Old Harbor

History

The community of Old Harbor has its origins in the era of Russian conquest. On August 14, 1784, Grigory Shelikhov with 130 Russian fur traders massacred (see Awa'uq Massacre) several hundred Qik’rtarmiut Sugpiat tribe of Alutiiq men, women and children at Refuge Rock, a tiny stack island off the eastern coast of Sitkalidak Island. In Alutiiq, this sacred place is known as Awa'uq ("to become numb").

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 22.59%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Bald Eagle

  Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  36
• Black-legged Kittiwake

  Rissa tridactyla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  27
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  24
• Glaucous-winged Gull

  Larus glaucescens J.F.Naumann, 1840 · Aves
  23
• Short-billed Gull

  Larus brachyrhynchus Richardson, 1831 · Aves
  20
• Pigeon Guillemot

  Cepphus columba Pallas, 1811 · Aves
  19
• Fox Sparrow

  Passerella iliaca (Merrem, 1786) · Aves
  18
• Golden-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia atricapilla (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  16

Largest nearby schools

• Old Harbor School
  Other · Old Harbor · 29 students · 7.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-09-29
  13 km N of Karluk, Alaska
• M 2.9 — 2026-09-24
  15 km SE of Karluk, Alaska
• M 3.7 — 2026-09-22
  37 km SW of Karluk, Alaska
• M 2.6 — 2026-09-18
  37 km WNW of Port Lions, Alaska
• M 2.5 — 2026-09-10
  32 km W of Port Lions, Alaska
• M 2.8 — 2026-09-08
  31 km S of Akhiok, Alaska