Stebbins is located on the northwest coast of St. Michael Island on Norton Sound, 53 miles southwest of Unalakleet. Nome is 120 miles to the northwest. Both scheduled and charter service from Unalakleet is available. Stebbins has a population of 368. The zip code is 99671.
Stebbins is 26 feet above sea level. Its climate is subarctic with a maritime influence June to November when norton Sound is ice free and a cold continental influence in winter. Clouds and fog are common in summer. Annual precipitation is 12 inches with 38 inches of snowfall. Winter temperatures are between -1° and 16°F. Summer temperatures are between 40° and 60°F, with a record high of 77°.
There is a private airstrip adjacent and to the northwest. Its length is 2,800 feet and it is gravel. Although there are no facilities, the runway is lighted and transportation is available to the village.
The Eskimo village of Atroik or Atowak was first recorded in 1898 by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survery at a site on the hillside north of Stebbins. The Native name for the village is Tapraq; the name Stebbins was first published on a map in 1900. In 1950, Stebbins was described as a village of Eskimos who made their livihood by hunting, fishing and herding reindeer. Stebbins was incorporated as a second-class city in 1969.
The Stebbins economy is still based on subsistence hunting and fishing, supplemented by part-time wage earnings. There is presently an unmaintained herd of reindeer on Stuart Island just off the coast. Subsistence harvest includes bearded, ring and spotted seal; salmon, tomcod, walrus, flounder, sculpin, herring, beluga whales, smelt; wildfowl, ptarmigan, rabbit, and berries. Commercial fishing in the area is on the increase.
Stebbins is located at the northern tip of Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. Bird watching is for peregrine falcons and a myriad of migratory wildfowl.
Overland travel is by snow machine in the winter. A number of trails link Stebbins with St. Michael.
Communications in Stebbins includes phone, mail planes, radio and TV. The community is served by a church and a school with grades kindergarten through 12. There is a public electricity system. Water is hauled from the washateria. The sewage system is honey-buckets.
Freight is hauled by cargo plane, barge and ship.
