Cold Bay, Alaska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cold Bay
Udaamagax, Pualu
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Aerial view of Cold Bay taken during the early 21st century.
Cold Bay Airport's runways are visible. |
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 Cold Bay, Alaska
Location in Alaska
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| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Aleutians East |
| Incorporated | January 1982 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| Area | |
| • Total | 68.06 sq mi (176.26 km2) |
| • Land | 53.41 sq mi (138.34 km2) |
| • Water | 14.64 sq mi (37.92 km2) |
| Elevation | 138 ft (42 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 50 |
| • Density | 0.94/sq mi (0.36/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP code |
99571
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| Area code | 907 (local prefix: 532) |
| FIPS code | 02-16530 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1418448 |
| Website | https://www.coldbayak.org |
Cold Bay (Aleut: Udaamagax,; Sugpiaq: Pualu) is a city in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 108, but at the 2020 census this had reduced to 50.
Cold Bay is one of the main commercial centers of the Alaska Peninsula, which extends west towards the Aleutian Islands, and is home to Cold Bay Airport.
Contents
History
There is evidence of prehistoric occupation by Aleuts and later Russian encampments. Cold Bay's significance to American history began with the Japanese invasion of the Aleutians in World War II. General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. ordered the creation of Fort Randall, an airbase on the shores of Cold Bay, in 1942 as a part of a general expansion of American assets in the Aleutians. It (along with Otter Point) served as a base for the 11th Air Force to provide protection to the only deep water port in the Aleutians at the time, Dutch Harbor.
This protection was necessary when during Yamamoto's Midway Campaign, a diversionary attack was launched against Dutch Harbor. The initial attack was repulsed by the surprise presence of P-40s stationed here. A second larger attack with its own fighter escort the next day caused minor damage. Later, with the victory in the Pacific, the forces grew to 20,000 troops. The quonset huts used to house this massive encampment still stand around the community. It also was a base of operations for the US Navy with the seaplane tender USS Casco (AVP-12) among the ships based in Cold Bay.
In the spring and summer of 1945, Cold Bay was the site of the largest and most ambitious transfer program of World War II, Project Hula, in which the United States transferred dozens of ships and craft to the Soviet Union and trained Soviet personnel in their operation in anticipation of the Soviet Union entering the war against Japan.
In later decades, control of the airfield passed to civil authorities, who maintained it as a useful refueling and emergency landing location for great circle flights from the west coast of the United States to East Asia. A Distant Early Warning Line station established nearby was eventually decommissioned.
During the 1980s, deregulation of the airline industry under President Ronald Reagan caused many of the compelling interests supporting the need for the community to evaporate. Today, Cold Bay is still occasionally used for emergency or precautionary landings of commercial flights, and is also a hub for traffic from Anchorage and Seattle to the small communities around it.
Geography
Cold Bay is located at 55°12′33″N 162°42′51″W / 55.20917°N 162.71417°W (55.209038, -162.714298). It is west of Hawaii.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 70.9 square miles (184 km2), of which, 54.4 square miles (141 km2) of it is land and 16.6 square miles (43 km2) of it (23.34%) is water.
Cold Bay holds the record for most overcast community in America.
Climate
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Cold Bay has an either an ocean-moderated subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dfc) if the 0 °C isotherm is used, or a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfc) if the −3 °C (26.6 °F) isotherm is used, both of those climate being typical of southwest Alaska, though the summers are almost cool enough to qualify as a tundra (Köppen climate classification: ET). Cold Bay is considered the cloudiest place in the United States, with an average of 304 days of heavy overcast (covering over 3/4 of the sky).
