part Native.
Hooper Bay is a large traditional Yup'ik Eskimo community. Commercial fishing and subsistence activities are the primary means of support. Members of the Village of Paimiut also live in Hooper Bay. The sale or importation of alcohol is banned in the village by local option. A 1,352 square foot Youth and Elder Cultural Center was completed during the summer of 2006; the center provides an area for teaching crafts, marketing, gatherings, and language.
During the 2000 U.S. Census,
total housing units numbered 239, and vacant housing units numbered 12.
Vacant housing units used
only seasonally numbered 1.
U.S. Census data for Year
2000 showed 202 residents
as employed. The unemployment rate at that time was
37.27 percent,
although
65.94 percent of
all adults were not in the work force. The median household
income was $26,667, per capita income was $7,841, and
27.94 percent of residents
were living below the poverty level.
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| Facilities,
Utilities, Schools and Health Care |
| There is a piped water and sewer system, and the school, teacher housing, old clinic, Head Start building, and washeteria are hooked up to the system. All other homes and businesses self-haul treated water from the two watering points, one at the washeteria and the other in the middle of the village. Residents currently haul their own honeybuckets to the city-owned lagoon to dump. The landfill was expanded in 1997 and includes a sewage lagoon; the combined site is nearly 20 acres in size. The Fishing Support Center operates year-round with 3 CVRF employees. There are three wind turbines, which replace about 24% of the energy normally generated by diesel. The excess energy is transferred to the water treatment plant.
Electricity is provided by AVEC.
There is one school located in the community,
attended by 414
students.
Local hospitals or health clinics include Hooper Bay Sub Regional Clinic (907-758-4519); Pearl E. Johnson Sub-Regional Clinic (907-949-3500) in Emmonak.
Hooper Bay is classified as an isolated village, it is found in EMS Region 7A in the Yukon/Kuskokwim Region. Emergency Services have coastal and air access
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| Economy
and Transportation |
Most employment is seasonal with little income-producing activity during the winter. Coastal Villages Seafood, Inc., processes halibut in Hooper Bay. In 2008, 64 residents held jobs with CVRF subsidiaries or partner employers and 35 residents held commercial fishing permits. BLM firefighting offers some employment. Members of the community produce grass baskets and ivory handicrafts. The community is interested in developing a Naparyarmiut Arts & Crafts Cooperative. Income is supplemented by subsistence activities. Salmon, walrus, beluga whale, and waterfowl are harvested. Marine mammals, freshwater fish, and migratory water fowl, along with local plants and berries, represent the greater portion of the subsistence harvest. The school also employs several community members. The Sea Lion Corporation operates an e-commerce building in the community that provides dial-up internet service. Hooper Bay is included in the Coastal Villages Region Fund Community Development Quota (CDQ). The CDQ's goal is to promote fisheries-related economic development in western Alaska. There are plans to construct a Fisheries Support Center to provide boat storage and a place to sell fishing-related goods. Hooper Bay is included in the Lower Kuskokwim Economic Development Council. AVEC has two year-round employees. Other employers include GCI, AC, YKHC, AVCP, and local stores.
Residents of Hooper Bay rely on air and water transportation. Snow machines and four-wheelers are the primary methods of transportation within the community and to nearby villages. The 3,300' long by 75' wide paved runway is state-owned and -operated. Barge lines deliver shipments of fuel and other bulk supplies throughout the summer. A commercial fishing dock is under construction. Skiffs are used during summer for local transportation. Winter trails exist to Scammon Bay (32 mi.), Chevak (20 mi.), and Paimiut (14 mi.) |
Organizations
with Local Offices
CDQ Group -
Coastal Villages Region Fund
711 H Street, Suite 200
Anchorage, AK 99501-3461
Phone 907-278-5151
Fax 907-278-5150
E-mail morgen_c@coastalvillages.org
Web http://www.coastalvillages.org/
City -
City of Hooper Bay
P.O. Box 29
Hooper Bay, AK 99604
Phone 907-758-4311 or 4310
Fax 907-758-4761
E-mail cityhpb@yahoo.com
Village Corporation -
Sea Lion Corporation
P.O. Box 87
Hooper Bay, AK 99604
Phone 907-758-4015
Fax 907-758-4815
Village Council -
Native Village of Hooper Bay
P.O. Box 69
Hooper Bay, AK 99604
Phone 907-758-4915
Fax 907-758-4066
E-mail cucipuk@yahoo.com; smartea04@yahoo.com
Regional
Organizations
Regional Native Corporation - Calista Corporation
301 Calista Court, Suite A
Anchorage, AK 99518-3028
Phone 907-279-5516
Fax 907-272-5060
E-mail calista@calistacorp.com
Web http://www.calistacorp.com
Regional Native Health Corporation - Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp.
P.O. Box 528
Bethel, AK 99559
Phone 907-543-6020
Fax 907-543-6006
E-mail gene_peltola@ykhc.org
Web http://www.ykhc.org/
CDQ Group - Coastal Villages Region Fund
711 H Street, Suite 200
Anchorage, AK 99501-3461
Phone 907-278-5151
Fax 907-278-5150
E-mail morgen_c@coastalvillages.org
Web http://www.coastalvillages.org/
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