Slana, Alaska
Slana is a town located in Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the town is 124.
Geography
Slana is located at 62°41'51" North, 143°49'46" West (62.697511, -143.829341)1.
Slana is on the Nabesna Road, which runs south from the Tok Cutoff. It lies at the junction of the Slana River and Copper River, 85 km (53 miles) southwest of Tok.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 657.3 km² (253.8 mi²). 654.9 km² (252.9 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.37% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 124 people, 62 households, and 31 families residing in the town. The population density is 0.2/km² (0.5/mi²). There are 193 housing units at an average density of 0.3/km² (0.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 80.65% White, 0.00% Black or African American, 13.71% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 2.42% from other races, and 2.42% from two or more races. 0.00% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 62 households out of which 14.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% are married couples living together, 3.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% are non-families. 43.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.00 and the average family size is 2.74.
In the town the population is spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 1.6% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 41.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 46 years. For every 100 females there are 129.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 147.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $19,583, and the median income for a family is $57,917. Males have a median income of $46,250 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the town is $20,018. 23.5% of the population and 20.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 62.5% are under the age of 18 and 14.3% are 65 or older.
History
The name Slana is from the name of the Slana River
The Nabesna Mine opened near Slana in 1923. It employed 60 people at its height. Over thirty different minerals were extracted from the mine, with gold being the primary source of income. The mine operated sporadically until the late 1940s.
Slana grew in the 1980s when homesteads were offered in the area.
