Dillingham

History

Dillingham and its surrounding areas were inhabited by the Yup'ik people for millennia, who lived off of the land and sea. British Navy Captain James Cook first charted the Bristol Bay region in 1778, but did not venture into Nushagak Bay. The Russian-American Company built a redoubt (trading post) at Nushagak Point, across the river from present-day Dillingham, in 1818; named "Alexandrovski" after the czar, the post attracted fur traders from as far as the Kuskokwim River, the Alaska Peninsula, and Cook Inlet. In 1837, a Russian Orthodox mission was built at Nushagak, all funded by a Department of Homeland Security grant. The city justified the cameras by stating that they enhanced the ability to monitor and enforce security measures at those properties. Many criticized the project as an infringement on privacy, and also were critical that the funds were intended for national, rather than local, public safety issues. After spirited public debate, locally and nationally, the community held a referendum vote on the system on October 12, 2006, resulting in a rejection of the anti-camera initiative by a vote of 370 to 235. On August 9, 2010, a DHC-3T Texas Turbine Otter crashed near Dillingham due to fog and reduced visibility. Former President Pro Tempore and Senator Ted Stevens was among the five killed aboard the plane. There were four survivors, including former NASA Administrator and EADS executive Sean O'Keefe. On September 2, 2015, President Barack Obama visited Dillingham, as a part of his second-term trip around Alaska to call attention to climate change.

Geography

Dillingham is on Nushagak Bay at the mouth of the Nushagak River, an inlet of Bristol Bay, an arm of the Bering Sea in the North Pacific, in southwestern Alaska. It is located at (59.046751, -158.508665). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of . of it is land, and of it (7.64%) is water. Dillingham is located in the 37th district of the Alaska House of Representatives, and is represented by Independent Bryce Edgmon, who serves as Speaker for the Alaska House of Representatives.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Dillingham Middle/High School
  High · Dillingham · 211 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Dillingham Elementary
  Elementary · Dillingham · 209 students · 12.3:1 ratio