**Geography**:
– Circle is located at 65.83444°N 144.07639°W.
– The CDP covers a total area of 108.2 square miles, with 107.7 square miles being land and 0.5 square miles water.
– Situated at the end of the Steese Highway along the Yukon River.
– Named by miners who believed it was on the Arctic Circle, although it is about 50 miles south.
**Climate**:
– Circle has a subarctic climate (Dfc on climate maps).
– Hottest recorded temperature: 94°F, coldest: −60°F.
– Average daily maximum temperature ranges from −8.6°F to 83.9°F.
– Mean daily minimum temperature varies from −22.6°F to 45.4°F.
– Average snowfall ranges from 0.0 inches to 49.9 inches annually.
**Demographics**:
– Population of 100 at the 2000 census, with a density of 0.9 inhabitants per square mile.
– Racial makeup: 14.00% White, 76.00% Native American, 1.00% other races.
– 29.4% of households had children under 18, with an average household size of 2.94.
– Median household income was $11,667, median family income was $11,250.
– 50.0% of families and 42.0% of the population lived below the poverty line.
**History**:
– Established in 1893 after gold discovery in Birch Creek.
– Was a major mining town on the Yukon River in 1896 with a population of 700.
– Declined after gold discoveries in the Klondike and Nome.
– Some miners remained, continuing mining activities.
– Had amenities like a store, dance halls, school, and a hospital in the late 19th century.
**Economy**:
– Hosts a checkpoint for the Yukon Quest sled dog race annually.
– The town has one general store, Hutchinson Commercial, selling fuel and alcohol.
– Fuel prices in Circle are 35-40% higher than in Fairbanks.
– Events in John McPhee’s book ‘Coming into the Country’ are set in Circle.
– Truman Capote’s book ‘In Cold Blood’ mentions Circle City in a narrative.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2013) |
Circle (also called Circle City; Gwichʼin: Danzhit Khànląįį)[pronunciation?] 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.
Circle
Danzhit Khànląįį | |
|---|---|
.jpg) View of circle in 1941 | |
 Location of Circle, Alaska | |
| Coordinates: 65°49′31″N 144°03′43″W / 65.82528°N 144.06194°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Yukon-Koyukuk |
| Government | |
| • State senator | Click Bishop (R) |
| • State rep. | Mike Cronk (R) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 106.58 sq mi (276.04 km2) |
| • Land | 106.04 sq mi (274.64 km2) |
| • Water | 0.54 sq mi (1.40 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 91 |
| • Density | 0.86/sq mi (0.33/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP code | 99733 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-14880 |
Circle is 160 mi (260 km) northeast of Fairbanks at the end of the Steese Highway along the Yukon River. Circle was named by miners in the late 19th century who believed that the town was on the Arctic Circle, but the Arctic Circle is about 50 mi (80 km) north of Circle. Circle used to be an active freight hub for many villages along the Yukon.
Every February, Circle City hosts a checkpoint for the long-distance Yukon Quest sled dog race.
There is only one general store, Hutchinson Commercial, which also sells alcohol and houses the only fuel pump in town. The price of fuel is generally 35-40% higher than prices in Fairbanks.
Many of the events in John McPhee's 1976 non-fiction book Coming into the Country occur in Circle.
In Truman Capote's non-fiction book In Cold Blood, Perry Edward Smith mentions spending time with his father in Circle City.