Kivalina

History

Kivalina is an Inupiat community first reported as "Kivualinagmut" in 1847 by Lt. Lavrenty Zagoskin of the Imperial Russian Navy. It has long been a stopping place for travelers between Arctic coastal areas and Kotzebue Sound communities. Three bodies and artifacts were found in 2009 representing the Ipiutak culture, a pre-Thule, non-whaling civilization that disappeared over a millennium ago. It is the only village in the region where people hunt the bowhead whale. The original village was located at the north end of the Kivalina Lagoon, but was relocated. In about 1900, reindeer were brought to the area and some people were trained as reindeer herders. An airstrip was built at Kivalina in 1960. Kivalina was incorporated as a second-class city in 1969. During the 1970s, a new school and an electric system were constructed in the city. On December 5, 2014, the only general store in Kivalina burned down. In July 2015, a newer store was opened after months of rebuilding to make the store more convenient and safe.

Geography

Kivalina is on the southern tip of a long barrier island located between the Chukchi Sea and a lagoon at the mouth of the Kivalina River. It lies northwest of Kotzebue. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and of it (51.55%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6
• Glaucous Gull

  Larus hyperboreus Gunnerus, 1767 · Aves
  5
• Common Eider

  Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2
• tall Jacob's-ladder

  Polemonium acutiflorum Willd. ex Roemer & J.A.Schultes · Magnoliopsida
  2
• Short-billed Gull

  Larus brachyrhynchus Richardson, 1831 · Aves
  1
• Sandhill crane

  Grus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1
• Black-legged Kittiwake

  Rissa tridactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1
• Common Murre

  Uria aalge (Pontoppidan, 1763) · Aves
  1

Largest nearby schools

• Kisimgiugtuq School
  Other · Kivalina · 156 students · 39:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-05-29
  17 km SSW of Noatak, Alaska
• M 3.4 — 2026-04-19
  65 km S of Kivalina, Alaska
• M 2.8 — 2026-04-16
  50 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska
• M 3.9 — 2026-01-25
  85 km WSW of Kivalina, Alaska
• M 2.9 — 2025-12-11
  78 km SSW of Kivalina, Alaska
• M 2.8 — 2025-12-10
  96 km S of Point Hope, Alaska