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72-546: The Anchorage Assembly is the governing body of Anchorage, Alaska . The Assembly has twelve members elected to three-year terms from six districts. It is responsible for creating and approving the city's annual budget, appropriating municipal funding, and managing elections. Seats in the Assembly are officially nonpartisan . All 12 members are elected from geographic districts. All districts elect two members from designated area. This United States government–related article

144-413: A high school diploma or higher with 36.1% having a Bachelor's degree or higher. 8.4% of the population under the age of 65 had a disability with 11.1% of the same age group having no health insurance . 68.5% of the population were in the civilian labor force. The median household income was $ 84,928 and the per capita income from May 2019–April 2020 was $ 41,415. The poverty rate was 9.5%. According to

216-764: A "critical part" of its global network of services. Anchorage has won the All-America City Award four times: in 1956, 1965, 1984–85, and 2002, from the National Civic League . Kiplinger has named it the United States' most tax-friendly city. 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

288-603: A Chamber Intensive program for young musicians. The Sitka Summer Music Festival presents an "Autumn Classics" festival of chamber music for two weeks each September on the campus of Alaska Pacific University . Orchestras include the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra and the Anchorage Youth Symphony . Chugach Their autonym Sugpiaq derives from suk , meaning "person" and - piaq , meaning "real." The term Alutiiq derives from

360-488: A frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 101 days. According to local folklore, when a native plant called fireweed goes to seed after a full bloom, the first snowfall of winter is 6 weeks away. Average January low and high temperatures at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) are 11 to 23 °F (−12 to −5 °C) with an average winter snowfall of 75.5 in (192 cm). The 2011–2012 winter had 134.5 in (341.6 cm), which made it

432-482: A group of Alutiiq people who 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

504-403: A nearly $ 1 billion bond issue to fund construction of the new capitol building and related facilities ($ 4 billion in 2023 dollars). . Later attempts to move the capital or the legislature to Wasilla , north of Anchorage, also failed. Anchorage has over twice as many state employees as Juneau, and is to a considerable extent the center of Alaska's state and federal government activity. Anchorage

576-581: A new influx of prospectors, and small towns such as Spenard, Hope, Rainbow, Bird, Indian, and Girdwood began to spring up. Alaska became an organized incorporated United States territory in 1912. Anchorage, unlike every other large town in Alaska south of the Brooks Range , was neither a fishing nor mining camp. The area surrounding Anchorage lacks significant economic metal ores. A number of Dena'ina settlements existed along Knik Arm for years. By 1911

648-917: A peninsula formed by the Knik Arm to the north and the Turnagain Arm to the south. First settled as a tent city near the mouth of Ship Creek in 1915 when construction on the Alaska Railroad began, Anchorage was incorporated as a city in November 1920. In September 1975, the City of Anchorage merged with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough, creating the Municipality of Anchorage. The municipal city limits span 1,961.1 sq mi (5,079.2 km ), encompassing

720-513: A place he called "Anchor Point" (later named "Anchorage" as another Anchor Point existed to the south near Homer, Alaska ), near a creek he dubbed "Ship Creek" nestled between two large arms (waterways). Cook spent ten days exploring the inlet named after him. He first sent William Bligh to scout the north arm, where he met with the Dena'ina Natives of the Eklutna area, who told him the name of

792-547: A railroad-construction port for the Alaska Engineering Commission . The area near the mouth of Ship Creek , where the railroad headquarters was, quickly became a tent city . Anchorage formed at a time when proponents of Prohibition were gaining traction, and as part of an effort to stem the flow of the alcohol trade, at the direction of President Woodrow Wilson and with the symmetry of the US Army,

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864-657: A significant amount of general aviation traffic. Elmendorf Air Force Base and the United States Army's Fort Richardson were constructed in the 1940s, and served as the city's primary economic engine until the 1968 Prudhoe Bay discovery shifted the thrust of the economy toward the oil industry. The Good Friday earthquake of March 27, 1964, hit Anchorage hard at a magnitude of 9.2, killing 115 people and causing $ 116 million in damages ($ 750 million in 2023 dollars). The earth-shaking event lasted nearly five minutes; most structures that failed remained intact for

