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Kotzebue
 Kotzebue
is on the Baldwin Peninsula in Kotzebue Sound, on a 3-mile-long spit,
which ranges in width from 1,100 to 3,600 feet. It is located near the
discharges of the Kobuk and Noatak Rivers, 549 air miles northwest of
Anchorage and 26 miles above the Arctic Circle. It lies at approximately
66° 54' N Latitude, 162° 35' W Longitude (Sec. 03, T017N, R018W, Kateel
River Meridian). The community is located in the Kotzebue Recording
District. The area encompasses 27 sq. miles of land and 18 sq. miles of
water.
This site has been occupied by Inupiat
Eskimos for at least 600 years. "Kikiktagruk" was the hub of ancient
arctic trading routes long before European contact, due to its coastal
location near a number of rivers. The German Lt. Otto Von Kotzebue
"discovered" Kotzebue Sound in 1818 for Russia. The community was named
after the Kotzebue Sound in 1899 when a post office was established.
Since the turn of the century, expansion of economic activities and
services in the area have enabled Kotzebue to develop relatively
rapidly. An Air Force Base and White Alice Communications System were
later constructed.
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