Welcome to Port Heiden!
The old village of Meshik was located at the current site of Port Heiden. Influenza epidemics during the early 1900s forced residents to relocate to other villages. During World War II, Fort Morrow was built nearby and 5,000 personnel were stationed at the base. The fort was closed after the war. A school was established in the early 1950s, which attracted people from surrounding villages. Port Heiden incorporated as a city in 1972. The community relocated inland, because storm waves had eroded much of the old townsite and threatened to destroy community buildings.
Port Heiden is a traditional Alutiiq community, with a commercial fishing and subsistence lifestyle.
«Port Heiden is home to many beautiful and wild things, the most beautiful is our families and the most wild is our love of the land and sea. » -Tisha Kalmakoff, Port Heiden AK
Get In Touch
Municipality Contact Information:
City of Port Heiden
PO Box 49050
Port Heiden, AK 99549
p: 907.837.2209
f: 907.837.2248
city.portheiden@gmail.com; cityclerk.portheiden@gmail.com
Federally Recognized Tribe Contact Information:
Native Village of Port Heiden
PO Box 49007
Port Heiden, AK 99549
p: 907.837.2296
f: 907.837.2297
Website: www.nativevillageofportheiden.com
By The Numbers
● Population: 106
● Latitude, Longitude: 56.9241, -158.6613
● Sq miles: 50.7 of land, 0.7 of water
● Date Incorporated: 1972
Getting Here
The state-owned airport consists of a lighted, gravel runway and a gravel crosswind runway. There is a natural boat harbor but no dock. A boat haul-out, a beach off-loading area, boat fuel sales, and marine storage facilities are available. Cargo from Seattle is delivered twice yearly by barge and is lightered and offloaded on the beach. Autos, ATVs, and snowmobiles are the local means of transportation.