Kiana is a city in the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska.  The word “Kiana” literally translates to “where three rivers meet” and was settled hundreds of years ago by Inupiat Eskimos who settled the area along the Kobuk River and was an area where herds of animals would be hunted for their meat and furs.  White people didn’t show up into the area until 1898 in which the area started to change.  Inupiaq women started to flock towards them and ended up marrying them and building houses in the area.  These white men had boats and arrived in such and this led to more of a permanent settlement being created starting in 1901-1902.  Population increases led to the US Federal Government calling Kiana a city in 1915.  USPS ended up coming into the area in 1964.  It would eventually become a key supply city for coal and gold miners who set up shop along the Squirrel River.

The city is located 30 miles North of the Arctic Circle which means the temperatures are crazy low for most of the year.  The highs rarely ever get above 70 degrees Fahrenheit but have gotten as high as 91 degrees Fahrenheit in the past.  The lows will be in the negatives for 6-7 months out of the year though with just 4-5 months on average seeing the lows above freezing temperatures.  The area gets about 60 inches of snow every single year as well as 16 inches of rain.  The rivers in the area are only open to boats from May to October with them being frozen over the rest of the year.

Most people in the area own ATV’s, Cars, Trucks, and Snow Machines to get around most of the year.  They are able to travel between the local villages with these tools.  During the Winter months the Kobuk River freezes over and an ice road is plowed and created so that people in the area are able to travel to Noorvik an Kotzebue.  Bush planes are also widely used in this area and Kiana has a local airport in the Bob Baker Memorial Airport.  This airport is located one mile from the city of Kiana with two companies servicing the area via Kotzebue and other places in Alaska.  There is a barge system called Crowley Marine Services which ships goods like gas, fuel, and other products during the Summer months.  This means that transportation costs are pretty high with gas prices costing upwards of $7.40/gallon all the way north of $12/gallon at some of the local stores in Kiana.

Population: 447
Elevation: 92ft (28m)

Things to Do

  • Kiana Friends Church
  • Lee Sea Air
  • Bob Baker Memorial Airport
  • Alaska Army National Guard
  • Kiana Trading Post
  • Kobuk Valley Firearms