Togiak, AK

Togiak sits at the head of Togiak Bay, about 67 miles west of Dillingham, in a landscape of tidal water, tundra, rivers, and mountain valleys. The city grew from two earlier villages on the bay's eastern side: Togiagamute and Togiak Station, also known as Owens. Heavy winter snow made gathering wood difficult by the early twentieth century, and residents began moving west to the present community, which appeared on the 1920 census. A 1964 flood prompted some families to move again and helped lead to the nearby community of Twin Hills.

Togiak is part of the traditional homeland of Yup'ik people, and the surrounding refuge country remains closely tied to fishing, hunting, and local subsistence traditions. Togiak National Wildlife Refuge reaches from the Ahklun Mountains to Bristol Bay and protects major salmon habitat, while the Walrus Island Game Sanctuary lies beyond the bay. The Togiak School serves students through the Southwest Region School District. The 2020 census counted 817 residents, giving the city a central role in a broad, water-connected region.