Bethel, Alaska

Bethel, Alaska
Mamterilleq
Orutsaraq
Aerial view of Bethel on the Kuskokwim River
Aerial view of Bethel on the Kuskokwim River
Location of Bethel within the state of Alaska
Location of Bethel within the state of Alaska
Coordinates: 60°47′32″N 161°45′21″W / 60.79222°N 161.75583°W / 60.79222; -161.75583
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughUnorganized
Census AreaBethel
ANCSA regional corporationCalista
IncorporatedAugust 1957[1]
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager government
 • MayorRose Henderson[2]
 • State senatorLyman Hoffman (D)[3]
 • State rep.Conrad McCormick (D)
Area
 • Total50.11 sq mi (129.78 km2)
 • Land44.51 sq mi (115.27 km2)
 • Water5.60 sq mi (14.51 km2)
Elevation
3 ft (1 m)
Population
 • Total6,325
 • Estimate 
(2021)[8]
6,270
 • Density142.11/sq mi (54.87/km2)
 • Alaska Native
62%
Time zoneUTC-9 (AKST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99559
Area code907
FIPS code02-06520
GNIS feature ID1398908
Websitecityofbethel.org

Bethel (Central Yupik: Mamterilleq) is a city in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the Kuskokwim River approximately 50 miles (80 km) from where the river flows into Kuskokwim Bay. It is the largest community in western Alaska and in the Unorganized Borough and the eighth-largest in the state. Bethel has a population of 6,325 as of the 2020 census, up from 6,080 in 2010.[7]

Annual events in Bethel include the Kuskokwim 300 dogsled race; Camai, a Yup'ik dance festival held each spring; and the Bethel Fair held in August.[9]

  1. ^ 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 32.
  2. ^ 2023 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory (PDF). Juneau: Alaska Municipal League. January 2023. p. 49. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  3. ^ "Senator Lyman Hoffman". Alaska Senate Majority. Alaskasenate.org. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  4. ^ City of Bethel. (October 27, 2006). "Bethel City Council Member List." Retrieved on April 13, 2007.
  5. ^ Community Information Summaries: Bethel. Archived April 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Alaska Community Database Online, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Retrieved on April 13, 2007.
  6. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusEst2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Bethel City Council Overhauls Alcohol Laws, Drops Protest Appeal". kyuk.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015.