Platinum, Alaska
Platinum
Arviiq | ||
|---|---|---|
FIPS code 02-61080 | | |
Platinum (
Geography
Platinum is located at 59°00′47″N 161°48′59″W / 59.01306°N 161.81639°W.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.7 square miles (116 km2), of which, 44.6 square miles (116 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (0.16%) is water.[5]
Climate
Platinum has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with short, cool and rainy summers and long, cold winters with moderate snowfall peaking during March.
| Climate data for Platinum, Alaska (1939-1964) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 52 (11) |
47 (8) |
46 (8) |
53 (12) |
65 (18) |
79 (26) |
82 (28) |
73 (23) |
68 (20) |
63 (17) |
48 (9) |
44 (7) |
82 (28) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 38.8 (3.8) |
38.4 (3.6) |
38.7 (3.7) |
44.3 (6.8) |
57.0 (13.9) |
64.6 (18.1) |
69.6 (20.9) |
65.3 (18.5) |
60.0 (15.6) |
50.5 (10.3) |
41.9 (5.5) |
37.5 (3.1) |
70.7 (21.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 20.8 (−6.2) |
22.1 (−5.5) |
24.2 (−4.3) |
33.6 (0.9) |
44.8 (7.1) |
53.8 (12.1) |
57.0 (13.9) |
56.5 (13.6) |
51.6 (10.9) |
39.8 (4.3) |
28.6 (−1.9) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
37.6 (3.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 14.4 (−9.8) |
15.0 (−9.4) |
17.4 (−8.1) |
27.7 (−2.4) |
39.0 (3.9) |
47.7 (8.7) |
51.6 (10.9) |
51.7 (10.9) |
46.0 (7.8) |
34.6 (1.4) |
23.1 (−4.9) |
12.1 (−11.1) |
31.7 (−0.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 8.0 (−13.3) |
8.7 (−12.9) |
10.7 (−11.8) |
22.4 (−5.3) |
33.3 (0.7) |
41.6 (5.3) |
46.1 (7.8) |
46.9 (8.3) |
40.5 (4.7) |
29.3 (−1.5) |
17.6 (−8.0) |
5.8 (−14.6) |
25.9 (−3.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −18.9 (−28.3) |
−18.8 (−28.2) |
−11.7 (−24.3) |
4.8 (−15.1) |
21.7 (−5.7) |
34.4 (1.3) |
39.3 (4.1) |
39.2 (4.0) |
28.8 (−1.8) |
14.7 (−9.6) |
−4.0 (−20.0) |
−16.9 (−27.2) |
−25.8 (−32.1) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −34 (−37) |
−32 (−36) |
−26 (−32) |
−11 (−24) |
2 (−17) |
31 (−1) |
32 (0) |
32 (0) |
22 (−6) |
6 (−14) |
−21 (−29) |
−29 (−34) |
−34 (−37) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.07 (27) |
1.24 (31) |
1.28 (33) |
0.81 (21) |
1.28 (33) |
1.19 (30) |
2.10 (53) |
4.24 (108) |
3.73 (95) |
2.60 (66) |
1.56 (40) |
1.29 (33) |
22.38 (568) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.4 (19) |
8.9 (23) |
10.0 (25) |
2.7 (6.9) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.5 (3.8) |
4.0 (10) |
5.6 (14) |
40.6 (103) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.8 | 9.6 | 10.8 | 8.5 | 11.0 | 9.6 | 12.9 | 18.6 | 17.7 | 15.0 | 10.2 | 9.3 | 143.0 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.6 | 6.3 | 7.9 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 36.1 |
| Source: NOAA[6] | |||||||||||||
History
Platinum was named in the 1930s due to the platinum ore found in the area. The site was a mining boomtown by 1937 boasting a roadhouse, two trading posts and a population of 50. A post office had been established in 1935. An earlier Inuit village called Arviq had been abandoned. The town was incorporated as a city in 1975.[4]
Ray Petersen Flying Service was awarded the exclusive contract in 1937 to fly for the Goodnews Bay platinum and iridium mine, hauling miners and company supplies out of his base at Bethel, Alaska.[7]
During
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 45 | — | |
| 1950 | 72 | 60.0% | |
| 1960 | 43 | −40.3% | |
| 1970 | 55 | 27.9% | |
| 1980 | 55 | 0.0% | |
| 1990 | 64 | 16.4% | |
| 2000 | 41 | −35.9% | |
| 2010 | 61 | 48.8% | |
| 2020 | 55 | −9.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] | |||
Platinum first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1975.
As of the census
There were 17 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.4% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 41.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 26.8% under the age of 18, 2.4% from 18 to 24, 43.9% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $22,500. The
Education
Lower Kuskokwim School District operates the Arviq School, K-12. Due to a decline in student enrollment it closed in Spring 2001, but it reopened in October 2007. As of 2018[update] the school had 20 students.[11]
Geology
In 1926, Walter Smith, an
References
- Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 120.
- ^ 2015 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League. 2015. p. 126.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ a b c GNIS Feature Detail Report for: Platinum
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ISBN 9781888125627.
- ^ Marston, Marvin R. (1969). Men of the Tundra: Alaska Eskimos at War. October House. pp. 51, 54–57.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Arviq School." Arviq School. Retrieved on July 13, 2018.
- ^ Mertie, J.B. (1939). Platinum Deposits of the Goodnews Bay District, Alaska, in Mineral Resources of Alaska, USGS Bulletin 910-B (PDF). Washington: US Government Printing Office. pp. 115–145. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
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| CDPs | ||||
| Unincorporated communities | ||||
| Ghost towns | ||||
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