Kodiak, Alaska

The local culture surrounds commercial and subsistence fishing activities. The Coast Guard comprises a significant portion of the community, and there is a large seasonal population. The majority of the Native population are Alutiiq.  A Russian Orthodox Church seminary is based in Kodiak, one of two existing seminaries in the U.S.  Where there are fish, there are bears- LOTS of them!  Kodiak is known for the vast population of Kodiak bears and could be named "Bear Capital of Alaska" next to Admiralty Island located near Juneau.  Bears that live near the ocean are far greater in size then those that live in the "interior" (ie Denali).  The reason for this is the diet. Bears in the interior feed on berries, where the bears in Kodiak feed on Salmon.... I think I would be skinner too if I ate berries all my life.  I digress! 

The Island has been inhabited for the past 8,000 years. The first non-Native contacts were in 1763 by the Russian Stephen Glotov, and in 1792 by Alexander Baranov, a Russian fur trapper. Sea otter pelts were the primary incentive for Russian exploration, and a settlement was established at Chiniak Bay, the site of present-day Kodiak. At that time, there were over 6,500 Sugpiaqs (Koniags) in the area and the Island was called "Kikhtak." It later was known as "Kadiak," the Inuit word for island. Kodiak became the first capital of Russian Alaska, and Russian colonization had a devastating effect on the local Native population. By the time Alaska became a U.S. Territory in 1867, the Koniag region Eskimos had almost disappeared as a viable culture. Alutiiq (Russian-Aleut) is the present-day Native language. Sea otter fur harvesting was the major commercial enterprise and eventually led to the near extinction of the species. However, in 1882 a fish cannery opened at the Karluk spit. This sparked the development of commercial fishing in the area. The "Town of Kodiak" was incorporated in 1940. During the Aleutian Campaign of World War II, the Navy and the Army built bases on the Island. Fort Abercrombie was constructed in 1939 and later became the first secret radar installation in Alaska. Development continued, and the 1960s brought growth in commercial fisheries and fish processing. The 1964 earthquake and subsequent tidal wave virtually leveled downtown Kodiak. The fishing fleet, processing plant, canneries, and 158 homes were destroyed - $30 million in damage. The infrastructure was rebuilt, and by 1968, Kodiak had become the largest fishing port in the U.S. in terms of dollar value. The Magnusson Act in 1976 extended the U.S. jurisdiction of marine resources to 200 miles offshore, which reduced competition from the foreign fleet and over time, allowed Kodiak to develop a groundfish processing industry.

The Kodiak economy is based on fishing, seafood processing, retail services and government. Adaptability and diversification in a variety of fisheries has enabled the Kodiak economy to develop and stabilize. 665 area residents hold commercial fishing permits, and numerous fish processing companies operate here year-round. The largest processors include International Seafood, Trident, Ocean Beauty, North Pacific, and Cook Inlet Processors. The hospital and City also rank among the top employers. The largest U.S. Coast Guard station lies just south of the city. The Kodiak Launch Complex, a $38 million low-Earth orbit launch facility on 27 acres, was recently completed at Cape Narrow near Chiniak. The Kodiak Launch Complex, operated by the Alaska Aerospace Dev. Corp., is the only commercial launch range in the U.S. that is not co-located with a federal facility. The KLC launched its first payload in November 1998.

Kodiak is accessible by air and sea. The State-owned Kodiak Airport provides a 7,500' paved runway. Kodiak Municipal Airport offers a 2,475' paved runway. Three scheduled airlines serve Kodiak with several daily flights, and a number of air taxi services provide flights to other communities on the Island. City-owned seaplane bases at Trident Basin and Lilly Lake serve floatplane traffic.  Travel time to Homer by ferry is 12 hours. The Port of Kodiak includes two boat harbors with 600 boat slips and three commercial piers - the ferry dock, city dock and container terminal. Boat launch ramps and vessel haul-outs are also available.  Approximately 140 miles of state roads connect island communities on the east side of the island.