Courtesy of KUCB

WHERE MAJESTY, HISTORY AND INDUSTRY MEET...UNFORGETABLE....UNALASKA
The City of Unalaska is 800 air miles southwest of Anchorage and 1,140 miles from Seattle. Located on the islands of Unalaska and Amaknak, the City of Unalaska is in the heart of the Bering Sea and is one of the United State's most productive commercial fishing ports with pristine vistas and rolling green hills, accentuated by active volcanoes.

The island of Unalaska is approximately 80 square miles in size with an elevation as high as 6,680 feet at the top of Makushin Volcano. The Port of Dutch Harbor, which is part of the City of Unalaska, is located on Amaknak Island and is connected to Unalaska by a bridge. The population of the City of Unalaska is about 4,300, representing a variety of ethnicities and cultures, which include Unangan, Eskimo, Filipino, Pacific Island, African-American, Russian, Hispanic and European. The population triples between August and May due to the arrival of commercial fisherman.

Temperature
The climate tends to be moderate. The winter temperature ranges between 21 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the summer temperature ranges between 45 and 66 degrees. Seventy-two inches of snowfall is typical for our winters. Because of the relatively warm winter temperatures, the snow typically does not stay on the ground for long. Possibly the most difficult element of the weather is wind, wind speeds have been clocked at category 1 hurricane speeds. February is the coldest month with an average temperature of 31 degrees and August is the warmest month with an average temperate of 56 degrees. Precipitation remains fairly consistent at 48-50 inches per year.

Fishing
The economic base of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor is the commercial fishing industry. About half the people in the community are directly involved and over 90% of the jobs depend on commercial fishing in some way. A vital segment of Unalaska's business sector is service, repair, and maintenance to the more than 600 vessels including trawlers, long-liners, crab boats, cargo ships, floating factory processors, even the occasional cruise ship, plus service to on- and off-shore based processors. Three shore-based processors that handle cod, Pollock, halibut, sablefish, salmon, king crab, and tanner crab are the leading employers. The working populations increase by thousands during the major fishing season impacting the economy in general.