Port Lions, AK

Tucked into Settlers Cove on Kodiak Island, Port Lions is a tight-knit coastal community with a unique backstory. When the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and tsunami devastated their historic home on nearby Afognak Island, residents chose to relocate together rather than scatter. They built a new village across the water, naming it in gratitude to the Lions Club for helping fund the reconstruction. That shared resilience still anchors the community today.

Daily life in Port Lions centers on Alutiiq heritage, commercial fishing, and subsistence harvesting like berry picking and smoking salmon. Because the village sits off the road system, residents travel by boat or small plane to the town of Kodiak for major supplies and healthcare. With a local K-12 school, a protected harbor, and neighbors who look out for one another, Port Lions offers a quiet, self-reliant lifestyle rooted in the surrounding waters and close family ties.