Homer (Dena'ina: Tuggeght) is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is 218 mi (351 km) southwest of Anchorage. According to the 2020 Census, the population is 5,522, up from 5,003 in 2010. Long known as the "Halibut Fishing Capital of the World", Homer is also nicknamed "the end of the road", and more recently, "the cosmic hamlet by the sea".[3]
Geography
Homer from space
Homer is located at 59°38'35" North, 151°31'33" West (59.643059, −151.525900).[4] The only road into Homer is the Sterling Highway.[5] The town has a total area of 25.5 square miles (66 km2), of which 15 square miles (39 km2) are land and 10.5 square miles (27 km2) are covered by water.[6]
Homer is on the shore of Kachemak Bay on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its distinguishing feature is the Homer Spit, a narrow 4.5 mi (7.2 km) long gravel bar that extends into the bay, on which is located the Homer Harbor. Much of the coastline, as well as the Homer Spit, sank dramatically during the Good Friday earthquake in March 1964. After the earthquake, very little vegetation was able to survive on the Homer Spit.
Climate
As with much of South-central Alaska, Homer has a moderate subarctic mediterranean climate (KöppenDsc), which causes its weather to be moderate compared to interior Alaska. Winters are snowy and long, but not particularly cold, considering the latitude, with the average January high only slightly below freezing. The annual snowfall averages 50 inches (127 cm) per season, falling primarily from November through March, with some accumulation in October and April but rarely in May. Homer receives only about 25 inches of rainfall annually due to the influence of the Chugach Mountains to the southeast, which shelter it from the Gulf of Alaska. Seven days have a minimum 0 °F (−18 °C) or below annually, and Homer falls in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6a.[7] The coldest day of the year averaged 10 °F (−12 °C) in the 1991 to 2020 normals, while the warmest night average was at 55 °F (13 °C). The coldest daytime maximum on record is −8 °F (−22 °C) on January 28, 1989, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 60 °F (16 °C) on August 9, 1971 and August 23, 1963.[8] Summers are cool due to the marine influence, with 75 °F (24 °C) maxima or minima remaining at or above 55 °F (13 °C) being extremely rare. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −24 °F (−31 °C) on January 28–29, 1989, up to 81 °F (27 °C) on July 10, 1993.[8] The coldest has been January 2012 with a mean temperature of 9.0 °F (−12.8 °C), while the warmest month was July 2019 at 58.6 °F (14.8 °C); the annual mean temperature has ranged from 32.9 °F (0.5 °C) in 1956 to 43.7 °F (6.5 °C) in 2014.[8]
Climate data for Homer, Alaska (Homer Airport), 1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1932–present
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
History
Homer City Hall, located on Pioneer AvenueLandmark: the Salty Dawg SaloonHomer has a winery and a brewery.Old Town Homer: Islands and Oceans visitor center is at the far right.
Tiller digs indicate that early Alutiiq people probably camped in the Homer area, although their villages were on the far side of Kachemak Bay.
Coal was discovered in the area in the 1890s. The Cook Inlet Coal Fields Company built a town, dock, coal mine, and railroad at Homer. Coalmining in the area continued until World War II. It is estimated that 400 million tons of coal deposits are still present in the area.
Homer was named for Homer Pennock, a goldmining company promoter, who arrived in 1896 on the Homer Spit and built living quarters for his crew of 50 men. However, goldmining was never profitable in the area.
Another earlier settlement, Miller's Landing, was named after a Charles Miller, who homesteaded in the area around 1915. According to local historian Janet Klein, he was an employee of the Alaska Railroad and had wintered company horses on the beach grasses on the Homer Spit. He built a landing site in a small bight in Kachemak Bay, where supply barges from Seldovia could land and offload their cargos.[14] Miller's landing was legally considered a census-designated place separate from Homer until it was annexed in 2002, but has always been locally considered part of Homer.
