Thorne Bay’s typical July afternoon high is 66°F, against 66°F in Alaska’s towns and 85°F across U.S. towns. Among 42 Alaska towns, just one has a lower rent at the middle of the market than Thorne Bay. 81% of the land in Thorne Bay is conserved, above both the Alaska town median (15%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Tongass National Forest, at 16,486 acres with 7.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Thorne Bay has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

Small town

477 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns

Kasaan · 9 mi Klawock · 23 mi

FMIB 38741 Salmon Saltery on Thorn Bay, 1899

Thorne Bay’s story

44 years in pictures

The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1899.

1982Thorne Bay is settled

Explore the history →

Getting set up

Moving to Thorne Bay: who provides what

Who provides power, water and the rest in Thorne Bay, and how to reach them.

The full setup list →

PowerAlaska Power and Telephone41.8¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA

WaterCity of Thorne Bay water system1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA

InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4

Trash & dumpTuesdayTrash dayTown site

SchoolsSoutheast Island School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES

Register to voteOnlineIn Alaska you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (received 30 days before).vote.gov

Who runs elections hereAbsentee and Petition OfficeState of Alaska; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025

ZIP code9991999919 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Thorne Bay.

Outdoors

Nearly a third of Thorne Bay is conserved land

In Thorne Bay, the density of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.

81.3%conserved

81.3%

conserved · 15,341 of 18,870 acres

7.4 mi

of trails · 0.3 per sq mi

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Tongass National Forest	7.4 mi	16,486

Full pageThorne Bay’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map7.4 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walk7.4 miles of trail · Tongass National Forest Conserved land81.3% conserved · 15,341 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in Thorne Bay?”

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

Schools

The schools Thorne Bay’s kids attend

Public schools: the Southeast Island School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed.

School	Level	Students	Letter
Thorne Bay SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades PK–12	Grades PK–12	66	B⁻

Full pageThorne Bay’s schools pageOpen the page

The districtsSoutheast Island School District Every school2 schools · Thorne Bay School Questions“Are Thorne Bay’s schools good?”

NCES · EDFacts

Natural hazards

Thorne Bay faces a very low natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding

Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 99% of U.S. communities. 48% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by landslides at 17%. Thorne Bay’s natural-hazard score from FEMA comes in at 1 of 100.

1risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingLandslidesEarthquakes

Full pageThorne Bay’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery low risk Flood claims0 paid flood claims · No paid flood claims on record Past disasters1 disaster declaration · Declared for the county Get ready0 events a year, on average · Ready for inland flooding

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Expect four seasons and pleasant summers in Thorne Bay

The town’s January low stands at 28°F.

66°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter29–39°

Spring35–50°

Summer49–64°

Fall38–50°

Oct 13

typical first frost

May 1

typical last frost

66°

typical summer high

Full pageThorne Bay’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 66°, January lows 28°Rain & snow85″ of rain a year · Rain a year Heating & coolingMostly a heating bill Then and nowThen and now

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

More of Thorne Bay’s adults report frequent physical distress than in the typical Alaska or U.S. town

Thorne Bay: nearly two in five adults have obesity. Of the 42 Alaska towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Thorne Bay. Against the Alaska average, Thorne Bay comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 11.

	Thorne Bay	Alaska towns	U.S. towns
Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES)	21%	16%	14%
Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES)	17%	13%	14%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	40%	32%	35%
Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES)	71%	68%	79%