Anchorage, Alaska

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Anchorage, Alaska

Nickname: "The City of Lights"
Founded Incorporated	November 23, 1920
County	Anchorage Municipality, Alaska
Mayor	Mark Begich
Area  - Total  - Water	5,079.2 km² {1,961.1 mi²} 683.4 km² {263.9 mi²} 13.46%
Population  - City (2000)  - Density  - Metropolitan	260,283 153/km²
Time zone	Alaska (UTC –9/-8)
Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS)	61.1306° N 149.5357° W
Official Website www.muni.org

Anchorage, Alaska is a consolidated city-borough (officially called the Municipality of Anchorage) in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is also a census area. With 260,283 residents according to the 2000 census, Anchorage is the largest city in the state of Alaska, composing more than two-fifths of the state's population. The Census Bureau's official population estimate as of 2004 was 272,687. Anchorage is administrated by an elected mayor and assembly, and a city manager. The city's current mayor is Mark Begich.

Contents 1 Geography and climate 1.1 Geography 1.2 Climate 1.3 Notable neighborhood communities 2 People and culture 2.1 Demographics 2.2 Performing arts 2.3 Museums 2.4 Cultural parks 2.5 Botanical gardens 2.6 Indoor waterparks 2.7 Zoological Parks and Conservation Centers 2.8 Media 2.9 Sports 3 Infrastructure 3.1 Transportation 3.2 Medical centers and hospitals 3.3 Education 3.4 Colleges and universities 3.5 Utilities 4 History 5 Shopping and Entertainment 5.1 Nightlife 6 Skiing and heli skiing 6.1 Heli skiing 7 Points of interest 8 Sister cities 9 External links

Geography and climate

Geography

Anchorage is located in South Central Alaska, at 61 °13'06"North latitude (about the same as Stockholm and St. Petersburg), -149 °53'57"West longitude (about the same as Hawaii), northeast of the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, and Cook Inlet, due north of the Kenai Peninsula, northwest of Prince William Sound and Alaska Panhandle, and nearly due south of Mount McKinley/Denali. The city is situated on a triangular peninsula bordered on the east by the rugged, scenic, and eminently hike-worthy Chugach Mountains, on the northwest by the Knik Arm, and on the southwest by the Turnagain Arm, upper branches of the Cook Inlet, which itself is the northernmost reach of the Pacific Ocean. Despite this, the city lacks coastal beaches, instead having wide, treacherous mudflats. Adjacent to the north is Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. To the south is Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, and to the east is Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska.

Anchorage is a major port, receiving over 95% of all freight entering Alaska passes, as well as a major hub of the famous Alaska Railroad. Major industries include government and military, Petroleum, and tourism. There are two strategically important U.S. military bases bordering Anchorage on the north: Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson. Nearly all Alaska Interior-bound tourists pass through Anchorage at some stage of their journeys in Alaska. Not surprisingly, summer is tourist season, and downtown Anchorage, as well as the highways leading north and south of town, are typically teeming with tourists.

Climate

Average daytime summer temperatures are approximately 55 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 23 degrees Celsius); average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 20 degrees (-15 to -7 degrees Celsius) (warmer than many places in "The Lower 48"). Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (PANC) average January low and high temperatures are 9 °F/ 22 °F with an average winter snowfall of 70.60 inches. The weather on any given day and indeed for entire seasons can be very unpredictable. Some winters feature several feet of snow and bitterly cold temperatures, while others, just a foot or two of snow and constant, annoying thaws, which puts dangerous ice on the streets. On March 17, 2002, a record 24 hour (St. Patrick's Day) snow storm dumped 25.7 inches of snow on the Anchorage area, causing the airport and schools to close on that day. The 1954-1955 winter had 132.8 inches, which made it the snowiest winter on record. The coldest temperature ever recorded at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport was -38 °F (-38.8 °C) on February 3, 1948. Summers are typically very mild and pleasant, though it can rain frequently. There isn't any beach-bathing in Anchorage, except at a few local lakes on the warmest summer days, when those lakeside beaches can be extremely popular. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport average July low and high temperatures are 52 °F/ 66 °F and the hottest reading ever recorded was 86 °F (30 °C) on June 25, 1953. The average annual precipitation at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is 16.07 inches. Aside from the winter cold, which most Alaskans don't mind, there are two primary nuisances associated with the seasons: in the summer, mosquitoes (which are much worse out in the Bush than in the city itself); in the winter, long nights and very short days. Since Anchorage is at such a high latitude, for months in mid-winter, residents go to work in the dark and return home in the dark. Those who don't study or work next to a window can go all week long without seeing the sun.

