“Our community is broken into two islands. When you refer to Dutch Harbor, it’s Dutch Harbor Bay, the water entrance into this community. The industrial side would be on the Dutch Harbor side with our stores, bars, industrial cranes, and larger docks,” explains Scott Brown, Director of Public Works. “Cross the bridge and you get into the residential side, where you’d first see our public safety building, then our clinic, city hall, post office, and eventually reach a three-way stop with our Parks, Culture and Recreation building and school system.” This geographic distinction shapes both community life and economic activity. With approximately 4,100 permanent residents, the population can triple during commercial fishing seasons, reaching 10,00015,000 people.The community’s infrastructure must accommodate these dramatic swings. Unalaska’s historic downtown area is situated beside a long, rocky beach with homes, the National Blue Ribbon school, churches, parks and small businesses. The residential areas include both the historic downtown pre-dating World War II and more modern development in what the locals call “the valley.” The island’s cultural heritage remains visible through landmarks like the Russian Orthodox Church, built in the early 1800s.“It’s the oldest Russian Orthodox Church in America,” notes Brown. This historic touchpoint, along with museums documenting World War II history, stands in contrast to the industrial facilities supporting North America’s most productive fishing grounds. CLIMATE, WILDLIFE, AND LANDSCAPE The rugged beauty of Unalaska Island creates opportunities and challenges for residents and industry.Approximately the size of Rhode Island, this volcanic formation offers striking vistas across open tundra and mountainous terrain largely untouched by development. “It’s a pretty impressive environment.The town takes up a fairly small area, but Unalaska Island is quite extensive, so most of it is undeveloped,” says Cameron Dean, Planning Director .“It’s very mountainous.We’re a volcanic island with a large volcano as well as mountains. Compared to Vancouver or southeast 81 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 05 UNALASKA, AK
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