Hoonah
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Hoonah, Alaska Xunaa |
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Aerial photo of Hoonah
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 Hoonah
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| Coordinates: 58°06′34″N 135°26′11″W / 58.10944°N 135.43639°WCoordinates: 58°06′34″N 135°26′11″W / 58.10944°N 135.43639°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Hoonah-Angoon |
| Incorporated | June 8, 1946 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kenneth Skaflestad |
| • State senator | Bert Stedman (R) |
| • State rep. | Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.3 sq mi (18.9 km2) |
| • Land | 6.0 sq mi (15.6 km2) |
| • Water | 1.3 sq mi (3.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 52 ft (16 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 760 |
| • Density | 127/sq mi (48.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9) |
| • Summer (DST) | AKDT (UTC-8) |
| ZIP code | 99829 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-33360 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1403488 |
| Website | www |
Hoonah (Xunaa in Tlingit) is a largely Tlingit community on Chichagof Island, located in Alaska's panhandle in the southeast region of the state. It is 30 miles (48 km) west of Juneau, across the Alaskan Inside Passage. Hoonah is the only first-class city on Chichagof Island, the 109th largest island in the world and the 5th largest island in the United States. At the 2010 census the population was 760, down from 860 at the 2000 census. In the summer the population can swell to over 1,300 depending on fishing, boating, hiking and hunting conditions. "Hoonah" became the official spelling in 1901, with establishment of the Hoonah branch of the United States Post Office.Xunaa means "protected from the North Wind" in the Tlingit language.
The clans comprising the Huna Tlingit originally settled what is now Glacier Bay National Park as well as Icy Strait, Cross Sound, and the outer coast north to Sea Otter Creek. Two catastrophic events forced the Tlingit from their homeland; rapid glacial advance in Glacier Bay and a landslide-induced tsunami in Lituya Bay along the outer coast. Tlingit oral tradition recounts these events as well as the clans' ultimate resettlement in Xunaa.
A partial timeline of modern Hoonah history is below:
The town of Hoonah is featured on the Discovery Channel show Alaskan Bush People.
Sheldon Jackson established the first school house and teacher's residence in November 1881. The school was initially overseen by Mr. and Mrs. Walter B. Styles of New York until their transfer to Sitka in 1882. The Reverend and Mrs. John McFarland assumed responsibility for the school in 1884, and by 1885 219 Tlingit students were enrolled: 69 boys, 76 girls and 74 adults. A territorial school and government school were built in 1923. In 1932 the government school was demolished and replaced by a Bureau of Indian Affairs school.
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Wikipedia