936-466: A site closer to Anchorage. The motivation is straightforward: the "railbelt" between Anchorage and Fairbanks contains most of Alaska's population. Robert Atwood, owner of the Anchorage Times and a tireless booster for the city, championed the move. Alaskans rejected attempts to move the capital in 1960 and 1962, but in 1974, as Alaska's center of population moved away from Southeast Alaska and to

1008-516: A substantial presence in the city, most notably Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and CH2M Hill . Four small airlines, Alaska Central Express , Era Aviation , Hageland Aviation Services , and PenAir , are headquartered in Anchorage. Alaska Airlines (at one point headquartered in Anchorage, but now headquartered in the Seattle area), has major offices and facilities at TSAIA, including

1080-525: A town site was mapped out on higher ground to the south of the tent city, with the condition that a person's land could be repossessed if caught breaking the alcohol laws. Anchorage has been noted in the years since for its order and rigidity compared with other Alaska town sites. In 1915, territorial governor John Franklin Alexander Strong encouraged residents to change the city's name to one that had "more significance and local associations". In

1152-475: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Alaska-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage ( Tanaina : Dgheyay Kaq'; Dgheyaytnu ), officially the Municipality of Anchorage , is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska . With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census , it contains nearly 40 percent of

1224-683: Is in Southcentral Alaska . At 61 degrees north , it lies slightly farther north than Oslo , Stockholm , Helsinki and Saint Petersburg , but not as far north as Reykjavík or Murmansk . It is northeast of the Alaska Peninsula , Kodiak Island , and Cook Inlet , due north of the Kenai Peninsula , northwest of Prince William Sound and the Alaska Panhandle , and nearly due south of Denali . The city

1296-544: Is on a strip of coastal lowland and extends up the lower alpine slopes of the Chugach Mountains . Point Campbell, the westernmost point of Anchorage on the mainland, juts out into Cook Inlet near its northern end, at which point it splits into two arms . To the south is Turnagain Arm, a fjord that has some of the world's highest tides. Knik Arm, another tidal inlet, lies to the west and north. The Chugach Mountains on

1368-545: Is the world's fourth busiest airport for cargo traffic, surpassed only by Memphis , Hong Kong , and Shanghai Pudong . This traffic is strongly linked to Anchorage's location along great circle routes between Asia and the lower 48. In addition, the airport has an abundant supply of jet fuel from in-state refineries in North Pole and Kenai . This jet fuel is transported to the Port of Anchorage , then by rail or pipeline to

1440-656: The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is a three-part complex that hosts numerous performing arts events each year. The facility can accommodate more than 3,000 people. In 2000, nearly 245,000 people visited 678 public performances. It is home to eight resident performing arts companies and has featured mega-musicals performed by visiting companies. The center also hosts the International Ice Carving Competition as part of

1512-541: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has to kill some individual aggressive moose in the city every year. Dall sheep are often viewed quite close to the road at Windy Point. Approximately thirty northern timber wolves reside in the Anchorage area. In 2007, several dogs were killed by timber wolves while on walks with their owners. There are also beaver dams in local creeks and lakes, and sightings of foxes and kits in parking lots close to wooded areas in

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1584-477: The Alaska North Slope and south of Anchorage around Cook Inlet , the majority of offices and administration are found in Anchorage. The headquarters building of ConocoPhillips Alaska , a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips , is in downtown Anchorage. It is also the tallest building in Alaska . Many companies who provide oilfield support services are likewise headquartered outside of Anchorage but maintain

1656-526: The Alaska North Slope , and the resulting oil boom spurred further growth in Anchorage. In 1975, the City of Anchorage and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough (which includes Eagle River , Girdwood , Glen Alps, and several other communities) merged into the geographically larger Municipality of Anchorage The city continued to grow in the 1980s, and capital projects and an aggressive beautification campaign took place. Several attempts have been made to move Alaska's state capital from Juneau to Anchorage, or to

1728-766: The Bank of America Center (which it renamed the Robert B. Atwood Building ) to house most of its offices, after several decades of leasing space in the McKay Building (now the McKinley Tower ) and later the Frontier Building. The resource sector, mainly petroleum, is arguably Anchorage's most visible industry, with many high-rise buildings bearing the logos of large multinationals such as Hilcorp and ConocoPhillips . While field operations are centered on