Cold Bay's recorded temperature range is between 78 °F (26 °C) and −13 °F (−25 °C). The coldest daytime maximum on record is 0 °F (−18 °C), while the annual coldest maximum between 1991 and 2020 was at 16 °F (−9 °C). With warm summer days being rare, nights remain chilly also during the warmer season. The warmest recorded overnight low is at a very modest 57 °F (14 °C) and the annual average warmest night tends to fall to 53 °F (12 °C). Many years fail to break 68 °F (20 °C) during the warmest afternoon.
| Climate data for Cold Bay Airport, Alaska (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 59 (15) |
54 (12) |
56 (13) |
60 (16) |
68 (20) |
72 (22) |
77 (25) |
78 (26) |
70 (21) |
69 (21) |
59 (15) |
62 (17) |
78 (26) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 43.5 (6.4) |
43.9 (6.6) |
44.6 (7.0) |
49.7 (9.8) |
56.2 (13.4) |
61.2 (16.2) |
64.7 (18.2) |
65.8 (18.8) |
60.1 (15.6) |
54.7 (12.6) |
49.2 (9.6) |
45.2 (7.3) |
67.7 (19.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.2 (0.7) |
35.0 (1.7) |
35.4 (1.9) |
40.2 (4.6) |
46.5 (8.1) |
52.1 (11.2) |
56.2 (13.4) |
57.2 (14.0) |
53.4 (11.9) |
46.5 (8.1) |
39.9 (4.4) |
35.6 (2.0) |
44.3 (6.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 28.4 (−2.0) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
29.9 (−1.2) |
35.0 (1.7) |
41.0 (5.0) |
47.1 (8.4) |
51.5 (10.8) |
52.6 (11.4) |
48.4 (9.1) |
41.3 (5.2) |
35.3 (1.8) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
39.3 (4.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.7 (−4.6) |
25.5 (−3.6) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
29.8 (−1.2) |
35.5 (1.9) |
42.0 (5.6) |
46.9 (8.3) |
48.1 (8.9) |
43.4 (6.3) |
36.1 (2.3) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
25.9 (−3.4) |
34.3 (1.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 6.7 (−14.1) |
8.2 (−13.2) |
9.7 (−12.4) |
18.0 (−7.8) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
33.7 (0.9) |
40.8 (4.9) |
39.2 (4.0) |
33.2 (0.7) |
25.2 (−3.8) |
18.0 (−7.8) |
10.8 (−11.8) |
2.1 (−16.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −13 (−25) |
−9 (−23) |
−13 (−25) |
4 (−16) |
18 (−8) |
27 (−3) |
33 (1) |
32 (0) |
26 (−3) |
6 (−14) |
1 (−17) |
−9 (−23) |
−13 (−25) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.38 (86) |
3.17 (81) |
2.98 (76) |
2.70 (69) |
2.64 (67) |
2.74 (70) |
2.51 (64) |
3.71 (94) |
4.50 (114) |
4.93 (125) |
4.99 (127) |
4.42 (112) |
42.67 (1,084) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 12.6 (32) |
10.0 (25) |
12.8 (33) |
6.4 (16) |
1.2 (3.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.0 (5.1) |
8.2 (21) |
14.1 (36) |
67.3 (171) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 20.5 | 20.1 | 19.4 | 18.9 | 17.8 | 17.4 | 19.8 | 21.3 | 22.6 | 24.8 | 24.4 | 23.4 | 250.4 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 13.0 | 12.7 | 13.3 | 9.1 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 3.1 | 9.7 | 14.2 | 77.6 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 84.3 | 83.5 | 82.8 | 82.5 | 83.5 | 86.3 | 88.3 | 89.5 | 86.4 | 82.8 | 83.5 | 86.3 | 85.0 |
| Average dew point °F (°C) | 25.9 (−3.4) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
34.0 (1.1) |
40.8 (4.9) |
46.6 (8.1) |
48.4 (9.1) |
44.2 (6.8) |
36.0 (2.2) |
30.4 (−0.9) |
30.6 (−0.8) |
34.5 (1.4) |
| Source 1: NOAA (relative humidity and dew point 1961-1990) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
- Notes
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 231 | — | |
| 1960 | 86 | — | |
| 1970 | 256 | 197.7% | |
| 1980 | 228 | −10.9% | |
| 1990 | 148 | −35.1% | |
| 2000 | 88 | −40.5% | |
| 2010 | 108 | 22.7% | |
| 2020 | 50 | −53.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Cold Bay first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as the unincorporated area of "Thin Point", which included Thin Point & Cold Bay (including two canneries and Cold Bay Salting Station). It reported 231 residents, of which 110 were White, 106 were Asian, ten were Creole (Mixed Russian & Native), three were Native and two were Other. It would not appear again until 1960, when it reported as the unincorporated village of Cold Bay. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980 and incorporated in 1982.
