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Villages and their local economies in Alaska?

I was just curious about how these small Alaskan villages make money to have all their food and supplies shipped or air transported to them. Is it oil? Fishing? What? I don't understand how such small towns or villages like Nome or Unalakleet or even smaller ones can have such large enough local economies to be able to live where they do. What do they have that outsiders are buying?

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  • paul s
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Good question, actually some of the small villages in AK are very poor. The AK state government gives each resident a kickback for the oil money produced on the north slope. Other villages like Naknek, Dillingham or the like have large salmon runs that drive the local economies. Some villages and towns are starting to be sport fishing or tourist stops and that helps. Frequently you'll find that the exports of some of these places is remarkably old fashioned, Wrangell for instance does a lot of business in Furs and native ivory carving. For the most part AK is still: fish, timber, fur, gold & oil from what I've seen with the most of it coming from fish and oil.

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