Kupreanof, Alaska

Kupreanof
City
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Petersburg
Incorporated	1975
Government
• Mayor	Tom Reinarts
• State senator	Bert Stedman (R)
• State rep.	Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D)
Area
• Total	6.1 sq mi (15.8 km2)
• Land	4.0 sq mi (10.4 km2)
• Water	2.1 sq mi (5.4 km2)
Elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	23
• Density	5.7/sq mi (2.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-42160
GNIS feature ID	1424959, 2419419

Kupreanof is a city at the eastern shore of Kupreanof Island in the Petersburg Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 23 at the 2000 census, making it the smallest incorporated city in the state.

History

Among the incorporators of Kupreanof were former longtime and much beloved Petersburg Grade School Principal Harold Bergman. Kupreanof was once called West Petersburg and was a thriving community of fur farms and commercial fishermen in the early to mid -20th century. Gradually most residents moved over to the larger, more metropolitan city of Petersburg. The 29th 'resident' of Kupreanof, according to the 2010 census, is Robert Magnus Thorstenson, Jr., although he technically lives where his voting and PFD residence is — actually in Juneau. Thorstenson purchased the old Lyons and Birch homesteads in 2009. He is a 4th generation Alaskan whose family first moved to Petersburg in 1903.

The longtime Petersburg dentist, Richard Sprague, lives on Sasby Island along with his wife, Sharon, in the city limits of Kupreanof. Currently the mayor of Kupreanof is Tom Reinarts.

Kupreanof remained a separate municipality when the Petersburg Borough incorporated, unlike the neighboring city of Petersburg. However, Kupreanof now lies inside the Petersburg Borough, whereas before, it was a home-rule city inside the unorganized Petersburg Census Area.

Geography

Kupreanof is located at 56°49′21″N 132°58′57″W (56.822384, -132.982506). It is across the Wrangell Narrows from Petersburg on Mitkof Island.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (16 km²), of which, 4.0 square miles (10 km²) of it is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) of it (34.32%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1980	47		—
1990	23		−51.1%
2000	23		0.0%
2010	27		17.4%
2015 (est.)	27		0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 23 people, 12 households, and 6 families residing in the city. The population density was 5.7 people per square mile (2.2/km²). There were 26 housing units at an average density of 6.5 per square mile (2.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.30% White, 4.35% Asian, and 4.35% from two or more races.

There were 12 households out of which 16.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, and 50.0% were non-families. 50.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city population was spread out with 17.4% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 47.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,833, and the median income for a family was $100,470. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $0 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,650. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.