Attu Station, Alaska

Attu Station, Alaska
CDP
Attu Island with land area of 892.795 km2 (344.710 sq mi)
Location of Attu Station, Alaska
Coordinates: 52°50′47″N173°11′10″E / 52.84639°N 173.18611°E / 52.84639; 173.18611
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Census Area	Aleutians West
Government
•  State senator	Lyman Hoffman (D) [1]
•  State rep.	Bryce Edgmon (I)
Area [2]
• Total	143.62 sq mi (371.97 km2)
• Land	142.54 sq mi (369.17 km2)
• Water	1.08 sq mi (2.80 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	0
• Density	0.00/sq mi (0.00/km2)
Time zone	UTC-10 (Hawaii-Aleutian (HST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-9 (HDT)
ZIP code	[3]
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-04670

Attu is a census-designated place (CDP) located on Attu Island in the Aleutians West Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 21 at the 2010 census, ^[4] consisting entirely of coast guard personnel who resided and worked at Casco Cove Coast Guard Station, but left the island when the station was closed in August 2010, leaving it uninhabited. LORAN Station Attu had provided a navigational signal for mariners of the North Pacific since the 1970s. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Although it is relatively the westernmost point in the United States, Attu Station is technically one of the easternmost points, located at 52°50′47″N173°11′10″E / 52.84639°N 173.18611°E / 52.84639; 173.18611 , opposite the 180th meridian from the rest of the United States.

History

Main article: Attu Island

After the Japanese invasion of Attu Island and the battle to retake it, the United States government constructed a LORAN station on the southern tip of the island, at Theodore Point. The equipment to build the station came from Holtz Bay and was ferried on barges and landing craft to Baxter Cove, about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of the station. Bulldozers were used to cut a road from Baxter Cove to Theodore Point.

In 1960, the station was moved to Casco Cove, near the former United States Navy base at Massacre Bay. Later, it was moved to Massacre Bay. LORAN Station Attu ceased transmission of the LORAN signal on February 8, 2010, and the Russian-American signal ceased on August 1, 2010.

In 2025, the U.S. Naval Institute proposed reviving the military airfield on Attu. ^[7]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 143.6 square miles (371.9 km²), for which 142.6 square miles (369.3 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (0.75%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1980	28		—
2000	20		—
2010	21		5.0%
2020	0		−100.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]

Attu (Naval) Station first appeared on the 1980 U.S. Census as "Attu", a census-designated place (CDP). ^[9] It did not return on the 1990 census. ^[10] The name was changed to Attu Naval Station and redesignated a CDP in 2000. ^[11] It appeared on the 2010 census with a population of 21 ^[12] just before the closure of the station in August that year and the departure of its remaining residents.

2020 census

Attu Station CDP, Alaska – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000 [13]	Pop 2010 [14]	Pop 2020 [15]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	15	15	0	75.00%	71.43%	0.00%
Black or African American alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	1	0	0.00%	4.76%	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	1	0	0.00%	4.76%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5	4	0	25.00%	19.05%	0.00%
Total	20	21	0	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

At the 2000 census there were 20 people, 0 households, and 0 families in the CDP. The population density was 0.1 inhabitants per square mile (0.039/km²). There were 0 housing units at an average density of 0.0 units per square mile (0 units/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 18 White, 1 from other races, and 1 from two or more races. Five of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. ^[4] The age distribution was 7 from 18 to 24, 12 from 25 to 44, and 1 from 45 to 64. The median age was 30 years. There were 19 men and one woman.

Males had a median income of $26,250, which is the same as for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,964. None of the population was below the poverty line.

As noted above, however, due to the closure of the station the community is presently uninhabited.

References

1. "Senator Lyman Hoffman". Alaska Senate Majority. Alaskasenate.org. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
3. "Attu Station AK ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
5. Home page for USCG Loran Station Attu (modified July 23, 2007)
6. "Alaska Coast Guard says goodbye to its last LORAN station". KUCB News. Unalaska Community Broadcasting. August 27, 2010. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2013.
7. Steve, Hulse (January 2025). "Bases on the Aleutian Islands Would Project U.S. Power Across the Pacific (Volume 151/1/1,463)". U.S. Naval Institute .
8. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
9. "Characteristics of the Populations - Number of Inhabitants - Alaska" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. May 1982.
10. "1990 Census of Population and Housing - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Alaska" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2014.
11. U.S. Census Bureau. "2000 Census of Population and Housing - Alaska" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
12. U.S. Census Bureau (June 2012). "2010 Census of Population and Housing - Alaska" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2014.
13. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Attu Station CDP, Alaska". United States Census Bureau.
14. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Attu Station CDP, Alaska". United States Census Bureau.
15. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Attu Station CDP, Alaska". United States Census Bureau.

External links

• Alaska portal

• Attu Station at the Community Database Online from the Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs
• Maps from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development: 2000, 2010