Community Type: 2nd Class City
Current Population: 240
Borough Name: Unorganized
Regional Native Corporation: Doyon, Limited
REAA/School District: Yukon Koyukuk School District
Huslia is located on the north bank of the Koyukuk River, about 75 miles northwest of Galena and 290 air miles west of Fairbanks.
Koyukon Athabaskans of this area actively traded with the Kobuk River Eskimos. By 1843, Russian explorers had made contact with Athabascans approximately 50 miles downriver from the current site. Missionary activity increased after 1870. Cutoff Trading Post was established in the 1920s about 4 miles away.
Huslia is an Athabaskan village, and most residents are related by birth or marriage. Subsistence activities are prevalent.
Subsistence is an important part of the local economy. Most cash opportunities are in part-time positions or self-employment. The City and school provide most full-time employment. During summer months, BLM emergency fire fighting and construction jobs outside of the village supplement income. One resident holds a commercial fishing permit.
Huslia has a network of winter trails. River transportation is used extensively in the summer. Cargo arrives by barge twice each year, but no dock exists. Huslia is accessible by air year-round, and the airstrip is owned by the State.
The area has a cold, continental climate with extreme temperature differences. Temperatures range from below zero to the low 70s. Average annual precipitation is 13 inches, with 70 inches of snowfall.
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