Tanacross

History

Tanacross, initially founded as a telegraph station called Tanana Crossing (also known as St. Timothy's). The name was shortened to Tanacross before 1940. The village was initially located on the north bank of the Tanana River. An airstrip was built on the south bank during the mid-1930s and upgraded for military use during World War II in 1941–42. Thousands of troops deployed through Tanacross during the period. The airfield was closed after the war. In 1972, the town itself relocated south across the river due to water contamination. In 1979, the old village burned due to an uncontrolled grass fire.

Geography

Tanacross is located at (63.376206, -143.356991). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.38%) is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Swainson's Thrush

  Catharus ustulatus (Nuttall, 1840) · Aves
  48
• Yellow-rumped Warbler

  Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  43
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  37
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  28
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  27
• Gray Jay

  Perisoreus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  25
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet

  Regulus calendula (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  25
• Alder Flycatcher

  Empidonax alnorum Brewster, 1895 · Aves
  16

Largest nearby schools

• Tanacross School
  Elementary · Tanacross · 10 students · 10:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3 — 2026-09-24
  15 km ENE of Slana, Alaska
• M 3.1 — 2026-08-28
  13 km N of Mentasta Lake, Alaska
• M 3.1 — 2026-08-06
  28 km SSW of Dry Creek, Alaska
• M 3 — 2026-07-17
  32 km SSW of Dry Creek, Alaska
• M 2.6 — 2026-05-23
  36 km SSW of Dry Creek, Alaska
• M 2.5 — 2026-02-17
  29 km NNW of Chistochina, Alaska