Ruby Tl'aa'ologhe | |
---|---|
![]() Ruby in the 1940s | |
Nickname: The Gem of the Yukon | |
Coordinates: 64°44′14″N155°29′16″W / 64.73722°N 155.48778°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Alaska |
Census Area | Yukon-Koyukuk |
Incorporated | September 25, 1973 [1] |
Government | |
• Mayor | Elizabeth Captain |
• State senator | Click Bishop (R) |
• State rep. | Mike Cronk (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 7.03 sq mi (18.19 km2) |
• Land | 7.03 sq mi (18.19 km2) |
• Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
Elevation | 249 ft (76 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 139 |
• Density | 19.79/sq mi (7.64/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
ZIP code | 99768 |
Area code | 907 |
FIPS code | 02-65590 |
GNIS feature ID | 1408878 |
Ruby (Koyukon: Tl'aa'ologhe) is an incorporated town in central western Alaska, situated on the south bank of the Yukon River at the northwesternmost tip of the Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge. It is accessible only by boat or air. A formerly sizeable gold-mining and lumbering town servicing the region, at the 2010 census the population was just 166, with only a general store and post office remaining as businesses, [3] down from 188 in 2000.
It is served by Ruby Airport.
The town of Ruby was established in 1911 as the result of a gold rush. The amount of gold that is in the Fairbanks district is over 8 million troy ounces (250 tonnes) of gold, lodes have yielded over 4 million ounces.[ citation needed ] Gold was first discovered at the current townsite in 1906 on Ruby Creek. That discovery brought more prospectors to the area. In 1910 word leaked out about a gold strike on Long Creek, 30 miles south of Ruby, and a stampede was on. Discoveries on other nearby creeks followed and Ruby became the supply point for the mines.
At its peak the population was near 3,000, but by 1918 the town was in steep decline. Many of the men had left to fight in World War I, and several of the towns business people and their families were lost in the sinking of the Canadian passenger liner Sophia. A fire in 1929 destroyed much of the business district and a flood in 1931 took out what was left of buildings on the riverfront.
After World War II, Native Americans from near-by Kokrines relocated to Ruby to take advantage of the abandoned homes. There are currently fewer than 200 people living in Ruby.
The largest gold nugget ever found in Alaska, 294.10 troy ounces (322.67 oz; 9,148 g), was found near Ruby in 1998. [4]
Ruby is located at 64°44′14″N155°29′16″W / 64.73722°N 155.48778°W (64.737306, -155.487693). [5]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.6 square miles (20 km2).
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1920 | 128 | — | |
1930 | 132 | 3.1% | |
1940 | 138 | 4.5% | |
1950 | 132 | −4.3% | |
1960 | 179 | 35.6% | |
1970 | 145 | −19.0% | |
1980 | 197 | 35.9% | |
1990 | 170 | −13.7% | |
2000 | 188 | 10.6% | |
2010 | 166 | −11.7% | |
2020 | 139 | −16.3% | |
U.S. Decennial Census [6] |
Ruby first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1973.
As of the census [7] of 2000, there were 188 people, 68 households, and 42 families residing in the city. The population density was 24.9 inhabitants per square mile (9.6/km2). There were 107 housing units at an average density of 14.2 per square mile (5.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 82.98% Native American, 13.83% White, and 3.19% from two or more races.
There were 68 households, out of which 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.3% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.55.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 37.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,375, and the median income for a family was $26,667. Males had a median income of $21,250 versus $24,167 for females. The per capita income for the city was $9,544. 32.3% of the population and 23.8% of families were below the poverty line. 45.3% of those under the age of 18 are living below the poverty line.
The Yukon–Koyukuk School District operates the Merreline A. Kangas School in Ruby. [8]
Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area is a census area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,343, down from 5,588 in 2010. With an area of 147,842.51 sq mi (382,910.3 km2), it is the largest of any county or county-equivalent in the United States, or slightly larger than the entire state of Montana. It is part of the unorganized borough of Alaska and therefore has no borough seat. Its largest communities are the cities of Galena, in the west, and Fort Yukon, in the northeast.
College is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,332, down from 12,964 in 2010. College is the third-most populated CDP in Alaska.
Allakaket is a second class city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 105 at the 2010 census.
Anvik is a city, home to the Deg Hit'an people, in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The name Anvik, meaning "exit" in the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language, became the common usage despite multiple names at the time, and may have come from early Russian explorers. The native name in the Deg Xinag language is Deloy Ges. The population was 85 at the 2010 census, down from 104 in 2000.
Beaver is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the time of the 2010 census the population was 84, unchanged from 2000, however the 2020 census reported a total population of 48.
Birch Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 33 at the 2010 census, up from 28 in 2000.
Chalkyitsik, meaning "to fish with a hook, at the mouth of the creek", is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is located on the left (south) bank of the Black River, 45 miles northeast of Fort Yukon. At the 2010 census the population was 69, down from 83 in 2000.
Circle is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 104, up from 100 in 2000.
Coldfoot is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 34 at the 2020 census. It is said that the name was derived from travelers getting "cold feet" about making the 240-some-mile journey north to Deadhorse.
Four Mile Road is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 43 at the 2010 census, up from 38 in 2000.
Holy Cross is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 178, down from 227 in 2000.
Hughes is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 85 at the 2020 census, up from 77 in 2010.
Huslia is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. Rarely known as Hussliakatna, it is inhabited by Koyukuk-hotana Athabascans. The population was 293 at the 2000 census and 275 as of the 2010 census.
Kaltag(KAL-tag) is a city and village in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 190, down from 230 in 2000.
Koyukuk is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 96, down from 101 in 2000.
Manley Hot Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 169, up from 89 in 2010.
Minto is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP is 150, down from 210 in 2010. The name is an anglicized version of the Lower Tanana Athabaskan name Menhti, meaning 'among the lakes'. After repeated flooding the village was relocated to its present location in 1969. The former village site is now known as Old Minto.
Nulato is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 239.
Rampart is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 24 at the 2010 census, down from 45 in 2000.
Wiseman is a census-designated place (CDP) in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The full time resident population is 12 as of 2022.