1800-528: The Fur Rendezvous festival in February. The Anchorage Concert Association brings 20 to 30 events to the community each year, including Broadway shows like Disney 's The Lion King , Les Misérables , Mamma Mia! , The Phantom of The Opera , West Side Story , and others. The Anchorage Chamber Music Festival draws international guest artists and faculty to perform a summer concert series, and teach

1872-682: The Knik Arm and that it was not the Northwest Passage, but rather an outlet for two rivers (the Knik and Matanuska Rivers ). Cook then sailed south to scout the other arm, and in a bad mood after running the Resolution aground on a sandbar on his way back out of the shallow waters, called it "River Turnagain", having found no sign of the passage there either. In the 19th century, Russian presence in South-Central Alaska

1944-511: The Swedish -born general manager of the railroad for nearly two decades, became a symbol of residents' contempt due to the firm control he maintained over the railroad's affairs, which by extension became control over economic and other aspects of life in Alaska. Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the city experienced massive growth as air transportation and the military became increasingly important. Aviation operations in Anchorage commenced along

2016-553: The snowiest winter on record, topping the 1954–1955 winter with 132.8 in (337.3 cm). The coldest temperature ever recorded at the original weather station at Merrill Field on the East end of 5th Avenue was −38 °F (−38.9 °C) on February 3, 1947. Summers are mild (although cool compared to the contiguous US and even interior Alaska ), and it can rain frequently, although not abundantly. Average July low and high temperatures are 52 to 66 °F (11 to 19 °C) and

2088-401: The urban core , a joint military base , several outlying communities , and almost all of Chugach State Park . Because of this, less than 10 percent 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

2160-451: The 2010 census, Anchorage had a population of 291,826 and its racial and ethnic composition was as follows: According to the 2010 census, the largest national ancestry groups were as follows: 17.3% German , 10.8% Irish , 9.1% English , 6.9% Scandinavian (3.6% Norwegian , 2.2% Swedish , 0.6% Danish ) and 5.6% French / French Canadian ancestry. According to the 2010 American Community Survey, approximately 82.3% of residents over

2232-414: The 2020 census, Anchorage had 291,247 people. Racial makeup was 63.8% White (57.1% were non-Hispanic or Latino), 10.0% Asian, 9.1% American Indian or Alaska Native, 6.0% African American, and 8.4% from two or more races; 9.4% of the people were Hispanic or Latino. The age distribution was 6.9% of the population under the age of 5; 24.0% under 18; 64.3% aged 18–64; and 11.7% aged 65 and up. Males were 50.9% of

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2304-679: The Alaskan coastline, and many of the geographical features (mountains, islands, rivers, waterways, etc.) still bear the names he gave them. Cook was searching for the fabled Northwest Passage , a route that would provide a shorter means of reaching the Pacific from Europe than the difficult Northeast Passage around the north of Asia, or south around South America. On May 15, 1778, after enduring weeks of hard weather, Cook turned into an inlet between two landmarks he called Cape Douglas and Mount St. Augustine . He anchored his ship, HMS Resolution , at

2376-477: The Anchorage Bowl. Due to its location, almost equidistant from New York City , Tokyo , and Murmansk, Russia (straight over the North Pole ), Anchorage lies within 10 hours by air of nearly 90 percent of the global north. 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

2448-507: The Chugach, known as aranu'tiq . According to anthropologists writing in the 1950s, these individuals were considered to be male on one side of their bodies and female on the other. Some had descriptive names like "Tyakutyik" ("What Kind Of People Are These Two?"), but this description was given to many types of people in the community, and was not related to gender expression. The Chugach people gave their name to Chugach National Forest ,

2520-489: The Lower 48 have been building new hotels along C Street from International Airport Road to just north of Tudor Road, with two more to open in 2017, making this half-mile stretch of C Street a new "hotel row". From Anchorage people can easily head south to popular fishing locations on the Kenai Peninsula or north to locations such as Denali National Park and Fairbanks . Located next to Town Square Park in downtown Anchorage,

2592-447: The Municipality of Anchorage are Matanuska-Susitna Borough to the north, Kenai Peninsula Borough to the south and Chugach Census Area to the east. The Chugach National Forest , a national protected area , extends into the southern part of the municipality, near Girdwood and Portage . A diverse wildlife population exists within urban Anchorage and the surrounding area. Approximately 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears live in

