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History · Chiniak

The history of Chiniak

Below: maps from 1949 on and the census since 1880.

0on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Chiniak’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Chiniak are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Chiniak’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chiniak’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Chiniak, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Chiniak yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Chiniak (Cing’iyak in Alutiiq) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Chiniak had a population of 61.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 47 to 61 (+30%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Chiniak, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Chiniak2018ChiniakOnwaytoaleutianchain122014Onwaytoaleutianchain12Chiniak Highway Cow2014Chiniak Highway CowChiniakPostOffice2005ChiniakPostOfficeAKMap-doton-Chiniak2004AKMap-doton-Chiniak
On the map

Chiniak on the map, 1949 to 1987

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chiniak. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Chiniak on the 1949 USGS mapChiniak on the 1951 USGS mapChiniak on the 1987 USGS map1949Kodiak C-1 sheet · 1:63,360

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chiniak.

People over time

Chiniak, census by census

018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 69

Between 24 and 69 people in every census since 1880.

5 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Chiniak’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Chiniak

Nobody well known was born in Chiniak itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Darby StanchfieldAmerican actress · b. 1971
Jason EvermanAmerican musician · b. 1967
S
Scott R. FisherVisual Effects Artist · b. 1967
R. Stanley WilliamsPhysicist and engineer from United States of Am… · b. 1951
James TerryAmerican martial artist · b. 1981
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Fort J H Smithmilitary

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Chiniak’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (5), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.