Many Russians in western Alaska? (Kenai, Delta Junction: home, transfer, schools)

[JerricaAnna]

Hi,

I have never been to Alaska, so unfortunately i know NOTHING of it! I have always been super curious how many Russians there are or if Russian culture has more influence there than in other US states? Are there many Mongolian looking people?

Thanks so much for input, Id love to know.

[FinnishAmerican]

In 2007: White Americans made up 68.5% of Alaska's population. African Americans made up 3.8% of Alaska's population. American Indians and Alaska natives made up 13.4% of Alaska's population; they are the largest minority group.


Asian Americansmade up 4.6% of Alaska's population. Pacific Islanders made up 0.5% of the state's population. Individuals from some other race made up 1.9% of Alaska's population while individuals from two or more races made up 7.2% of the state's population. Hispanics and Latinos made up 5.5% of Alaska's population

According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, 84.7% of people over the age of five speak only English at home. About 3.5% speak the Spanish language at home. About 2.2% speak an Indo-European language other than Spanish at home and about 4.3% speak an Asian language at home. And about 5.3% speak other languages at home.

Conclusion: Not too many russians, sorry mate.

But atleast there are plenty of mongolian looking folks =) If this helped rep me up.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by JerricaAnna

Hi,

I have never been to Alaska, so unfortunately i know NOTHING of it! I have always been super curious how many Russians there are or if Russian culture has more influence there than in other US states? Are there many Mongolian looking people?

Thanks so much for input, Id love to know.

There are virtually no Russians left who are descendants from the period of Russian America (1742-1867). They were made totally unwelcome by the United States after the transition to American rule, and of the several hundred that were in Alaska at the time of the transfer only a dozen or so stayed.

On the other hand there were many hundreds of mixed race Native-Russians who did not leave, and while their legacy has been diluted to the point of being virtually non-existant, there are some very visible remains. The Russian names of many Aleutiiq and Unagan people is the most obvious, but the very existence of the Russian Orthodox church in several parts of Alaska is equally rooted in Russian America.

In the past several decades there have been groups of Russians (known as the Old Believers) that have migrated into Alaska too.

Russian culture affects Alaska almost only by the existence of the new immigrants and from the Russian Orthodox church.

As another response has pointed out, there are many many (virtually all Alaska Native people, for example) Alaskans that have Mongolian ancestry and looks. In addition there are also a pretty fair number of Korean people who have settled in Alaska, and they are also descended from Mongols. It appears that perhaps Athabaskan people are very distantly related to Mongols, and Tlingit, Haida and Eskimo people are relatively closely related to Mongols.

Oddly, note that the Mongols extended their "influence" all the way into Europe and it is likely that some Hungarian or perhaps Germanic people are just as closely related to Mongols as are Eskimos...

[JerricaAnna]

very cool! very helpful! thanks

[bortstc37]

damn you, floyd, and your accurate information!

[Wonderful Jellal]

Originally Posted by FinnishAmerican

In 2007: White Americans made up 68.5% of Alaska's population. African Americans made up 3.8% of Alaska's population. American Indians and Alaska natives made up 13.4% of Alaska's population; they are the largest minority group.


Asian Americansmade up 4.6% of Alaska's population. Pacific Islanders made up 0.5% of the state's population. Individuals from some other race made up 1.9% of Alaska's population while individuals from two or more races made up 7.2% of the state's population. Hispanics and Latinos made up 5.5% of Alaska's population

According to the 2005-2007 American Community Survey, 84.7% of people over the age of five speak only English at home. About 3.5% speak the Spanish language at home. About 2.2% speak an Indo-European language other than Spanish at home and about 4.3% speak an Asian language at home. And about 5.3% speak other languages at home.

Conclusion: Not too many russians, sorry mate.

But atleast there are plenty of mongolian looking folks =) If this helped rep me up.

I know the Russian language is pretty famous in Alaskan schools

[RayinAK]

Not about Western Alaska: There is a Russian population on the Kenai Peninsula, and another at Delta Junction, but I don't know the numbers. The one in Delta Junction, as far as I can tell, was the result of immigration to that area from Russia, and believe that Ted Stevens was involved in the process. The one on the Kenai Peninsula I know it exists (I know a family from there), I have no idea of.

[bortstc37]

there are several villages of old believers on the kenai peninsula, and one on afognak island as well. maybe there are more that i'm not aware of?

[Frostnip]

I think a lot of the "Russians" in the Delta area are actually from other former Soviet countries, but yeah, there's a ton of Slavic people around.

[gobrien]

I think the original "Russian" family in Delta was from the Ukraine.