Notable neighborhood communities

• Abbott Loop
• Airport Heights
• Basher
• Bayshore/Klatt
• Bear Valley
• Birchwood
• Campbell Park
• Chugiak
• Downtown
• Eagle River
• Eagle River Valley
• Eklutna Valley
• Fairview
• Girdwood
• Glen Alps
• Government Hill/Ship Creek
• Hillside East
• Huffman/O'Malley
• Mid-Hillside
• Midtown
• Mountain View
• Northeast
• North Star
• Old Seward/Oceanview
• Portage Valley
• Rabbit Creek
• Rogers Park
• Russian Jack Park
• Sand Lake
• Scenic Foothills
• South Addition
• South Fork
• Spenard
• Taku/Campbell
• Tudor Area
• Turnagain
• Turnagain Arm
• University Area

People and culture

Demographics

As of the U.S. Census of 2000, Anchorage had a population of 260,283 and in all the Anchorage Municipality is home to almost two-fifths of Alaska's population. The population today is approximately 72.23% White Caucasian, 5.55% are Asian Americans, 5.84% are African Americans, 7.28% are American Indians or Alaska Natives, 0.93% are Pacific Islanders, 5.69% are Hispanic Americans or Latinos of any race, 5.98% are from Two or more races, and 2.19% are from other non-Caucasian backgrounds.

There are 94,822 households out of which 38.9% have childen under the age 18 living with them, 51.1% are married couples living together, 11.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% are non-families. 23.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.67 and the average family size is 3.19.

In the city the population is spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $55,546, and the median income for a family is $63,682. Males have a median income of $41,267 versus $63,682 for females. The per capita income for the city is $25,287. 7.3% of the population and 5.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Anchoragites exemplify many of the qualities to be found among Alaskans generally: independence, friendliness, practical-mindedness, and a love of the outdoors. There is, even among businesspeople in Anchorage, a tendency to "dress down" (there is no dress code in any Anchorage restaurant). This, and a sort of frontier spirit that still lives on in Alaska generally, gives Anchorage a relatively casual, relaxed atmosphere compared to some other American cities. (These cultural characteristics are only more exaggerated the farther one moves out of the city into the rest of Alaska.) The city has traditionally served as a destination for immigrants, and there are active Asian, Eastern European, and Hispanic populations, along with communities of African Americans and various groups of aboriginal Alaskans. Over 95 languages are spoken by students in the Anchorage School District.

Performing arts

Located next to Town Square Park in downtown Anchorage, the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts is a three-part complex host to many performing arts events. The facility can accommodate more than 3,000 patrons. In 2000, nearly 245,000 people visited 678 public performances. It is home to eight resident performing arts companies and has featured mega-musicals such as CATS, Grease, Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera and Big River. The center also hosts the world famous International Ice Carving Competition as part of the Fur Rendezvous festival in February.

The Anchorage Concert Association brings 15 to 20 world-class performing arts events to the community each winter.

Museums

• Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum
• Alaska Naturally [1]
• Anchorage Fire Department (Fire Department Museum - Fire Memorabilia)
• Anchorage Museum of History & Art [2]
• Heritage Library Museum
• Imaginarium: Science Discovery Center [3]
• Oscar Anderson House Museum [4]
• Russian Orthodox Museum [5]
• Wolf Song of Alaska [6]

Cultural parks

• Alaska Native Heritage Center, inc. [7]
• Fraternal Order of Alaska State Troopers [8]

Botanical gardens

• The Alaska Botanical Garden contains over 900 species of hardy perennials and 150 native plant species [9]

Indoor waterparks

• H2Oasis Indoor Waterpark [10]

Zoological Parks and Conservation Centers

• Alaska Zoo [11]

• Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center [12]

Media

Anchorage's leading newspapers are the Anchorage Daily News [13], the Alaska Star [14] and the Anchorage Press [15].

