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Bethel, Alaska
Bethel is a city of 6,312 people in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, founded in August 1957.
Why visit Bethel
Townapedia lists 5 parks and trails, 6 places to eat, 7 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Suurvik Cinema At Kipusvik, Pinky’s Park and Tundra Ridge Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 64°F; January lows average 1°F, and about 64 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Bethel
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Bethel
Bethel (Central Yupik: Mamterilleq) is a city in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the Kuskokwim River approximately 50 miles (80 km) from where the river flows into Kuskokwim Bay. It is the largest community in western Alaska and in the Unorganized Borough, as well as the eighth-largest in the state. Bethel has a population of 6,325 as of the 2020 census, up from 6,080 in 2010.
From the Wikipedia article Bethel, Alaska (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes6
Alba's Coffee Shop & Convenience
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.9 mi
401 Ridgecrest Drive, Bethel
UnCommon Pizza
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.9 mi
401 Chief Eddie Hoffman Highway, Bethel
Where to stay7
Kuskokwim Inn
Motel and hotel · 0.8 mi
802 Ptarmigan Street, Bethel
YKHC Qavartarvik Customer Lodging
Motel and hotel · 0.5 mi
1320 Calista Drive, Bethel
History
Southwestern Alaska has been the homeland of Yup'ik peoples and their ancestors for thousands of years. The residents of what became Bethel were called the Mamterillermiut, meaning "Smokehouse People", after their nearby fish smokehouse. In the late 19th century, the Alaska Commercial Company established a trading post in the town, called Mumtrekhlogamute, which had a population of 41 people by the 1880 census.
In 1885, the Moravian Church established a mission in the area under the leadership of William and Caroline Weinland and John and Edith Kilbuck. He made Yup'ik the language of the Moravian Church in the community and region, and helped translate the Christian Bible into the language. The missionaries moved Bethel from Mamterillermiut to its present location on the west side of the Kuskokwim River. A United States post office was opened in 1905.
In 1971, Bethel established a community radio station KYUK, the first Native-owned and -operated radio station in the U.S. Similar stations were soon started in Kotzebue, and by 1990, there were 10 stations in communities of fewer than 3,500 people.
On February 19, 1997, a school shooting attracted widespread media attention to Bethel when 16-year-old Evan Ramsey, a student at Bethel Regional High School, shot and killed his principal and one student and wounded two others, for which he later received a 210-year prison sentence.
From the History section of Bethel, Alaska on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship9
First Mission House
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
St. Jacob's Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 6.0 mi
Shopping3
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Healthcare3
Map of Bethel
43 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13°F | 1°F | 0.8 in | 9.4 in |
| Feb | 20°F | 6°F | 0.9 in | 8.1 in |
| Mar | 22°F | 7°F | 0.7 in | 8.8 in |
| Apr | 37°F | 21°F | 0.8 in | 6.0 in |
| May | 52°F | 34°F | 1.2 in | 1.9 in |
| Jun | 62°F | 44°F | 1.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 64°F | 49°F | 2.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 60°F | 47°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 53°F | 39°F | 2.9 in | 0.5 in |
| Oct | 38°F | 26°F | 1.8 in | 3.9 in |
| Nov | 24°F | 13°F | 1.8 in | 13.2 in |
| Dec | 16°F | 4°F | 1.1 in | 12.2 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Bethel Ap Gsn 70219 (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Bethel Census Area has had 17 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for floods.
- 2025-10-22: Severe Storms, Flooding, And Remnants Of Typhoon Halong (Flood)
- 2023-08-23: Flooding (Flood)
- 2022-09-23: Severe Storm, Flooding, And Landslides (Severe Storm)
- 2022-08-26: Flooding (Flood)
- 2020-04-09: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Bethel Seaplane Base (JBT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Napaskiak 7 mi south, about 10 min by car
- Napakiak 10 mi southwest, about 15 min by car
- Kwethluk 12 mi east, about 20 min by car
- Akiachak 16 mi northeast, about 26 min by car
- Akiak 21 mi northeast, about 34 min by car
- Nunapitchuk 23 mi west, about 37 min by car
- Kasigluk 25 mi west, about 41 min by car
- Tuntutuliak 40 mi southwest, about 1 h by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Bethel, Alaska aerial view (8269873695), Holy Trinity Orthodox Church from State College, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0
- StJacobsChurch, Jet Lowe, HABS/HAER photographer, Public domain
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