Platinum, Alaska

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Platinum
Arviiq
Destroyed airplane at Platinum, 1948
Destroyed airplane at Platinum, 1948
Platinum is located in Alaska
Platinum
Platinum
Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 59°0′47″N 161°48′59″W / 59.01306°N 161.81639°W / 59.01306; -161.81639
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
Census AreaBethel
IncorporatedFebruary 13, 1975[1]
Area
 • Total47.31 sq mi (122.53 km2)
 • Land47.27 sq mi (122.41 km2)
 • Water0.05 sq mi (0.12 km2)
Elevation
13 ft (4 m)
Population
 • Total55
 • Density1.16/sq mi (0.45/km2)
Time zoneUTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP codes
99651
Area code907
FIPS code02-61080

Platinum (Central Yupik: Arviiq) is a city in Alaska.

Geography[change | change source]

Platinum is located at 59°00′47″N 161°48′59″W / 59.01306°N 161.81639°W / 59.01306; -161.81639.[4] It is located on Goodnews Bay adjacent to the mouth of the Small River and eleven miles southwest of Goodnews and the Kilbuck Mountains.[4]

History[change | change source]

Platinum was named in the 1930s due to the platinum ore found in the area. The site was a mining boomtown by 1937 boasting a roadhouse, two trading posts and a population of fifty. A post office had been established in 1935. An earlier Inuit village called Arviq had been abandoned. The town was incorporated as a city in 1975.[4]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 120.
  2. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  3. "Platinum city, Alaska". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 GNIS Feature Detail Report for: Platinum