Anchorage is also well served by television and radio. Anchorage's major network television affiliates are KIMO 13(ABC), KTVA 11(CBS), KAKM 7(PBS), KTBY 4(FOX), KTUU 2(NBC), KYES 5(UPN) and KDMD 33(PAX/Shopping). ARCS: The Alaska Rural Communications Service, which provides some original programming and also "cherry-picks" retransmissions from among the broadcast stations in Anchorage, though usually not KIMO except in very rare occasions (such as Iditarod coverage), to provide television service to remote areas.

Leading radio stations include AM Stations KTZN 550-Clear Channel Communications, KHAR 590, KENI 650-Clear Channel Communications, KBYR 700, KFQD 750 and KUDO 1080. FM Stations (KRUA) 88.1-University of Alaska, Anchorage, KAKL 88.5-"Positive, Encouraging K-Love", Christian Music, K-Love, EMF Broadcasting, KATB 89.3, KNBA 90.3, KSKA 91.1, KFAT 92.9-New Northwest Broadcasters, KAFC 93.7, KEAG 97.3, KLEF 98.1, KYMG 98.9-Clear Channel Communications, KBFX 100.5- Clear Channel Communications, KGOT 101.3-Clear Channel Communications, KDBZ 102.1-New Northwest Broadcasters, KMXS 103.1, KBRJ 104.1, KNIK 105.7, KWHL 106.5 and KASH 107.5-Clear Channel Communications.

Sports

Anchorage is home to the Alaska Aces of the ECHL hockey league. The Anchorage Bucs Baseball Club is a summer collegiate baseball team, attracting players from universities throughout the world. The Anchorage Glacier Pilots is a member of the National Baseball Congress. Anchorage is also home to the "Great Alaska Shootout" an annual college basketball tournament that features colleges from all over the U.S.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Anchorage is usually the starting or ending point of most visitors' Alaska vacations, and it serves as the airline hub for the state. Anchorage is served by many national airlines (primarily Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, as well as a number of international and interstate airlines. The Alaska Railroad offers daily summer service to Seward, Talkeetna, Denali Park and Fairbanks. These communities are also served by bus line from Anchorage, and rental cars are available from several companies at or near Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, which is just six miles from downtown Anchorage. Transportation to downtown Anchorage is convenient by taxicab, airport shuttle or hotel courtesy shuttles. Upon arrival, visitors can stop by the Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau Visitor Information Center or the Alaska Visitors Center for direction. Diamond Airport Parking offers long-term parking with free 24-hour shuttle service to the airport. Cruise passengers with a few hours or a full day to explore Anchorage can store their luggage (and fish) at the airport. The Ship Creek Shuttle connects key downtown Anchorage locations with the Ship Creek area, including stops at the Alaska Railroad Depot.

Anchorage also has a bus system called People Mover, with a central hub in downtown Anchorage and satellite hubs at Dimond Center and Muldoon Mall. People Mover also provides point-to-point van services to seniors and those with disabilities, as well as carpool organization services.

There's only one officially designated Interstate Highway in Anchorage. Unlike the Interstate routes in Hawaii, it is unsigned as such. The route, officially Interstate A-1 runs along the Seward and Glenn Highways. The highway is numbered Alaska State Highway 1. A portion of the Seward Highway, about 10 miles of it (known as the New Seward Highway) is built to freeway standards. The Glenn Highway also built to freeway standards goes northeast from Anchorage, six lanes carrying commuter traffic to and from Eagle River, Chugiak and the Matanuska Valley towns of Palmer and Wasilla. The highway is four lanes from Eagle River to the junction with the Parks Highway (Alaska State Highway 3) near Wasilla. Anchorage's roads and the state's highways are asphalt. They're plowed when necessary in the winter. Highway construction is limited to the warm months, so expect some delays, especially on the highways.

As of 2005, Anchorage has a long-range transportation plan. Building the Highway to Highway Connection is a limited-access highway link between the Glenn and Seward highways could be the backbone that efficiently delivers traffic to many destinations throughout the city.

