Anchorage
City Information
Overview
Anchorage
is a pretty unique place. It is
Alaska's largest city and is one of
the very few cities in the world where big
wild animals such as moose or even bears
roam city parks and cross city highways.
Nestled between the Chugach Mountains and
the shores of Cook Inlet, Anchorage is
a modern city set in the heart of great
Alaska wilderness. A short drive out of the city
quickly leads into unspoiled wilderness with
magnificent wildlife viewing opportunities.
Attractions in
Anchorage
Anchorage
is alive with arts and culture and flourishes
year-round with world-class entertainment,
sporting events, various festivals and a
lively music scene. Modern towers
silhouette the skyline above downtown
streets lined with galleries, specialty
shops and outdoor displays that showcase the
unique works of Alaska's finest artists.
Colorful flowers spill from hundreds of
baskets on downtown lampposts during the long
summer days.
The Museum of
History and Art display the finest presentation
of Alaskan history and ethnology in the state.
Full-scale and miniature dioramas provide a look
at the early lifestyles of Alaska's Aleuts,
Eskimos and Indians. The changing material
culture of Alaska's native people is also
depicted, as are topics including exploration
and settlement by the Russians, the gold rush
era, World War II, and statehood. The museum
also features a variety of traveling exhibits
and educational programs.
The Alaska
Native Heritage Center provides a wealth of
information about Alaska's diverse native
peoples: the Athabascan of interior and
southcentral Alaska, the Yup'ik and Cup'ik
Eskimo of southwest Alaska, the Inupiaq and St.
Lawrence Island Yupik of northwest to northern
Alaska, the Aleut and Alutiiq from Prince
William Sound to the end of the Aleutian Island
chain, and the Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, and
Tsimshian of southeast Alaska.
Attractions around
Anchorage
Within easy
driving distance is Earthquake Park, which
provides information about the Good Friday
Earthquake in 1964. The earthquake registered
with 9,2 on the Richter Scale and was the
strongest ever recorded in North America.
Lake Hood is the
busiest float plane airport in the USA. Visitors
enjoy watching float planes during take off and
landing on this lake near the International
Airport.
Tony Knowles
Coastal Trail runs partly along the ocean and
partly through the forest and is popular with
bikers, inline-skaters, dog walkers and skiers.
Countless hiking
opportunities are just a short drive from
downtown Anchorage within the Chugach Mountain
Range.
History
Located in
Southcentral Alaska on the shores of Cook Inlet,
Anchorage is a unique urban environment situated
in the heart of the wilderness. The first known
human occupation of the Anchorage area occurred
first by the Eskimo people, which were later
displaced by the Athabaskan Dena’ina people.
English
explorer Captain James Cook is credited with
first exploring and describing the Anchorage
area in 1778 during his third voyage of
discovery. Mistaking one of the arms of the
inlet for a river, Cook named it “River
Turnagain”, later renamed Turnagain Arm by a
subsequent British explorer, George Vancouver.
Russian
explorers had established themselves in southern
Alaska by 1784. For nearly one hundred years,
Russian trading activity and cultural influence
increased in Alaska. Then in 1867 problems at
home forced the sale of Russian America to the
United States for a sum of $7,200,000.
In 1915, the
construction of the Alaska Railroad started.
Ship Creek Landing was selected as the
headquarters of this effort and a tent City with
a population of over 2000 inhabitants developed
at the mouth of Ship Creek. In 1915, although
the area had been known by various names, the
U.S. Post Office formalized the use of the name
“Anchorage,” and despite some protests the name
stuck.
During World
War II, Anchorage experienced a strong
population increase due to the arrival of
troops. Military construction doubled the
population of the town and provided a boost to
the local economy. By the outbreak of World War
II the threat of Japanese invasion prompted
continued expansion of military personnel and
aircraft, and after World War II the pressures
of the Cold War between the United States and
the Soviet Union ensured a continued heavy
military investment in the Anchorage area.
In 1959, Alaska
attained statehood.
In 1964, on
March 27th, 1964, a natural disaster of
incredible proportions struck Anchorage and
Southcentral Alaska: The Good Friday
earthquake. It measured 8,6 on the Richter
scale, the largest ever recorded in North
America.
Anchorage’s
economy experienced another great boom in the
1970ies due to the development of the Prudhoe
Bay oil fields. The oil industry contributed to
Anchorage’s growth in the seventies and eighties
both economically, by providing skilled
employment opportunities for thousands, and
culturally, by helping to fund many civic and
cultural endeavors.
The eighties
were also a time of growth for Anchorage.
Thanks to a flood of North Slope oil revenue
into the state treasury, between 1980 and 1987
nearly a billion dollars worth of capital
projects were constructed in Anchorage,
including a new library, civic center, sports
arena and performing arts center.
Other Information
Population: 278,241 (42% of the state
population)
Location:
Anchorage is located in the Southcentral region
of Alaska, 358 miles south of Fairbanks, 60
miles north of Whittier and 127 miles north of
Seward. It is a three-hour flight from Seattle.
Access: Anchorage
is centrally located with more than 280 flights
serviced daily by domestic and international
airlines. The Glenn and Seward highways lead
into Anchorage. The Alaska Railroad travels
between Anchorage and Fairbanks, Whittier and
Seward.
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