McGrath is located where the Kuskokwim and Takotna rivers meet.  The population of the village is roughly 400. There are two stores along with a restaurant. The school in McGrath has nearly 50 students. The village has a public library, a regional health clinic and an air strip. A person traveling to or from McGrath would go by plane, boat, snowmachine or during Iditarod – dog team as there are no roads leading to the village. People and businesses in McGrath receive cargo and supplies by air and water. Some people still rely on subsistence activities. They hunt moose, caribou, bear and rabbits; fish for salmon; trap; tend gardens and harvest berries and other natural crops. 

Before the gold rush, McGrath was a meeting and trading place for Athabascans native to the area. After Gold was discovered it became a regional trading center. The first town site of  McGrath was across the river from its present location.  In 1933 a major flood caused residents and businesses to move to the other bank of the river. In 1937 the Alaska Commercial Company opened a store. With planes becoming safer and more popular an airstrip was built in 1940. About the same time, the first school was built. McGrath is an important communication, transportation and supply center for interior Alaska. It also serves as the center of the huge Iditarod School District.  Early in March, the residents of the town host the seventh checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail.

Here’s a little virtual tour of the town and grocery store for you to get a feeling of what it would be like to be a resident of McGrath.