Today, traffic is heavy all day long 5th-6th Avenues, Ingra and Gambell, and spills into East Anchorage neighborhoods to avoid congestion. In the Fairview, Mountain View and Midtown neighborhoods, the new road link would be dug down, out of sight and covered in some areas to allow easy pedestrian and vehicle access across

Neighborhoods currently divided and isolated would be reconnected with each other and downtown

Once complete, the Gambell and Ingra couplet and other surface streets could be returned to pedestrian friendly main streets.

• Reduces traffic on city arterial streets by 100,000 vehicles per day.
• Removes traffic on Mt. View Drive, Bragaw, Lake Otis, 15th, Northern Lights, Tudor, and others.
• Reduces neighborhood traffic intrusion, air pollution, crashes and noise.
• Allows easier and safer pedestrian travel in the Fairview, Mt. View and Midtown neighborhoods.
• Encourages neighborhood investment and development opportunities.
• Requires phased investment and political/ public commitment.
• Improves efficiency of freigh and goods movement.
• Capital Cost: $575 million

Anchorage traffic department websites

• Anchorage long-range transportion plan
• Anchorage traffic department, transportation plan

Medical centers and hospitals

Providence Alaska Medical Center on Providence Drive in Anchorage is the largest hospital in Alaska and is part of Providence Health System in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California. It features the state's most comprehensive range of services. Providence Health System has a history of serving Alaska, beginning when the Sisters of Providence first brought health care to Nome in 1902. As the territory grew during the following decades, so did efforts to provide care. Hospitals were opened in Fairbanks in 1910 and Anchorage in 1937.

Alaska Regional Hospital on DeBarr Road in Anchorage was born in 1963 as Anchorage Presbyterian Hospital, located at 8th and L Street downtown. This predecessor to Alaska Regional was a joint venture between local physicians and the Presbyterian Church. In 1976 the hospital moved to it's present location on DeBarr Road, and is now a 254-bed licensed and accredited facility. Alaska Regional has expanded services and in 1994, Alaska Regional joined with HCA, one of the nation's largest healthcare providers.

Alaska Native Medical Center located on Tudor Road, provides medical care and therapeutic health care to Native Alaskans - 229 tribes of Eskimos and Indians - at the Anchorage site and at 15 satellite facilities throughout the state. ANMC specialists also travel to clinics in the bush to provide care. The 150-bed hospital is also a teaching center for the University of Washington's regional medical education program. ANMC houses an office of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Southcentral Foundation jointly own and manage ANMC.

Education

Education in Anchorage, Eagle River, Fort Richardson and Elmendorf AFB is managed by the Anchorage School District.

Anchorage has an excellent public school system that is ranked among the finest in the nation. The Anchorage School District is the 81st largest district in the United States, with nearly 50,000 students attending 88 schools.

The district's average SAT and ACT college entrance exam scores are consistently above the national average and Advanced Placement courses are offered at each of the district's high schools. The average teacher/student ratio in the district's elementary schools is one teacher to approximately every 25 students.

The district offers a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes the basic communication skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. The standard program also includes social studies, health, science, and physical education. All students receive a quality education enriched with technology, foreign language, visual and performing arts and social sciences.

A variety of programs and alternative learning environments meet the needs of the diverse student population. Some examples include ABC (back-to-basics curriculum) and Montessori schools, open-optional programs, foreign-language immersion, vocational/technical training and charter schools. Comprehensive services for bilingual students and students with special needs are also available.

Private schooling offers choice in private education. Grace Christian School, a K-12 grade community Christian school, offers a rigorous college-preparatory program that emphasizes critical thinking, skill building and character development-within a traditional classroom format. Visit their Web Site at: [16] for more information.

Colleges and universities

Ninty percent of Anchorage's adults have high-school diplomas, 65 percent have attended one to three years of college, and 17 percent hold advanced degrees, placing Anchorage among the top metropolitan cities in educational attainment.

Anchorage boasts four excellent higher-education facilities that offer affordable, quality higher education. The University of Alaska Anchorage[17] and Alaska Pacific University are within walking distance of each other, and Charter College[18] and Wayland Baptist University are also located in city limits.

Anchorage also has other higher education facilities:

• Grainger Leadership Institute, LLC
• Nine Star Enterprises
• CLE International
• Nana Worksafe, Inc.
• PackBear DBA Barr & Co.

