Noatak

History

Noatak was established as a fishing and hunting camp in the 1800s. Two identifiable groups of Inupiat resided on the Noatak River. The (called "Noatagamut" in the 1880 census), Inupiaq for "inland river people", lived upriver, and the , meaning "people of the trees", lived downriver. By the early 20th century, the missionaries Robert and Carrie Samms settled in what they called "Noatak". A United States post office was established in 1940.

Geography

Noatak is located at (67.572031, -162.975085). Noatak is located on the west bank of the Noatak River, north of Kotzebue. It is north of the Arctic Circle. Noatak village lies near the western boundary of the Noatak National Preserve and is the only settlement on the over long Noatak River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (5.40%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14
• Glaucous Gull

  Larus hyperboreus Gunnerus, 1767 · Aves
  6
• Gray Jay

  Perisoreus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  4
• Red-breasted Merganser

  Mergus serrator Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4
• Osprey

  Pandion haliaetus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3
• Pacific Loon

  Gavia pacifica (Lawrence, 1858) · Aves
  3
• Red-throated Loon

  Gavia stellata (Pontoppidan, 1763) · Aves
  3
• Greater White-fronted Goose

  Anser albifrons (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  3

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-08-02
  52 km E of Red Dog Mine, Alaska
• M 3.2 — 2026-06-24
  34 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska
• M 2.7 — 2026-06-07
  36 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska
• M 2.8 — 2026-06-07
  36 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska
• M 2.7 — 2026-05-29
  17 km SSW of Noatak, Alaska
• M 2.8 — 2026-05-07
  38 km W of Kotzebue, Alaska