Cantwell, Alaska
Census-designated place in the United States in Denali Borough · Not an incorporated municipality
About Cantwell
Cantwell (Yidateni Na’ in Ahtna Athabascan) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Denali Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 200.
Cantwell is the western terminus of the Denali Highway. Once an Alaska Railroad flag stop at the junction with the Denali Highway, it was founded off the Parks Highway.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How Cantwell is governed
Cantwell appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Denali Borough and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Cantwell does have local officials.
Form of government not yet listed.
0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.
Residents of Cantwell
Registered voters elect the officials below.
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Mayor
Executive
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The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.
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City Manager / Administrator
Executive
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The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).
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Police Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the police department.
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Fire Chief
Administration & departments
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Leads the fire and emergency services department.
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Public Works Director
Administration & departments
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Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.
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Finance Director
Administration & departments
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The budget, taxes, and city accounts.
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Planning & Zoning Director
Administration & departments
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Land use, zoning, building permits.
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Parks & Recreation Director
Administration & departments
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Parks, programs, and public facilities.
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City Council
Legislative
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The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.
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City Clerk
Administration & departments
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Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.
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City Attorney
Administration & departments
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The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.
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Boards & Commissions
Legislative
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Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.
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Municipal Court
Judicial
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Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.
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Municipal Judge
Judicial
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Presides over the municipal court.
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Population over time
From 219 in 2010 to 200 in 2020 (−8.7%).
Show the numbers
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 200 |
| 2010 | 219 |
History
Prior to the western settlement of Cantwell, the only inhabitants of the area were nomadic Ahtna Athabaskans who subsisted off the land. The Ahtna people know Cantwell as 'Yedatene'na'. Then Cantwell was renamed after Lieutenant J. C. Cantwell, military explorer and commander of the revenue steamer Nunivak on the Yukon River, 1899-1901. The settled town began as a flag stop on the Alaska Railroad. This flagstop supplied the Valdez Creek mining area, which had the name "Denali" for the Valdez Creek community. Many Indians from the village of Tyone came to work at Valdez Creek and later lived out their lives in the Cantwell area. Many Tyones are buried in the old Cantwell graveyard, next to the railroad tracks. Oley Nicklie, a Native Alaskan, sought work with the railroad after fur prices dropped. He and his two brothers then founded part of the settlement. Cantwell is 20 miles away from a giant abandoned igloo shaped hotel, which is not made out of ice.
Cantwell served as a partial filming location for the Lure of the Yukon during the 1920s, and for the 2007 movie Into the Wild.
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