Galena, AK

Galena is a tight-knit community of about 470 people along the north bank of the Yukon River, roughly 270 miles west of Fairbanks. Off the road system, the town relies on daily flights and summer river barges for supplies and travel. A former Cold War air station left Galena with an unusually large airport and campus buildings that now house the Galena Interior Learning Academy, a statewide boarding school and major local employer. With deep Koyukon Athabascan roots, life here revolves around the river, seasonal subsistence hunting and fishing, and a close, self-reliant neighborhood feel.