Biohazard Cleanup Near West McGrath McGrath, AK

McGrath is an incorporated city in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, on the south bank of the Kuskokwim River where the Takotna River joins it, about 221 miles northwest of Anchorage and 269 miles southwest of Fairbanks.

The 2020 census counted 301 people in McGrath, living in 125 households, and the city is entirely rural, with a median age of 40.3 years.

McGrath was named for Peter McGrath, a local United States Marshal, and a town was established at the site of Old McGrath in 1907 after Abraham Appel opened a trading post there in 1904.

Because McGrath was the northernmost point on the Kuskokwim River accessible by large riverboats, it became a regional supply center for the Innoko and Ganes Creek gold districts, and the Iditarod Trail added to that role as hundreds of people mushed toward the Ophir gold fields between 1911 and 1920.

After a major flood in 1933, some residents moved across the river, and the old site was eventually left on a slough and useless as a river stop.

McGrath formally incorporated as a city on June 3, 1975, after first appearing on the 1920 census as an unincorporated village.

During World War II, McGrath became an important refueling stop for Lend-Lease equipment after an airstrip was cleared in 1940 and the Federal Aviation Administration built a communications complex there.

Despite its small population, McGrath remains an important transportation and economic hub for the surrounding area, and the city covers about 48 square miles.

The Upper Kuskokwim name for McGrath is Tochak', and the Degexit'an name is Digenegh.

The Iditarod Area School District operates the McGrath School in the city.