You are hereCEDS Community Profiles / Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area / Craig*

Craig*

“The future of Craig includes the growth of our population, a stable economy, and an improved quality of life. Balanced development, resource use and quality of life improvements will facilitate this.”

With the help of local Haidas, a fish saltery was built on nearby Fish Egg Island in 1907 by Craig Miller, followed by a packing company and cold storage plant at the present site of Craig. A sawmill and salmon cannery built in 1912 peaked during World War I. The fishing industry collapsed in the 1950s due to depleted salmon runs. In 1972, Ed Head built a large sawmill near Klawock six miles from Craig, providing year-round jobs and helping to stabilize the economy. Head Mill was sold in the early 1990s to Viking Lumber.

As the largest town on Prince of Wales Island, Craig is a centerpiece for transportation, commerce, government, and tourism for the island. The economy in Craig is based on the fishing industry, logging support, and sawmills operations. A fish buying station and a cold storage plant are located in Craig.

The Prince of Wales Island Community Holding Corporation (POWICHC) is a non-profit corporation formed to allow Craig and other Prince of Wales communities to participate in the Community Quota Entity program where eligible communities can purchase and hold Halibut and Sablefish Quota for lease to local residents’ fisherman. The Community Quota Entity Program was created in 2002 and implemented in 2004 with the intent of reversing the out-migration of quotas from rural Alaska communities.

Location & Climate

Craig is located on a small island off the west coast of Prince of Wales Island and is connected by a short causeway. It is 31 road miles west of Hollis. It lies 56 air miles northwest of Ketchikan, 750 air miles north of Seattle, and 220 miles south of Juneau. It lies at approximately 55.476390 North Latitude and -133.148330 West Longitude. (Sec. 06, T074S, R081E, Copper River Meridian.) Craig is located in the Ketchikan Recording District. The area encompasses 6.7 sq. miles of land and 2.7 sq. miles of water. Prince of Wales Island is dominated by a cool, moist, maritime climate. Summer temperatures range from 49 to 63 °F. Winter temperatures range from 32 to 42 °F. Average annual precipitation is 120 inches, and average annual snowfall is 40 inches. Gale winds are common in the fall and winter months. *State of AK, DOT AMHS.

2010 Population

1,201 (2010 US Census)

Government

1^st Class City incorporated in 1922. Currently the city employs 12 staff members. Regular elections are held every 1^st Tuesday in October. The City Council meets every 1^st and 3^rd Thursday. The current city sales tax is 5%. www.craigak.com

Electric Utility

Alaska Power Company (Private). Power source: hydro. Kilowatt capacity: 5,000.

In November of 2010 the small commercial rate for 1,500kWh/month was $0.132with a monthly fee of $12.93. (JEDC Asset Mapping Report) The Craig Wood Waste Boiler heats city pool, pool building, and community schools.

Water & Sewer Utilities

Water is supplied by a dam on North Fork Lake, is treated then stored in a tank and piped to homes. Sewage is collected by a piped gravity system, and receives primary treatment before discharge into Bucareli Bay. All households are fully plumbed.

Solid Waste

Refuse is collected and taken to the Klawock transshipment facility for shipment to the lower 48.

Transportation Facilities

A City-owned seaplane base and U.S. Coast Guard helipad. A 5,000 foot paved runway is located 7 miles away in Klawock and the Inter Island Ferry Authority (IFA) terminal is located in Hollis 30 miles away. Two small boat harbors; at North Cove and South Cove, a transient float and dock in the downtown area and boat launch ramps at North Cove and False Island. The City owns and operates a vessel haul out trailer at False Island.

Can accommodate vessels up to 125’ at the float. There is a full service fuel dock. The City of Craig owns a self-propelled boat haul out trailer. The trailer is capable of moving boats up to 60 tons and 50-60 feet long from the water to an upland location where they can be blocked up to make repairs, do maintenance and arrange long term storage of their boats. At the JT Brown Industrial Park in Craig the city has built a wash down area and an upland work area with water and electrical power available.

Transportation Services

Accessible by scheduled air service, by float/sea plane into Craig, wheeled plane service into Klawock, and Inter Island Ferry Authority (IFA) service via Hollis. In the last few years two air carriers have established regular air passenger and freight service to the Klawock Airport; one carrier services Klawock-Ketchikan and the other services Klawock-Sitka.

Schools

Within the Craig City School District there are 5 schools: Craig Elementary School Preschool thru 5^th grade, Craig Middle School 6^th grade thru 8^th grade, Craig High School 9^th grade thru 12^th grade, as well as a PACE Correspondence School that serves Kindergarten thru 12^th grade and an Craig Alternative High School. www.craigschools.com Enrollment for the 2010-11 school year was 684. Student-teacher ratio: 9.0:1.

Health Care

Prince of Wales Health Center (PeaceHealth Clinic), Alicia Roberts Medical Clinic (SEARHC) located in Klawock, Craig EMS & Prince of Wales Island Area EMS. In 2010 The City transitioned ownership and operations of the Prince of Wales Health Center to PeachHealth, a private non-profit. Communities for Health Options (COHO) stopped operating in 2010. COHO provided mental health and substance abuse services, most of which have been picked up by other providers. The Prince of Wales Health Center is qualified as an Emergency Care Center.