The Chugach region includes the communities of Eyak (Cordova), Seward, Valdez, Port Graham, Chenega, Nanwalek (English Bay) and Tatitlek. Our region includes more than 5,000 miles of coastline along the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula, through the Kenai Fjords, Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska. Our lands are the foundation of our corporation and our culture.

Chenega

  • Population: 76
  • Alutiiq Name: Caniqaq
  • Location: Located in Prince William Sound on Evans Island
  • Key Economic Industries: Subsistence and commercial fishing.
  • Village Corporation: Chenega Corporation
  • Tribe: Native Village of Chenega
  • Fun Fact: The village of Chenega was relocated to its current location after the original village on Chenega Island was largely destroyed in the 9.2-magnitude earthquake of 1964. Chenega is home to the Russian Orthodox Church: Nativity of the Theotokos, which is a pillar of the community.

Cordova (Eyak)

  • Population: 2,187
  • Alutiiq Name: 听滨驳测补鈥檃辩
  • Location: Near the mouth of the Copper River, at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound
  • Key Economic Industries: Commercial fishing
  • Village Corporation: Eyak Corporation
  • Tribe:
  • Fun Fact: Alaska鈥檚 first oil field with a commercially viable quantity was discovered in nearby Katalla in 1902. Cordova is also home to the Ilanka Cultural Center which exhibits artifacts and shares the history of the Prince William Sound and Copper River Delta. Historically, Cordova was a melting pot and place of exchange between the Athabaskan, Tlingit and Chugach natives.

Nanwalek

  • Population: 254
  • Alutiiq Name: Nanwalek
  • Location: Located near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula
  • Key Economic Industries: 听Subsistence and commercial fishing
  • Village Corporation: English Bay Corporation
  • Tribe: Nanwalek IRA Council
  • Fun Fact: Every year in January, Nanwalek residents carry on the tradition of maskalataq where participants wear masks and dance to help celebrate a new year. Nanwalek is home to the traditional dance group 鈥淣anwalek Seal Dancers鈥� as well as the 鈥淓nglish Bay Band.鈥�

Nuchek

One of the oldest villages in the Prince William sound. Originally, Nuchek was the site of a Russian Fortress in the 1790鈥檚. 听Since 1995, Nuchek Island has been home to Nuuciq Spirit Camp, an annual cultural camp operated by Chugach Heritage Foundation. The camp connects youth and Elders within our shareholder community to rediscover the origins, history and culture of our ancestors.

Port Graham

  • Population: 177
  • Alutiiq Name: Paluwik
  • Location: Located near the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula
  • Key Economic Industries: 听Subsistence and commercial fishing,
  • Village Corporation: Port Graham Corporation
  • Tribe: Port Graham Village Council
  • Fun Fact: Coal Cove, approximately three miles NE from Port Graham, was the location for the first discovery of coal in Alaska in 1786. Commercial mining operations by the Russian-America Company began in Coal Cove around 1855.

Seward

  • Population: 2,831
  • Alutiiq Name: Qutalleq
  • Location: Located on Resurrection Bay, a fjord of the Gulf of Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula
  • Key Economic Industries: Commercial fishing, seasonal tourism
  • Village Corporation: N/A
  • Tribe: Qutekcak Native Tribe
  • Fun Fact: Every year the intense Mt. Marathon race is hosted in Seward. This 3.5-mile foot race ascends to 3,000 feet in elevation. Since its inception in 1915, the race has never been cancelled due to extreme weather.

Tatitlek

  • Population: 88
  • Alutiiq Name: Taatiilaaq
  • Location: Located in the Prince William Sound, known as the nearest village to the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill that decimated the area fishing resources.
  • Key Economic Industries: 听Subsistence
  • Village Corporation: The Tatitlek Corporation
  • Tribe: Tatitlek IRA Council
  • Fun Fact: Every May Tatitlek hosts Cultural Heritage Week (Peksulineq). During Cultural Heritage Week, students, elders and volunteers from throughout the Chugach region are invited to learn and share traditional cultural knowledge. The mission of Peksulineq is to help preserve Tatitlek鈥檚 culture as well as bring the community together for a time of sharing, discovery, and celebration.

Valdez

  • Population: 3,862
  • Alutiiq Name: Suacit
  • Location: At the head of a fjord on the eastern side of Prince William Sound
  • Key Economic Industries: Oil and gas, commercial fishing
  • Village Corporation: N/A
  • Tribe: Valdez Native Tribe
  • Fun Fact: Valdez is the location of the terminus and marine terminal for the Trans Alaska Pipeline. The pipeline carries crude oil over 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope to Valdez.

Whittier

  • Population: 208
  • Alutiiq Name: Oyotu/Tuxtaq
  • Location: At the head of the Passage Canal, about 58 miles southeast of Anchorage
  • Key Economic Industries: 听Port city, railroad port, cargo, tourism
  • Village Corporation: N/A
  • Tribe: N/A
  • Fun Fact: Whittier is home to the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, which is a 2.5-mile long tunnel that travels through a mountain. This one lane tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in North America that can accommodate both standard vehicles as well as rail traffic.