Akhiok

History

Akhiok is an Alutiiq village dependent upon fishing and subsistence activities. The original village of Kashukugniut was occupied by Russians in the early 19th century. The community was originally a sea otter hunting settlement, located at Humpy Cove. The name Akhiok was reported in the 1880 census. In 1881, residents relocated to the present site at Alitak Bay. The relocation was, in part, based on the switch to a fishing economy. Most families gain their livelihood from fishing, either directly by fishing for salmon and halibut or by working in a nearby cannery. The community's Russian Orthodox church, Protection of the Theotokos Chapel, was built around 1900 at the site of an earlier structure. A post office was established in 1933. Akhiok, which does have a post office, is a rural location in postal code 99615 that belongs to Kodiak. The village is sometimes called Alitak, after a nearby bay. Residents of nearby Kaguyak relocated to Akhiok after the 1964 earthquake and tsunami destroyed their village. The city was incorporated in 1972.

Geography

Akhiok is located at 56.945560° North, 154.17028° West (Sec. 28, T037S, R031W, Seward Meridian). Akhiok is in the Kodiak Recording District, and the 3rd Judicial District. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 23.92%, is water. Akhiok is located at the southern end of Kodiak Island at Alitak Bay. It lies southwest of the city of Kodiak, and southwest of Anchorage. The climate of the Kodiak Islands is dominated by a strong marine influence. There is little or no freezing weather, moderate precipitation, and frequent cloud cover and fog. Severe storms are common from December through February. Annual precipitation is . Temperatures remain within a narrow range, from .

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Glaucous-winged Gull

  Larus glaucescens J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  12
• Pigeon Guillemot

  Cepphus columba Pallas, 1811 · Aves
  9
• Black-legged Kittiwake

  Rissa tridactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8
• humpback whale

  Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781) · Mammalia
  8
• Marbled Murrelet

  Brachyramphus marmoratus (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  8
• Bald Eagle

  Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  6
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  6
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  5

Largest nearby schools

• Akhiok School
  Other · Akhiok · 13 students · 6.5:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-09-29
  12 km N of Karluk, Alaska
• M 2.5 — 2026-09-25
  55 km WSW of Karluk, Alaska
• M 2.9 — 2026-09-24
  16 km SE of Karluk, Alaska
• M 3.1 — 2026-09-23
  75 km WSW of Karluk, Alaska
• M 3.7 — 2026-09-22
  37 km SW of Karluk, Alaska
• M 3.1 — 2026-09-21
  76 km WSW of Akhiok, Alaska