Saint Mary's Alaska

Editors note:

The sale of alcohol is prohibited in the City.

Current Population:	551 (2006 DCCED Certified Population)
Incorporation Type:	1st Class City
Borough Located In:	Unorganized
Taxes:	Sales: 3%, Property: None, Special: None

Location and Climate

St. Mary's is located on the north bank of the Andreafsky River, 5 miles from its confluence with the Yukon River.

It lies 450 air miles west-northwest of Anchorage.

The City of St. Mary's encompasses the Yup'ik villages of St. Mary's and Andreafsky.

The community lies at approximately 62.053060° North Latitude and -163.165830° (West) Longitude. (Sec. 26, T023N, R076W, Seward Meridian.)

Saint Mary's is located in the Bethel Recording District.

The area encompasses 44.0 sq. miles of land and 6.3 sq. miles of water.

The climate is continental with a significant maritime influence.

Temperatures range between -44 and 83.

Annual precipitation measures 16 inches, with 60 inches of snowfall.

The Yukon is ice-free from June through October.

Organizations with Local Offices

City - City of Saint Mary's

P.O. Box 209

St. Mary's, AK 99658

Phone 907-438-2515

Fax 907-438-2719

E-mail cityksm@gci.net

School District - Saint Mary's School District

P.O. Box 9

St. Mary's, AK 99658-0009

Phone 907-438-2411

Fax 907-438-2831

E-mail dherbert@smcsd.us

Web http://www.ksm.gcisa.net

Village Corporation - Saint Mary's Native Corporation

P.O. Box 149

Saint Mary's, AK 99658

Phone 907-438-2961

Fax 907-438-2315

Village Council - Algaaciq Native Village

P.O. Box 48

St. Mary's, AK 99658

Phone 907-438-2932

Fax 907-438-2227

Regional Organizations

School District - Saint Mary's School District

P.O. Box 9

St. Mary's, AK 99658-0009

Phone 907-438-2411

Fax 907-438-2831

E-mail dherbert@smcsd.us

Web http://www.ksm.gcisa.net

Regional Native Corporation - Calista Corporation

301 Calista Court, Suite A

Anchorage, AK 99518-3028

Phone 907-279-5516

Fax 907-272-5060

E-mail calista@calistacorp.com

Web http://www.calistacorp.com

Regional Native Health Corporation - Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp.

P.O. Box 528

Bethel, AK 99559

Phone 907-543-6020

Fax 907-543-6006

E-mail gene_peltola@ykhc.org

Web http://www.ykhc.org

Native Housing Authority - AVCP Reg. Housing Authority

P.O. Box 767

Bethel, AK 99559

Phone 907-543-3121

Fax 907-543-3933

E-mail ron@avcphousing.org

Web http://www.avcphousing.org

Facilities, Utilities, Schools and Health Care

Water is derived from Alstrom Creek reservoir and is treated.

The majority of the City (120 homes and facilities) have complete plumbing and are connected to the piped water and sewer system.

Waste heat from the power plant supports the circulating water system.

A 1.7-million-gallon sewage lagoon provides waste treatment.

Approximately 15 residences haul water and use honeybuckets; the City provides hauling services.

20 new HUD houses were recently connected to the system.

A new honeybucket disposal site is under construction.

Funds have been requested to repair plumbing in 40 older homes, and to study replacement of the failing 30-year-old water and sewer mains.

A washeteria is available nearby at Pitka's Point.

The landfill must be relocated.

Electricity is provided by AVEC.

There is one school located in the community, attended by 170 students.

Local hospitals or health clinics include -. Staffed by Operations Manager, Health Practitioner, Dentist, and 4 Health Aides.

Saint Mary's is classified as an isolated village, it is found in EMS Region 7A in the Yukon/Kuskokwim Region.

Emergency Services

Emergency Services have river, limited highway and air access.

Emergency service is provided by a health aide.

Economy and Transportation

The economy in St. Mary's seasonal. 65 residents hold commercial fishing permits.

A cold storage facility is available.

Cash income is supplemented by subsistence activities and trapping.

Salmon, moose, bear, and waterfowl are harvested.

There are two general stores, Alaska Commercial Co. and Yukon Traders.

A new regional Post Office was recently completed.

St. Mary's is served by barge and aircraft.

The State-owned 6,003' long by 150' wide gravel runway and 1,900' long by 60' wide crosswind strip provide year-round access.

The airfield is capable of receiving large jet aircraft, but service was discontinued in 1990.

A 22-mile road links St. Mary's to Andreafsky, Pitka's Point, and Mountain Village.

They are not maintained during winter months, but are used by snow machines.

The Andreafsky River provides the only deep-water dock in the Delta.

History, Culture and Demographics

In 1899, Andreafsky was established as a supply depot and winter headquarters for the Northern Commercial Company's riverboat fleet.

The village took its name from the Andrea family which settled on the River and built a Russian Orthodox Church.

In 1903, Jesuit missionaries set up a mission 90 miles downriver at "Akulurak" to educate and care for the children orphaned by a flu epidemic in 1900-01.

Akulurak means "in between place," aptly describing the village, which was on an island in a slough connecting two arms of the Yukon River.

The mission school flourished, and by 1915, there were 70 full-time students.

Over the years, the slough surrounding Akulurak silted in severely. In 1948, the villagers decided to move to higher ground.

Materials from an abandoned hotel built during the gold rush were used to construct the new mission and several village homes at the present site.

In 1949, an unused 15' by 30' building and other building materials from Galena Air Force Station were barged to Saint Mary's by Father Spills, a Jesuit priest.

These materials, along with a tractor borrowed from Holy Cross, were used to construct a school.

During the 1950s, a number of Yup'ik families moved into the Andreafsky area, only a short distance from the mission.

Dormitories and a large house for the Jesuits were built during the 1960s.

In 1967, the area adjacent to the mission incorporated as the City of St. Mary's, although Andreafsky chose to remain independent.

In 1980, the residents of Andreafsky voted for annexation into the City.

In 1987, the Catholic Church closed the mission school.

A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Algaaciq Tribal Government; Yupiit of Andreafsky.

The population of the community consists of 87.6% Alaska Native or part Native. St. Mary's is a Yup'ik Eskimo community that maintains a fishing and subsistence lifestyle.

The sale of alcohol is prohibited in the City.

During the 2000 U.S. Census, total housing units numbered 186, and vacant housing units numbered 49. Vacant housing units used only seasonally numbered 25. U.S. Census data for Year 2000 showed 219 residents as employed.

The unemployment rate at that time was 11.34 percent, although 35.4 percent of all adults were not in the work force.

The median household income was $39,375, per capita income was $15,837, and 20.41 percent of residents were living below the poverty level.

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