Halibut and salmon sport fishing, along with tourism and commercial fishing are the dominant industries. Homer co-hosted the 2006 Arctic Winter Games. The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve co-host a visitor center with interpretive displays known as the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center,[15] and a cultural and historical museum there is called the Pratt Museum.
Homer first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1964.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 5,003 people, 2,235 households, and 1,296 families residing in the city. The population density was 361.7 inhabitants per square mile (139.7/km2). There were 2,692 housing units at an average density of 194.6 per square mile (75.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.3% White, 4.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% Asian, 0.4% African American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 2.1% of the population.[16]
There were 2,235 households, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.0% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21, and the average family size was 2.83.[16]
The median age in the city was 44.0 years. 21.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.2% were from 25 to 44; 34.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.[16]
The median income for a household was $52,057, and the median income for a family was $68,455. Males had a median income of $41,581 versus $37,679 for females. The per capita income for the city was $32,035. About 3.8% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.2% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.[16]
The Homer Public Library has enthusiastic support from the Friends of the Homer Library, established in 1948, which raised funds and support for a new library building, opened on September 16, 2006.
Science Education
Because of the city of Homer's location on the Kenai Peninsula and its abundance of natural resources and marine habitats, there are many public education programs focused on the environment. Some of these educational endeavors include the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center (also known as the Alaska Island and Ocean Center) and the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies.[17] Both organizations encourage science education and sponsor many events aimed to teach people of all ages about the ecosystem and conservation. Some of these events include the Kachemak Crane Watch and the Kachemak Bay Science Conference, both sponsored by the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies.[18]
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival
A mated pair of sandhill cranes and their colts as seen through a pair of binoculars.
Homer hosts the Kachemak Bay Shorebird festival, which was established in 1993 by a group of Homer residents who wished to educate the public about shorebirds and the wetlands the birds inhabit.[19] Today, the festival is sponsored by Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of Alaska National Wildlife Refuges. The festival is held annually in early May when more than 13,000 shorebirds from 25 different species visit the Kachemak Bay area during spring migration.[20] Tourists and Alaskans alike attend the festival and are encouraged to watch the shorebird migration through a variety of land and boat tours in collaboration with the festival.
Some birds seen during the spring migration and the festival include horned puffins, sandhill cranes, and arctic terns.[21][22] Arctic Terns are famous for flying the longest distance of any migrating bird.[23] Many of the birds seen during the festival can be identified with the help of published guides that categorize distinguishable features such as, topography, silhouette, size, and color.[24]
The festival also includes the Shorebirds Sing: Bird Call Contest, where contestants compete to mimic the calls of various bird species.[25]
In 2020, the festival was held entirely virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and all presentations, speeches, and events were conducted online.[26] The 2021 festival was held both in person and virtually, with events taking place online and face-to-face.[27]
Homer is the southernmost town on the contiguous Alaska highway system. It is also part of the Alaska Marine Highway (the Alaskan ferry system). The Homer Airport lies near the coast as well, with local air taxis and regular scheduled commercial flights to Anchorage. Homer erected its first traffic light in 2005.[29]
^"USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map". Agricultural Research Center, PRISM Climate Group Oregon State University. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2019. Input 99603 in the ZIP Code box.
^
Michael Armstrong (June 4, 2015). "Coast Guard cutter forced into retirement". Homer News. Archived from the original on June 5, 2015. Homer won't lose the 18 crewmembers and their families, however. An Island Class patrol boat, the 110-foot Roanoke Island will be replaced in Homer by a sister ship, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Sapelo, now stationed in Sector San Juan, Puerto Rico.
^David Mosely (October 25, 2012). "Cutter crew maintains operational readiness". Coast Guard Alaska. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2015. The 110-foot Island-class patrol boat, homeported in Homer, Alaska, just completed a major, 135-day long, maintenance overhaul at the Coast Guard dry dock in Ketchikan. This overhaul updated the ships systems to ensure it can continue to meet its mission requirements until its scheduled replacement by one of the Coast Guard's new fast response cutters.
