Alaska's cities
Bethel, Alaska
Kuskokwim Delta city is hub for southwestern Alaska
Alaska.com
Bethel sits at the mouth of the Kuskokwim River, 40 miles inland from the Bering Sea, in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, 400 air miles west of Anchorage.
About 5,500 people live in Bethel.
Traditional Yup'ik Eskimo practices and language remain predominant in the area, where Alaska Natives are more than 60 percent of population. Subsistence activities and commercial fishing (more than 200 residents hold permits) are major contributors to residents' livelihoods.
Bethel serves as the regional center for 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta; food, fuel, transportation, medical care and other services for these villages are provided by businesses in Bethel.
Half the town's jobs are government positions. Poor fish returns since 1997 have significantly affected the community. Six schools are attended by more than 1,300 students. Bethel levies sales, alcohol and hotel taxes.
The town is the home of the Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race.
History
Bethel was first established by Yup'ik Eskimos who called the village ''Mumtrekhlogamute,'' meaning ''Smokehouse People,'' named for the nearby fish smokehouse. There were 41 people in Bethel in 1880 when it was an Alaska Commercial Company Trading Post. The Moravian Church established a mission in 1884.
The community was moved to its present location due to erosion at the prior site. A post office was opened in 1905. Bethel soon was a trading, transportation and distribution center for the region, which attracted Natives from surrounding villages. The city was incorporated in 1957.
Source: Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development
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