'Eagle' is a city located along the
United States-Canada border in the
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area,
Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 129.
Geography
Eagle is located at (64.786022, -141.199917).
Eagle is located 8 miles (13 km) west of the border between Alaska and the
Yukon Territory of
Canada on the
Taylor Highway.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.0
square mile (2.6
km²), all land.
History
The Eagle area has been the historical home to Han
Gwichʼin people since before the arrival of Europeans in Alaska.
The first structure in present-day Eagle was a log-trading post called "Belle Isle," built around 1874.
In the late 1800s, Eagle became a supply and trading center for miners working the upper
Yukon River and its tributaries. By 1898, its population had exceeded 1,700. In 1901 Eagle was the first incorporated city in the
Alaska Interior. It was named after the eagles that nested on nearby Eagle Bluff. A United States Army camp, Fort Egbert, was built at Eagle in 1900. A telegraph line between Eagle and
Valdez was completed in 1903.
The gold rushes in
Nome and
Fairbanks lured people away from Eagle. Judge Wickersham moved his court from Eagle to Fairbanks in 1903. By 1910, Eagle's population had declined to its present-day level (below 200 people). Fort Egbert was abandoned in 1911.
Present-day Eagle is home to mostly people of European descent, but
Eagle Village has a small population that is about 50 percent Gwichʼin.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 129 people, 58 households, and 37 families residing in the city. The
population density was . There were 137 housing units at an average density of 135.8 per square mile (52.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.02%
White, 6.20%
Native American, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.78% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 58 households out of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were
married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 44.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,042, and the median income for a family was $44,375. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $20,000 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $20,221. There were 2.6% of families and 16.5% of the population living below the
poverty line, including 40.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
External links