First Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta community included in the U.S. government’s National Address Database, securing access for Alaskans to critical federal, state and modern-day resources.
Last week (Feb. 18th, 2025) Toksook Bay, Alaska, was officially added to the National Address Database (NAD), the result of an ongoing effort by Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF), the City of Toksook Bay, the Alaska Map Company, and the Alaska Congressional Delegation to provide the city’s residents with long-overdue access to essential resources.
Toksook Bay is the first Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta community to gain representation in the NAD, a federal database that oversees and houses addressing data across the United States.
Alaska’s coastal communities have historically lacked structured addresses, often relying on unofficial names like “the local store” or “caribou way” for buildings, roads and other infrastructure in their regions. This absence can create needless barriers to access, such as qualifying for a Real ID, opening bank accounts, obtaining mortgages and registering to vote.
Standardized addressing helps ensure every community, regardless of size or location, is treated equitably and can benefit from an ever-expanding array of modernized services ranging from Amazon delivery to navigation technology.
“This project is about more than putting Toksook Bay on the map—it’s about giving rural Alaskans the same access to essential services that the rest of the country has never had to live without,” said Eric Deakin, CEO of Coastal Villages Region Fund. “From obtaining a home loan to applying for government benefits and support, addresses are fundamental to daily life. We are proud to partner with our communities to hire locally and help connect residents with modern services often taken for granted in the Lower 48.”
Recognizing the need for systematic addressing in rural Alaskan communities, CVRF’s geographic information system (GIS) initiative team collaborated with the City of Toksook Bay and the Alaska Map Company to develop a comprehensive record of the region’s geographic data. Using the Environmental Systems Research Institute’s (ESRI) community engagement software, ArcGIS Hub, the organizations created a web-based repository for geospatial data that can be built upon for years to come.
Toksook Bay is the first village to be mapped using this geospatial hub as part of a larger effort that started in 2021 to digitally map all 20 villages served by CVRF.
In addition to enhancing infrastructure and community development, the geographic data project also drives local employment and job opportunities. The organizations have hired residents in Toksook Bay and Kipnuk to operate the ArcGIS Hub software and collaborate with city staff, ensuring that the project is community-led and creates a lasting impact that extends beyond mapping to support the economic strength and resilience of western Alaska.
“These addresses are a step in the right direction of empowering local government with tools to manage their communities effectively,” said Sam Chanar, mayor of Toksook Bay. “We are proud to join state and local governments across the country in having our addresses recognized.”
Toksook Bay isn’t new to achieving groundbreaking milestones—in 2020, it was the first city to be counted in the decennial U.S. Census. It also follows a significant federal push to increase community-level data availability after Typhoon Merbok, which impacted communities up and down the Bering Sea coast in 2022.
After the storm, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) visited the region and saw firsthand the impact of CVRF’s community-based team, which collected near-immediate damage assessments, utilized GIS mapping to locate impacted areas and supported recovery through its mechanic and welder services. CVRF was then asked by Murkowski to continue using its services and resources to support local communities.
Thanks to the GIS initiative, Toksook Bay’s mapping data is laying the foundation for stronger, safer communities—helping to shape emergency and recovery plans that will protect future generations.
“As the climate crisis in our region becomes more severe, these addresses will be an important tool for the community governments to assess risks to the community and proactively manage change,” said Roderick Atti, lead geographic information system technician at Coastal Villages Region Fund. “Coastal Villages Region Fund’s geographic information system team will be able to use drones and other sensing techniques to monitor climate risks and provide the city and Tribe with valuable data to inform their decisions around protecting the community from flooding and erosion.”
Coastal Villages Region Fund would like to thank the City of Toksook Bay, the Alaska Map Company, and the National Addressing Database for their ongoing partnership throughout this project. CVRF also extends its gratitude to the Alaska Congressional Delegation, including Sen. Daniel Sullivan (RAlaska), who was instrumental in helping establish a relationship with the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure Toksook Bay’s addresses received representation. This shared dedication is key to bringing a sustainable addressing system to rural Alaska that will support coastal communities for generations to come.
“This is a major milestone and proof of concept that paves the way forward for the remaining Coastal Villages Region Fund communities. I am honored to be a part of this important project that enables self-sufficiency and local governance where it is critically needed,” said Gary Greenberg, owner of Alaska Map Company and an adjunct geographic information system manager for small communities across Alaska.
“But there is still more to be done. The Coastal Villages geographic information system team is hard at work, partnering with its other member communities. We expect to have several more communities added to the database soon.”
To view CVRF’s Toksook Bay geospatial hub, visit https://geodata-cvrfalaska.
hub.arcgis.com/pages/toksook-bay.