Utilities

A full complement of utilities is available within the Anchorage area. Two electric companies provide service, depending on where you live within the Municipality of Anchorage. They are: Municipal Light & Power (ML&P) and Chugach Electric Association.

A municipally owned utility since 1932, ML&P supplies high-quality and reliable electric power to more than 30,000 residential and commercial customers in the Anchorage area.

Chugach Electric Association is a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative that was formed in 1948.

Most homes have natural gas-fueled heat. ENSTAR Natural Gas Company is the sole provider for Anchorage, servicing some 90-percent of the city's population.

While some homes in Anchorage use private wells and septic systems, the Municipality of Anchorage owns and operates the Water and Wastewater Utility serving an approximate population base of 214,000.

Anchorage Municipal Solid Waste Services and Anchorage Refuse conduct trash removal in the city depending on location.

History

Anchorage was carefully laid out by city planners in 1914, originally as a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad, and in 1915, the first sales of town lots were held. In 1915 President Woodrow Wilson authorized funds for the construction of the Alaska Railroad. Ship Creek Landing in Anchorage was selected as the headquarters of this effort. Soon a "Tent City" sprang up at the mouth of Ship Creek and the population quickly swelled to more than 2,000. Would-be entrepreneurs flocked to this bustling frontier town, and brought with them everything necessary to build a city. A popular hardware and clothing store, "The Anchorage," was actually an old dry-docked steamship name "Berth." Although the area had been known by various names, the U.S. Post Office Department formalized the use of the name "Anchorage," and despite some protests the name stuck. In 1920, the United States government relinquished its direct control over the city, and elections were held. Anchorage was incorporated on November 23, 1920. Growth began in the 1940s, with the construction of Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson, which made Anchorage a major defense center. After Alaska became a state, Anchorage faced a severe housing shortage, which was solved partially by suburban expansion.

On March 27, 1964, Anchorage was hit by the Good Friday Earthquake, which registered 9.2 moment magnitude and caused tremendous destruction. It killed 131 people across southcentral Alaska and damage was estimated at over $300 million (1964 dollars). The continued threat of earthquakes has prompted a limit on the height of buildings in the city; the tallest buildings are 21 stories high. In 1975, Anchorage merged with Eagle River, Girdwood, Glen Alps, and several other communities. The merger gave the expanded city, know officially as Anchorage Municipality. The decade of the 1980s was a time of growth, thanks to a flood of North Slope oil revenue into the state treasury. Capital projects and an aggressive beautification program, combined with far-sighted community planning, greatly increased infrastructure and quality of life. By the beginning of the 1990s Anchorage could boast of 259 miles of maintained trails. Hilltop Ski Area was established in 1984, which along with the Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood and Alpenglow Ski Area gave residents three fully operational skiing areas, Tourism and recreational activities. The city has an attractive skyline nonetheless, particularly with the Chugach Mountains, Cook Inlet, or the oft-visible Mount McKinley (also known as Denali) as a backdrop. From Government Hill, one can have the best view of Mount McKinley. Though space is limited in the "Anchorage bowl," as locals call the peninsula on which the city is located, many parks, greenbelts, and other undeveloped areas can be found within the city itself, making it particularly attractive to nature lovers (to say nothing of the attractions available just a short distance outside the city). Over the past thirty years, however, many of these undeveloped areas have filled in with houses, strip malls, and other development. Nonetheless, there is an enormous amount of land under the Anchorage municipal control: some 1,955 square miles (5063 km²) about the size of Delaware. The vast majority of this land is located within the Chugach mountains to the east of the city, which also comprises [[Chugach State Park]

Shopping and Entertainment

Anchorage has restaurants and places to shop. Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall, located in the heart of downtown Anchorage, has 110 stores including Nordstrom, JCPenny and Gap.

There is a full-size family-owned shopping mall in Anchorage: Dimond Center located at the intersection of East Dimond Boulevard and Old Seward Highway is the largest shopping center in Alaska, at 728,000 square feet, with 120,000 square feet of professional office space. The mall is home to over 200 stores and offices and 17 eating establishments, with an ice skating rink, bowling alley, athletic club, library, and Dimond 9 Cinemas. The anchor stores are: Best Buy, Gottschalks and Old Navy. Lodging is offered by the 109-room Dimond Center Hotel. [19]

The Mall at Sears located on East Northern Lights Boulevard has great shopping and food court in the center of town. The Northway Mall is located on Penland Parkway near Airport Heights and the Glenn Highway. Ship Creek Center is a place that has Alaska, Russian gifts, dining, groceries and dancing.

