KAKE

Kake, Alaska

Kake is a city in Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 710 at the 2000 census. The name (pronounced just like English cake) comes from the Tlingit word K̲éix̲'.

Geography

Kake is located at 56°58'15" North, 133°56'2" West (56.970841, -133.933751).

Kake is located on the northwest coast of Kupreanof Island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.7 km²), of which, 8.2 square miles (21.1 km²) of it is land and 6.0 square miles (15.5 km²) of it is water. The total area is 42.37% water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 710 people, 246 households, and 171 families residing in the city. The population density was 87.0 people per square mile (33.6/km²). There were 288 housing units at an average density of 35.3/sq mi (13.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 24.08% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 66.76% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 8.03% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 246 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.49.

In the city the population was spread out with 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 113.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $39,643, and the median income for a family was $42,857. Males had a median income of $44,167 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,411. 14.6% of the population and 13.2% of families were below the poverty line. 23.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

History

Kupreanof Island has been settled by the Kake tribe of Tlingits since prehistoric times. The Kake tribe were feared by European settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the Kake War, three Kake villages on the island were destroyed by bombardment from a United States Navy vessel in reprisal for some shootings. The Kakes rebuilt a single village in the 1890s at the present location of Kake.

Kake is the site of a 137.5-foot totem pole, the world's largest, carved in 1967 for the Alaska Purchase centennial.