Bethel, AK first established by Yupik Eskimos is one of the largest communities in western Alaska. Located on the Kuskokwim River in Southwest Alaska, 400 miles west of Anchorage and 90 miles inland from the Bering Sea, Bethels current populations of 6000 people are mainly made up of Eskimos, Italians, Caucasians, Koreans, Mexican and African Americans. Excluding Bethel, 94% of the population on the Y-K Delta is Native Alaskan. Bethel is the regional center for 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. Food, fuel, transportation, medical care and other services for the region are provided by Bethel. 50% of the jobs in Bethel are in government positions. Commercial fishing, primarily for salmon and herring is an important source of income. The 20- million-acre Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, the largest wildlife refuge in the nation, covers most of the region and offers a wide range of recreational opportunities, from world-class sport fishing to cross-country skiing, snow-mobiling and dog-sledding.

The State-owned Bethel Airport is the regional transportation center. Two major passenger airlines, two cargo carriers, and numerous air taxi services, make the airport rank third in the state for total number of flights. Two float plane bases are nearby, Hangar Lake and H Marker Lake. The Port of Bethel is the northern-most medium-draft port in the U.S. A small boat harbor, dry land storage, and up to 5,000 feet of transient moorage on the seawall is available. River travel is the primary means of local transportation in the summer, and it becomes a 150-mile ice road to surrounding villages in the winter. A barge service based in Bethel provides goods to the Kuskokwim villages. There are 16 miles of local roads. Winter trails are marked to Napakiak (1.1 mi.) and Akiachak (19 mi.)

Bethel is home to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation serving the  56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.