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Location and Climate
Bethel is located at the mouth of the
Kuskokwim River, 40 miles inland from the
Bering Sea. It lies in the Yukon Delta
National Wildlife Refuge, 400 air miles
west of Anchorage. It lies at
approximately 60° 47' N Latitude, 161°
45' W Longitude (Sec. 09, T008N, R071W,
Seward Meridian). The area encompasses 44
sq. miles of land and 6 sq. miles of
water. Precipitation averages 16 inches a
year in this area, with snowfall of 50
inches. Summer temperatures range from 62
to 42; winter temperatures average 19 to
-2.
History, Culture and Demographics
Bethel was first established by Yupik
Eskimos who called the village "Mumtrekhlogamute,"
meaning "Smokehouse People,"
named for the nearby fish smokehouse.
There were 41 people in Bethel during the
1880 U.S. Census. At that time, it was an
Alaska Commercial Company Trading Post.
The Moravian Church established a mission
in the area in 1884. The community was
moved to its present location due to
erosion at the prior site. A post office
was opened in 1905. Before long, Bethel
was serving as a trading, transportation
and distribution center for the region,
which attracted Natives from surrounding
villages. Over time, federal and state
agencies established regional offices in
Bethel.
63.9% of the population are Alaska
Natives. A federally recognized tribe is
located in the community. The region is
fortunate in that rapid development did
not occur before the importance of
protecting the Native culture was
realized. The traditional Yupik Eskimo
practices and language remain predominant
in the area. Subsistence activities and
commercial fishing are major contributors
to residents' livelihoods. The sale of
alcohol is banned in the community,
although importation or possession is
allowed.
During the April 1990 U.S. Census, there
were 1,624 total housing units, and 192
of these were vacant. 2,021 jobs were
estimated to be in the community. The
official unemployment rate at that time
was 9%. 36.6% of all adults were not in
the work force. The median household
income was $42,232, and 12.2% of
residents were living below the poverty
level.
Facilities, Utilities, Schools
and Health Care
Some residents are connected to the
central piped water and sewer system.
Approximately 75% of households have
water delivered and sewage hauled by
truck. Several facilities in Bethel have
individual wells and septic tanks. For
health reasons the City ruled that
residents can no longer use honeybuckets.
Extensions of the piped systems to the
City Subdivision and Old Town are under
construction. Additional funding has been
requested to connect 105 homes to the
piped system.
Electricity is provided by Bethel
Utilities Corporation, Inc.
There are 4 schools located in the
community, attended by 1,309 students.
Local hospitals or health clinics include
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital (YKHC/PHS).
Auxilliary health care is provided by
Bethel Fire Dept. & Ambulance Service
(543-2131); Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp.
Ambulance/Medevac (543-6304).
Economy and Transportation
Bethel serves as the regional center for
56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
Food, fuel, transportation, medical care
and other services for these villages are
provided by businesses in Bethel. 50% of
the jobs in Bethel are in government
positions. Commercial fishing is an
important source of income; 215 residents
hold commercial fishing permits,
primarily for salmon and herring roe net
fisheries. Subsistence activities
contribute substantially to villager's
diets, particularly salmon, freshwater
fish, game birds and berries.
The State-owned Bethel Airport is the
regional transportation center, and is
served by two major passenger airlines,
two cargo carriers, and numerous air taxi
services. The airport ranks third in the
state for total number of flights. It
offers a 6,398' asphalt runway and 1,850'
gravel crosswind runway, and is currently
undergoing a $7 million renovation and
expansion. Two float plane bases are
nearby, Hangar Lake and H Marker Lake.
The Port of Bethel is the northern-most
medium-draft port in the U.S. River
travel is the primary means of local
transportation in the summer, and it
becomes a 150-mile ice road to
surrounding villages in the winter. A
barge service based in Bethel provides
goods to the Kuskokwim villages. There
are 16 miles of local roads.
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. . . "home
of the Yupik Eskimo" 
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