2664-543: The Russian term for the Aleut people. According to Ethnologue , earlier terms for the Chugach such as Chugach Eskimo, South Alaska Eskimo, Sugpiak Eskimo, and Sugpiaq Eskimo, are pejorative. Chugach villages include Chenega Bay , Eyak , Nanwalek (English Bay), Port Graham , and Tatitlek . The Chugach people have lived in the region around Prince William Sound for millennia, according to archaeological finds. They were

2736-420: The age of five spoke only English at home. Spanish was spoken by 3.8% of the population; speakers of other Indo-European languages made up 3.0% of the population; those who spoke Asian and Pacific Islander languages at home were 9.1%; and speakers of other languages made up 1.8%. In 2010, there were 291,826 people, 107,332 households and 70,544 families residing in the municipality. The population density

2808-471: The airport. The Port of Anchorage receives 95 percent of all goods destined for Alaska. Ships from Totem Ocean Trailer Express and Horizon Lines arrive twice weekly from the Port of Tacoma in Washington . Along with handling these activities, the port is a storage facility for jet fuel from Alaskan refineries, which is used at both TSAIA and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER). The existing port

2880-464: 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. Captain James Cook was among the first European explorers to map

2952-469: The area. Bears are regularly sighted within the city. Moose are also a common sight; in the Anchorage Bowl, there is a summer population of approximately 250 moose, increasing to as many as 1,000 during the winter. They are a hazard to drivers, with over 100 moose killed by cars each year. Two people were stomped to death, in 1993 and 1995, in Anchorage. Cross-country skiers and dog mushers using city trails have been charged by moose on numerous occasions;

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3024-446: The borderline of Dfb , Trewartha Eolo bordering on Dclo ) but with strong maritime influences that lead to a relatively moderate climate, in contrast to the much more continental Fairbanks . Most of its precipitation falls in late summer. Average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately 55 to 78 °F (13 to 26 °C); average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 30 °F (−15.0 to −1.1 °C). Anchorage has

3096-443: The branching off of the U.S. Air Force from the U.S. Army following World War II. In a cost-cutting effort initiated by the 2005 BRAC proceedings , the bases were combined. JBER was created, which also incorporated Kulis Air National Guard Base near TSAIA. The combination of these three bases employ approximately 8,500 civilian and military personnel. These individuals along with their families comprise approximately ten percent of

3168-407: The city's police chief, was instrumental in Anchorage's relief and recovery efforts as she coordinated response efforts, connected urgent needs with available resources, disseminated information of available shelters and food sources, and passed messages among loved ones over the air, reuniting families. Because the city and surrounding suburban area was built on top ground consisting of glacial silt,

3240-531: The city. The clean-up of ash resulted in excessive demands for water and caused major problems for the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility. The average temperature of the sea ranges from 35.8 °F (2.1 °C) in February to 53.1 °F (11.7 °C) in August. Anchorage first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census. It incorporated that same year and in 1975 it was consolidated with its borough. At

3312-404: The east form a boundary to development, but not to the city limits, which encompass part of the wild alpine territory of Chugach State Park . The city's sea coast consists mostly of treacherous mudflats . Newcomers and tourists are warned not to walk in this area because of extreme tidal changes and the very fine glacial silt . Unwary victims have walked onto the solid seeming silt revealed when

3384-416: The families of J. D. "Bud" Whitney and Jim St. Clair lived at the mouth of Ship Creek and were joined there by a young forest ranger, Jack Brown, and his bride, Nellie, in 1912. The city grew from its happenstance choice as a site for railroad construction to begin in 1914. The waters near Ship Creek were deep enough for barges and small ships to dock, and under the direction of Frederick Mears , it became

3456-403: The firebreak south of town (today's Delaney Park Strip ), which residents also used as a golf course . An increase in air traffic led to clearing of a site directly east of town site boundaries starting in 1929; this became Merrill Field , which served as Anchorage's primary airport during the 1930s and 1940s, until Anchorage International Airport superseded it in 1951. Merrill Field still sees

3528-407: The first census. In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward brokered a deal to purchase Alaska from Imperial Russia for $ 7.2 million, or about two cents an acre ($ 129.1 million in 2023 dollars). His political rivals lampooned the deal as " Seward's folly ", "Seward's icebox" and "Walrussia". In 1888, gold was discovered along Turnagain Arm just south of modern-day Anchorage, leading to

