Eek (; ) is a city in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census there were 404 residents, the majority being Alaska Natives.
Toponymy
Eek is derived from a Yupik word meaning "two eyes". It has been noted on lists of unusual place names.
Geography
Eek is located at (60.218662, -162.025928). It lies along the Eek River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (12.38%) is water.
Houses in Eek are not numbered, which makes gaining identification difficult for residents. The Principal is Troy Poage and the school board President is Clarence Daniel. About $21,000 is spent per pupil.
Two teachers at the Eek School, Paul and Eloise Forrer, compiled a large collection of photos of Eek and surrounding villages, as well as a film entitled The Children of Eek and their art. Their work, dating mostly from the 1970s to 1990s, is held at the Anchorage Museum.
Demographics
Eek Village was originally located on the Apokak River and moved to its present location in the late 1920s, after flooding and erosion caused the people to relocate. In 1900 Census, the village was known as "Apokagamiut" and had 118 residents. by 1910, the number of residents declined to 68. Eek appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. In the 1930 Census, the village was enumerated in the Alaska Territory Fourth Judicial District, Bethel District, 0015. with 100 residents in 18 households.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 107 households in Eek, of which 52.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.0% were married-couple households, 27.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 76 households, out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.68 and the average family size was 4.54.
Infrastructure
Prior to 2019, the city did not have running water. Water was distributed by truck to households, at a cost of 25 cents per five gallons. In light of health concerns over the lack of running water, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium helped the city by providing a grant for piped running water, which was completed in 2019.
The city has only one non-satellite internet provider, General Communication Inc.