Kotlik is on the east bank of the Kotlik Slough. The community grew during the mid-1960s when residents of several nearby villages moved to be near the new BIA school at Kotlik. Due to its location and easy access by large riverboats and barges, Kotlik became one of the larger ports and commercial centers on the lower
Yukon River.
Kotlik is an Eskimo village practicing a fishing, trapping, and subsistence lifestyle.