Beluga is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Kenai Peninsula Borough Kenai Peninsula Borough is a borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,799, up from 55,400 in 2010. The borough seat is Soldotna, the largest city is Kenai, and the most populated community is the censu ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 20 at the 2010 census, down from 32 in 2000.

Geography

Beluga is located in the northern part of Kenai Peninsula Borough at (61.133962, -151.164741), on the northwest side of

Cook Inlet Cook Inlet (; Sugpiaq language, Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding ...

. The community is on the Alaskan mainland rather than the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...

proper. It is bordered to the north by

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its borough seat is Palmer, and the largest community is the census-designated place of Knik-Fairview. As of the 2020 census ...

and to the south by the

Tyonek Tyonek or Present / New Tyonek ( Dena'ina: ''Qaggeyshlat'' - ″little place between toes") is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census the population was 152, down from 171 in ...

CDP. Access is by air or by water, as the road network is local only. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.72%, are water. The southern border of the CDP is the Chuitna River, and the Beluga River flows through the northern part of the CDP.

Demographics

Beluga first appeared on the 2000 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP). As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 32 people, 13 households, and 7 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 54 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 75.00%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and 25.00%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

. There were 13 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, and 38.5% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.00. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 34.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 128.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 140.0 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $0, and the median income for a family was $0. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $0. There were no families and none of the population living below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64. Two prominent features are a small general store and the Chugach Electric power plant, which powers about half of

Anchorage Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...

. The plant is situated on a gas reserve, which allows for on-site extraction of the

gas Gas is a state of matter that has neither a fixed volume nor a fixed shape and is a compressible fluid. A ''pure gas'' is made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas like neon) or molecules of either a single type of atom ( elements such as ...

to be used to fuel the plant.

Fishing

There are three main fishing rivers: the Beluga in the north (

king salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinnat salmon, spr ...

, silver salmon, and

sockeye salmon The sockeye salmon (''Oncorhynchus nerka''), also called red salmon, kokanee salmon, blueback salmon, or simply sockeye, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it. This species is a ...

), the Chuitna in the south (king salmon and silver salmon), and Three Mile Creek in the middle (silver salmon). Two other rivers, the Theodore and the Lewis (both with king salmon and silver salmon), are a short distance northeast of the CDP. There are countless freshwater lakes in the Beluga area. A record pike caught in one was and was caught using ice fishing gear. Many set net fishers also fish from shore commercially to make a living. A good catch is about 100 salmon.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean Road-inaccessible communities of Alaska