3600-539: The first few minutes then failed with repeated flexing. It was the world's fourth-largest earthquake in recorded history . Broadcaster Genie Chance has been credited with holding Anchorage together, as she immediately rushed to the Anchorage Public Safety Building and stayed on the KENI airwaves for almost 24 continuous hours. Chance, effectively designated as the public safety officer by

3672-646: The first indigenous Alaskans to encounter the Russian explorer Vitus Bering in 1741. The Russians were followed by Spanish, English, and American explorers. The Chugach have at times traded with or fought against neighboring groups, the Eyak , Ahtna , and the Tlingit . In 1964, a tsunami generated by the Good Friday earthquake destroyed the Chugach village of Chenega, Alaska . The fishing-based Chugach economy

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3744-432: The highest reading ever recorded was 90 °F (32.2 °C) on July 4, 2019. The average annual precipitation at the airport is 16.63 in (422 mm). Anchorage's latitude causes summer days to be very long and winter daylight hours to be very short. The city is often cloudy during the winter, which further decreases the amount of sunlight experienced by residents. The coldest daily maximum recorded in Anchorage

3816-489: The local economy depend on Anchorage's geographical location and surrounding natural resources . Anchorage's economy traditionally has seen steady growth, though not quite as rapid as many places in the lower 48 states . With the notable exception of a real estate-related crash in the mid-to-late 1980s, which saw the failure of numerous financial institutions, it does not experience as much pain during economic downturns. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (TSAIA)

3888-676: The local population. During the Cold War , Elmendorf became an important base due to its proximity to the Soviet Union , particularly as a command center for numerous forward air stations established throughout the western reaches of Alaska (most of which have since closed). While Juneau is the official state capital of Alaska, more state employees reside in the Anchorage area. Approximately 6,800 state employees work in Anchorage compared to about 3,800 in Juneau. The State of Alaska purchased

3960-633: The mall's structure. In 2013, Forbes named Anchorage among its list of Best Places for Business and Careers. Five Alaska Native regional corporations are based in Anchorage: The Aleut Corporation , Bristol Bay Native Corporation , Calista Corporation , Chugach Alaska Corporation , and Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Anchorage does not levy a sales tax . However, it charges a 12% bed tax on hotel stays and an 8% tax on car rentals . Since about 2000, in response to strong revenue and occupancy rates, major hotel developers from

4032-690: The median income for a family was $ 85,829. The per capita income for the municipality was $ 34,678. About 5.1% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line. Of the city's population over the age of 25, 33.7% held a bachelor's degree or higher, and 92.1% had a high school diploma or equivalent. In 2010, 83.7% (220,304) of Anchorage residents aged five and older spoke only English at home, while 4.5% (11,769) spoke Spanish, 2.5% (6,654) Tagalog , 1.6% (4,108) various Pacific Island languages , 1.4% (3,636) various Native American/Alaska Native languages , 1.1% (2,994) Korean , 0.6% (1,646) German, 0.6% (1,502) Hmong , 0.5% (1,307) Russian, and Japanese

4104-400: The multiple eruptions of Mount Redoubt during March–April 2009, resulting in a 25,000 ft (7,600 m) high ash cloud as well as ash accumulation throughout the Cook Inlet region. Previously, the most active recent event was an August 1992 eruption of Mount Spurr , which is 78 mi (126 km) west of the city. The eruption deposited about 3 mm (0.1 in) of volcanic ash on

4176-547: The offices of the Alaska Airlines Foundation. Prior to their respective dissolutions, airlines MarkAir , Reeve Aleutian Airways and Wien Air Alaska were also headquartered in Anchorage. The Reeve Building, at the corner of West Sixth Avenue and D Street, was spared the wrecking ball when the city block it sits on was cleared to make way for the Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall , and was incorporated into

4248-417: The people; females, 49.1%. Veterans were 9.3%, and 10.9% of the people were born outside the United States. There were 119,276 housing units and 106,567 households; the average household size was 2.69 persons. In 17.8% of households, a language other than English was spoken at home. In 95.9% of households there was a computer; 90.0% of households had broadband Internet connections. 93.9% of the population had

4320-539: The prolonged shaking from the earthquake caused soil liquefaction, leading to massive cracks in roadways and collapse of large swaths of land. One of Anchorage's most affected residential areas, the Turnagain neighborhood, saw dozens of homes originally at 250 to 300 feet above sea level sink to sea level. Rebuilding and recovery dominated the remainder of the 1960s. In 1968, ARCO discovered oil in Prudhoe Bay on

4392-410: The railbelt, voters approved it. Communities such as Fairbanks and much of rural Alaska opposed moving the capital to Anchorage for fear of concentrating more power in the state's largest city. As a result, in 1976, voters approved a plan to build a new capital city near Willow , about 70 mi (110 km) north of Anchorage. In the 1978 election, opponents to the move reacted by campaigning to defeat

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4464-498: The spring are common. Along the Seward Highway headed toward Kenai, there are common sightings of beluga whales in the Turnagain Arm. Lynxes are occasionally sighted in Anchorage as well. Within the Municipality there are also a number of streams that host salmon runs. Fishing for salmon at Ship Creek next to downtown is popular in the summer. Anchorage has a subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification : Dfc on

4536-473: 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, accounting for more than half the state's population. At 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km ) of land area, the city is the fourth-largest by area in the U.S. Anchorage is in Southcentral Alaska , at the terminus of the Cook Inlet , on

4608-419: The summer of that year, residents held a vote to change the city's name; a plurality favored the name "Alaska City", but the territorial government ultimately declined to change the city's name. Anchorage was incorporated on November 23, 1920. Construction of the Alaska Railroad continued until its completion in 1923. The city's economy in the 1920s and 1930s centered on the railroad. Colonel Otto F. Ohlson,

4680-495: The tide is out and have become stuck in the mud. The two recorded instances of this occurred in 1961 and 1988. According to the United States Census Bureau , the municipality has an area of 1,961.1 square miles (5,079.2 km ); 1,697.2 square miles (4,395.8 km ) of which is land and 263.9 square miles (683.4 km ) of it is water. The total area is 13.5% water. Boroughs and census areas next to

4752-499: Was 171.2 per square mile (66.1/km ). There were 113,032 housing units at an average density of 59.1 per square mile (22.8/km ). There were 107,332 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who

4824-399: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.19. The age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32.9 years. 50.8% of the population was male and 49.2% were female. The median income for a household in the municipality was $ 73,004, and

4896-765: Was badly affected by the environmental damage caused by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Chugach people speak one of two dialects of the Pacific Gulf Yupik language ; the other being Koniag . These Central Yupik languages belong to the Alaskan Yupik language family. Once written in Cyrillic script , the language is now written in the Latin script . There are historical accounts of some androgynous third gender or two spirit individuals among

4968-650: Was spoken as a main language by 0.5% (1,185) of the population over the age of five. In total, 16.3% (43,010) of Anchorage's population aged five and older spoke a mother language other than English. As of September 7, 2006 , 94 languages were spoken by students in the Anchorage School District . Anchorage's largest economic sectors include transportation, military, municipal, state and federal government, tourism, corporate headquarters (including regional headquarters for multinational corporations ) and resource extraction. Large portions of

5040-542: Was substantially built in the late 1950s and is reaching the end of its useful life. Beginning in 2017, the Port of Anchorage is undertaking an extensive 7-year Anchorage Port Modernization Project to upgrade its aging infrastructure, support larger deeper draft vessels, and future proof the port seismically and environmentally for another 75 years. The United States military has two large installations, Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson , which originally stemmed from

5112-696: Was well-established. The Russians placed trading posts along Cook Inlet, such as the Shelikhov-Golikov Company 's post at Niteh on the Palmer Flats (between the Knik and Matanuska Rivers), which in turn created small agricultural communities in Ninilchik , Seldovia , and Eklutna . The Russians also introduced diseases such as smallpox that had devastating effects on the local Native population, which plummeted by half just 10 years after

5184-553: Was −19 °F (−28 °C) in January 1989, while the coldest daily maximum on average between 1991 and 2020 was 1 °F (−17 °C). Warm summer nights do not occur even with the bayside location and extensive daylight; the mildest night on record was 63 °F (17 °C) . The mean temperature is 59 °F (15 °C). Due to its proximity to active volcanoes , ash hazards are a significant, though infrequent, occurrence. The most recent notable volcanic activity centered on

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