Sitka City and Borough, Alaska

Sitka was the capital of Alaska in Russian times, and is still an important town in that state. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, within the Alaska Panhandle.

Bishop Innokentii[?] of the Russian Orthodox Church lived here after 1840. The Bishop's House has been restored by the National Park Service.

It was the site of the ceremony in which the Russian flag was lowered and the American flag raised after Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867. This event is re-enacted every October on Alaska Day[?].

• view of Mount Edgecumbe[?]

Geography Sitka city and is located at 57°4'48" North, 135°19'54" West (57.079871, -135.331757)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 12,461.8 km² (4,811.5 mi²). 7,443.6 km² (2,874.0 mi²) of it is land and 5,018.2 km² (1,937.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 40.27% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 8,835 people, 3,278 households, and 2,219 families residing in the borough. The population density is 1.2/km² (3.1/mi²). There are 3,650 housing units at an average density of 0.5 persons/km² (1.3 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough is 68.50% White, 0.32% African American, 18.57% Native American, 3.79% Asian, 0.35% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 7.53% from two or more races. 3.28% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 3,278 households out of which 36.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% are married couples living together, 10.3% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 32.3% are non-families. 24.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.15.

In the borough the population is spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 104.8 males.

The median income for a household in the borough is $51,901, and the median income for a family is $62,361. Males have a median income of $40,037 versus $30,319 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $23,622. 7.8% of the population and 4.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.2% are under the age of 18 and 7.2% are 65 or older.

Colleges and Universities

• Sheldon Jackson College[?]

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration