Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage (Dena'ina: Dgheyay Kaq'; Dgheyaytnu) is a unified municipal consolidated city-borough in the U.S. state of Alaska, on the West Coast of the United States. With a population of 291,247 in 2020,[5] it is Alaska's most populous city and contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 398,328 in 2020,[6] accounting for more than half the state's population. At 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km2) of land area, the city is the fourth-largest by area in the United States and larger than the smallest state, Rhode Island, which has 1,212 sq mi (3,140 km2).[7]
Anchorage is in Southcentral Alaska, at the terminus of the Cook Inlet, on a peninsula formed by the Knik Arm to the north and the Turnagain Arm to the south.[8] In September 1975, the City of Anchorage merged with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough, creating the Municipality of Anchorage.[9] The municipal city limits span 1,961.1 sq mi (5,079.2 km2), encompassing the urban core, a joint military base,[10] several outlying communities, and almost all of Chugach State Park.[11] Because of this, less than 10% of the Municipality (or Muni) is populated, with the highest concentration of people in the 100 square-mile area that makes up the city proper, on a promontory at the headwaters of the inlet, commonly called Anchorage, the City of Anchorage, or the Anchorage Bowl.[12]
Due to its location, almost equidistant from New York City, Tokyo, and Frankfurt, Germany (across the Arctic Ocean), Anchorage lies within 10 hours by air of nearly 90% of the industrialized world.[13][14] For this reason, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a common refueling stop for international cargo flights and home to a major FedEx hub, which the company calls a "critical part" of its global network of services.[15][16]
Anchorage has won the All-America City Award four times: in 1956, 1965, 1984–85, and 2002, from the National Civic League.[17] Kiplinger has named it the United States' most tax-friendly city.[18]
Archaeological evidence discovered at Beluga Point just south of Anchorage proper, along the Turnagain Arm, suggests that habitation of the Cook Inlet began 5,000 years ago by a tribe of Alutiiq Eskimos that arrived by kayak. As this population moved on, they were followed by a second wave of Alutiiq occupation beginning roughly 4,000 years ago, followed by a third wave around 2,000 years ago. Around 500 AD the Chugach Alutiiq were displaced by the arrival of Dena'ina Athabaskans, who entered through the mountain passes. The Dena'ina had no fixed settlements, migrating throughout the area with the seasonal changes, fishing along coastal streams and rivers in the summer, hunting moose, mountain goats, and Dall sheep in early fall, and picking berries in late fall. They tended to winter near trading junctions along common travel routes, where they traded with other Dena'ina and Ahtna tribes from nearby areas.[19]
The tent city (called "The White City" in the handwritten caption) in Ship Creek, photographed by Alberta Pyatt on July 1, 1915.
Fourth Avenue in 1953, looking east from near I Street. Just ten years before, the retail area shown in the foreground was mostly an industrial area, housing lumber yards and similar uses.
Fourth Avenue after the Good Friday or Great Alaskan earthquake on March 27, 1964
Satellite view taken August 2020. The Municipality encompasses the entire land mass between the Knik River and Knik Arm (top), and the Turnagain Arm (bottom), with the Mat-Su borough to the north, the Kenai Peninsula to the south, and Whittier just east of the mountains (lower right). The city proper lies on the coastal alluvial plain at the headwaters of Cook Inlet, between the two arms (left of center).
Panorama of Anchorage as viewed at night from the Glen Alps neighborhood, near Flattop Mountain
The USS Anchorage departing from its eponymous port in May 2013. The vessel is framed by the city's downtown and the Chugach Mountain Range in the background.
Panorama of Cook Inlet near the mouth of Turnagain Arm, a few miles south of the "Anchorage bowl." The tide is out, exposing the surrounding mudflats.
Moose and calf outside a church in Anchorage
An early summer day at Jewel Lake Park in western Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage as viewed from Glen Alps trailhead during 0 °F (−18 °C) weather in the winter
Map of racial/ethnic distribution in Anchorage, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people:
Non-Hispanic White,
Black,
Asian,
Hispanic or
Alaska Native and Other (yellow)
The "Anchorage Welcomes You" sign outside Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The city is known for showcasing abundant flowers during the summer months.
View from the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail near the mouth of Chester Creek. From foreground to background: Westchester Lagoon, the southern reaches of the Bootleggers Cove neighborhood, and the downtown skyline.
The Anchorage Visitor Information Center, downtown on 4th Avenue
Aerial view of the Port of Anchorage on Cook Inlet in 1999
View of downtown Anchorage from the Hotel Captain Cook. The gold building on the right, the Conoco-Phillips Building, is the tallest building in Alaska and exemplifies the importance of the petroleum industry.
The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, in downtown Anchorage
The front entrance of the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center in downtown
Ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, in downtown Anchorage
Peak Three in the Chugach Mountains
View of the upper Eagle River valley in Chugach State Park
Anchorage Fire Department engine based at its downtown station, responding to a call early in the morning
University of Alaska Anchorage entrance sign
University Lake Dog Park, January 2019
KTUU news van parked at Town Square Park
Anchorage Community Hospital as it appeared in August 1972. The building is called the Arne Beltz Building and houses the municipal health department.
An Alaska Railroad locomotive (left) and the Alaska Railroad depot (right) in the Ship Creek valley immediately north of downtown Anchorage. The Port of Anchorage can be seen in the background.
Aerial view of Lake Hood Seaplane Base (foreground) and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (background).
UPS Boeing 747 departing from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport – a major hub for the airline.
