Kasigluk, AK

Kasigluk is a quiet Yup'ik community of around 600 residents tucked into the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of western Alaska, about 20 miles northwest of Bethel. The town is uniquely split into two neighboring sections along the Johnson River, known locally as Akula and Akiuk. Because the surrounding tundra is a maze of wetlands, day-to-day travel between the two sides relies on wooden boardwalks, skiffs in the summer, and snowmachines once the water freezes.

Families here are served by two schools within the Lower Kuskokwim School District, with a campus located on each side of the river. Like most off-grid villages in rural Alaska, Kasigluk has no road links to the outside world. Daily necessities, mail, and medical travel depend on small bush planes operating from the local gravel runway, alongside boat and snowmachine travel to Bethel and nearby delta settlements.