Cold Bay is a highly transient community, lacking the generational attachment characteristic of the surrounding native villages. Residents, drawn to the area largely by the Wildlife Refuge, Weather Service, or air traffic jobs, rarely stay more than a year in Cold Bay.
Religion
Cold Bay has a significant Baptist population. The city's only church is Cold Bay Community Chapel, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Economy
Cold Bay has one store, the Bearfoot Inn Alaska, formerly known as the World-famous Weathered Inn. It supplies groceries, clothing and small trinkets to the residents of Cold Bay and other communities within the Aleutians East Borough, although many residents order groceries and supplies from suppliers in Anchorage and Seattle. The Bearfoot Inn also offers lodging with its 8-room hotel and 6-room bunk house. Within the main building there is the Bearfoot Inn Bar which is open 3 to 6 days a week depending on the season. Bearfoot Inn is within walking distance of the airport.
The Cold Bay Lodge is the only restaurant in town. The lodge can accommodate up to about 40 people (38 beds), offers wireless Internet access, holds a liquor license, is less than a mile from the airport and offers trinkets and snacks.
Culture
Traditions
A major community event is the Silver Salmon Derby, a fishing contest that takes place every fall. Participants vie in both adult and child categories for cash prizes for the largest fish. A raft race and "Polar Bear Jump" are also held. The Derby concludes with a banquet and door prize giveaway at the town community hall.
Parks and recreation
Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
The 498,000-acre (2,020 km2) Izembek refuge was established in 1960. It encompasses several large lagoons, including the 30-mile (48 km) long Izembek Lagoon, which serve as a food source and shelter for a large migratory bird population.
Approximately 150,000 Pacific black brant, 62,000 emperor geese, 50,000 Taverner's Canada geese, 300,000 ducks, and 80,000 shore birds stop over in the Izembek area during migration and as many as 50,000 Steller's eiders find winter grounds there.
Education
Cold Bay School
The Cold Bay School was the community's public grade school, operated by the Aleutians East Borough School District (AEBSD), until its closure in May 2015. AEBSD's school board voted to close Cold Bay School following the conclusion of the 2014–2015 school year due to a decline in enrollment, which led to the loss of state funding. The school employed one teacher and served between four and nine students in its last years. The loss of the school caused an exodus of the remaining school-aged children until, by 2015, only one was left.
Circa 1978 the school, then a part of the Aleutian Region School District, had two teachers, and 37 students. In the 1980s, the school typically enrolled around 30 students. In 1985 it reached peak enrollment, with 50 students and four teachers. Despite its remote location, the school was involved in state and national activities, such as hosting the military's "Operation Arctic Care" outreach health program in 2002, and by briefly becoming involved with reporting for CNN Student Bureau that same year.
The school building was used to house passengers of flights which made emergency landings in Cold Bay.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Road
Cold Bay has approximately 40 miles (64 km) of gravel roads, and a state-owned paved highway.
Water
The Alaska Marine Highway travels between Cold Bay and Kodiak twice a month between May and October, and cargo ships visit the city monthly from Seattle, Washington. Currently, the city only has a dock and a seaplane base, but the city hopes to develop a breakwater, boat harbor and boat launch.
Air
Cold Bay is serviced by Cold Bay Airport, holding the fifth-largest runway in Alaska, and a second, smaller one. Regional flights occur six times a week.
See also
In Spanish: Cold Bay para niños
