- Community Type: 1st Class City
- Current
Population: 2226
- Borough
Name: Unorganized
- Regional
Native Corporation: Bristol Bay Native Corporation
- REAA/School
District: Dillingham City Schools
- Latitude:
59° 02' N
- Longitude:
158° 27' W
- See Map
of the region
- Land Area:
32.70
- Water Area:
2.10
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| Location:
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Dillingham is located at the extreme northern end of Nushagak
Bay in northern Bristol Bay, at the confluence of the Wood and
Nushagak Rivers. It lies 327 miles southwest of Anchorage, and
is a 6 hour flight from Seattle.
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| History:
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The area around Dillingham was inhabited by Eskimos and Athabascans
and became a fur trade center when Russians erected the Alexandrovsky
Post there in 1818. The community was known as Nushagak by 1837,
when a Russian Orthodox mission was established. In 1884 the first
salmon cannery in the Bristol Bay region was constructed by Arctic
Packing Co., east of the site of modern-day Dillingham. Ten more
were established within the next seventeen years. The post office
was named after U.S. Senator Paul Dillingham in 1904, and the
townsite known as Dillingham was first surveyed in 1947.
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| Culture:
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Traditionally a Native area, with Russian influences, Dillingham
is now a highly mixed population of non-Natives, Eskimos, Aleuts
and Indians. The outstanding commercial fishing opportunities
in the Bristol Bay area are the focus of the local culture.
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| Economy:
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Dillingham is the economic, transportation, and public service
center for western Bristol Bay. Commercial fishing, fish processing,
cold storage and support of the fishing industry are the primary
activities. 296 residents hold commercial fishing permits. During
spring and summer, the population doubles. The city's role as
the regional center for government and services helps to stabilize
seasonal employment. Many residents depend on subsistence activities,
and trapping of beaver, otter, mink, lynx and fox provide cash
income.
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| Transportation:
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Dillingham can be reached by air and sea. The State-owned airport
provides a 6,404' paved runway, and regular jet flights are available
from Anchorage. A seaplane base is also available at Shannon's
Pond; it is owned by the State Div. of Lands. Two barge lines
make scheduled trips from Seattle. There is a small boat harbor
with 500 slips, a dock, and boat haul out facilities. The 23-mile
road to Aleknagik was recently rehabilitated.
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| Climate:
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The primary climatic influence is maritime, however the Arctic
climate of the Interior also affects the Bristol Bay coast. Average
summer temperatures range from 37 to 66; average winter temperatures
range from 4 to 30. Annual precipitation is 26 inches, with 65
inches of snow. Heavy fog is common in July and August. Winds
of up to 60-70 MPH may occur between December and March.
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