Point hop

The settlement is located in the northwestern part of the state, fully occupying the ; from the north, west and south it is washed by the waters of the Chukchi Sea (free from ice from the end of June to mid-September) ^[3] , from the east it is connected to the “big land” scythe, the width of which in its narrowest part barely reaches 400 meters. Officially, the city’s area is 16.6 km², of which 0.3 km² is open water. Moreover, in fact, all residents live in a rectangular quarter of approximately 600 per 1000 meters. This zone is only 1-2 meters above sea level, therefore it is prone to floods - the nearby Beacon Hill, whose height is 14 meters, and to which a fortified road is laid, is used as an evacuation point. The city is served by the eponymous airport .

The average annual humidity in Point Hop is 76.7%: the wettest month is December (82%), the driest month is April (71%) ^[4] .

The remains of a whale; Point Hop is visible in the background.

The first mention of the settlement on this site dates back to 1861, when it was described by captain Pyotr Tikhmenev under the name Tiekagagmiut and soon this village was marked as Tiekaga on Russian maps. Then the Eskimos lived in it, who themselves called their settlement Tikarak or Tikigak , which meant " index finger ": indeed, the cape on which it is located has a triangular shape and protrudes into the sea for about 20 kilometers, having about 15 kilometers.

The village has existed here for a long time, at least since the 6th century , due to its favorable location: whales passed in this place close to the shore because of the "protrusion" of the cape into the sea, namely, the local population has long been a hunt for whales . By the time it was discovered, the village consisted of several semi-underground houses built of whale bones and fin. In general, Point Hope is considered one of the oldest settlements in North America, in which people lived continuously, which is of great interest to archaeologists ^[5] .

In 1958, the US government decided to conduct a “peaceful” nuclear explosion in the region: a hydrogen bomb test - the , which suggested that the village be resettled, as it had to be destroyed by the explosion. The explosion was planned about 48 kilometers from Point Hope, as a result of which a deep bay was to appear, which could be used three months a year. Anti-war and environmental activists were able to prevent the destruction of the village and the trial itself ^[6] .

On January 5, 1966, Point Hop was incorporated with the status of a city.

Since the 1930s, the population of the village has been constantly, albeit very unevenly growing, only in the 2000s the number of inhabitants began to decline.

year 2000

According to the 2000 census , 757 people lived in Point Hope, there were 186 households and 151 families. The racial composition was as follows: white - 8.72%, blacks and African Americans - 0.13%, Native Americans (mostly Eskimos ) - 87.05%, Asians - 0.13%, other races - 0.13%, mixed races - 3.83%; Hispanics (of any race) - 1.72%.

50% of households were married couples living together, 19.4% were women - heads of families without husbands, 18.3% were not families. The average family consisted of 4.5 people. 42.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24, 26% were between 25 and 44 years old, 14.7% were between 45 and 64 years old, and 5.2% of the city residents over 65 years: the average age of a city dweller was 22 years. For 100 females, there were 122.6 males, and for 100 adult women, there were already 118.6 males of comparable age.

The average household income was $ 63,125 a year, and families $ 66,250. Men earned an average of $ 41,750 a year, women $ 35,625, a per capita income of $ 16,641 a year. 13.9% of families and 14.8% of Point Hop residents lived below the poverty line, including 17.3% of minors and 16.2% of pensioners ^[3] .

2010 year

According to the 2010 census , 674 people lived in Point Hope: 352 men and 322 women; of which 190 people were under 15 years old and 42 people over 65 years old; the average age of a city dweller was 26 years. The racial composition was as follows: white - 5.79%, blacks and African Americans - 0.45%, Native Americans (mostly Eskimos) - 89.47%, other races - 0.15%, mixed races - 4.15%, Hispanic (any race) - 1.93%, Asians did not live ^[3] .

year 2012

According to 2012 estimates, 695 people lived in Point Hope: 52.3% of men and 47.7% of women. The average citizen was 25.3 years old, with an average of 35.3 years in Alaska. The average household income was $ 80,503 a year, with an average of $ 67,712 in Alaska; per capita income - $ 23,486 a year. Origin of ancestors: Germans - 2.1%, Irish - 1.8%, Black Africans - 1.6%. A survey of residents over 15 years of age showed that 48.2% of them are single and have never been married, 31.6% are married and live together, 2.4% are married, but live separately, 8, 9% are widowed and 8.9% are divorced. 3.4% of Point Hop residents were born outside the United States, with an average of 6.4% in Alaska ^[7] .

year 2013

According to 2013 estimates, 683 people lived in Point Hope. Unemployment was 5.2%, with an average of 5.9% in Alaska ^[7] .

• Official website of the city (English)