Nightlife

• Al's Alaskan Inn has a local motel and nightclub with 5 bars, karaoke. Over 36,000 songs, three levels, plexiglass dance floor, mezzanine overlooks first floor, abstract iron, diamond-plated decor, lots of bling bling. [20]

• Bruins-Hilton Anchorage Hotel, join the locals for sports on the big screen!

• Chilkoot Charlie's, live music in world famous rustic Alaska saloon. [21]

• Club Millenium, a nightclub for young adults. Hot music and dancing in downtown Anchorage.
• Crazy Horse Saloon/ Crazy Horse Too
• Darwin's Theory
• F Street Station

• Great Alaskan Bush Company 2, come join the party and enjoy the classy entertainment at our world famous club. Casual atmosphere uniquely done in the Alaska saloon tradition.

• Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse has 43 brews on tap, full bar, live music nightly. [22]

• Mr. Whitekeys'Fly By Night Club has fun food, luscious desserts, glitzy drinks, Spam! [23]

• Rumrunner's Old Towne Bar & Grill has microbrews, cocktails, music and great food!

• Snow Goose Restaurant & Sleeping Lady Brewing Co. has great beer, great burger, great pizza, great view. Two great decks with stunning views, live music, and award-winning beers. Our theatre will host meetings, plays, concerts, and large dining events. [24]

• The Alley has live music, full bar, great service and NTN.

• The Shed

Skiing and heli skiing

• Alpenglow at Arctic Valley/ Anchorage Ski Club [25]
• Alyeska Resort [26]
• Hilltop Ski Area
• Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage, Inc. [27]

Heli skiing

• Chugach Adventure Guides [28]

Points of interest

The largest branch of the University of Alaska is located in east-central Anchorage. Despite the relative remoteness of the location, the city sports a lively arts community. The city boasts a symphony orchestra, an opera company and concert association, and numerous independent performance groups. There are also weekly sessions of Irish traditional music, Jazz, and other musical scenes.

There are other features of Anchorage that make it unique: the large tidal range; multiple, beautiful cross-country ski trails; the Fur Rendezvous festival, held each February; America's highest percentage of licensed airplane pilots (with several airports and landing strips in the city or nearby); a very low population density for a city its size; frequent small earthquakes; spring windstorms ("Chinook winds"); active volcanoes nearby (to the southwest, in the Alaska Range, volcanoes such as Mount Spurr, Augustine Volcano, Mount Redoubt, and others have coated the city with ash in recent years); its extreme youth (it was founded in 1915 but didn't grow much until the 1940s); and much else. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Anchorage is definitely an American city, replete with a vibrant business climate, large shopping malls, traffic congestion (one can't easily move about by foot and public transportation in the middle of winter), suburban-style subdivisions and two suburbs, Eagle River and Chugiak, unless one counts the massive numbers of commuters who drive from as far away as the Matanuska Valley communities of Wasilla and Palmer.

Anchorage has been named an All America City in the years 1956, 1965, 1984-85 and most recently in 2002. The city won its latest award based on civic activities like the 2001 Special Olympics Winter Games, the Anchorage Youth Court, and Bridge Builders.

Sister cities

Today, Anchorage has six Sister Cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc.:

• Chitose, Japan
• Darwin, Australia
• Incheon, Korea
• Magadan, Russia
• Tromso, Norway
• Whitby, England

External links

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
• The Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau
• The Alaska Visitors Center
• The Municipality of Anchorage.
• Anchorage All-America City 2002 Information
• Photographic virtual tour of Anchorage.

	State of Alaska
Capital	Juneau
Regions	Alaskan Bush | Interior | North Slope | Panhandle | South Central | Tanana Valley
Largest cities	Anchorage | Barrow | Bethel | Fairbanks | Homer | Juneau | Kenai | Ketchikan | Kodiak | Kotzebue | Nome | Palmer | Petersburg | Seward | Sitka | Unalaska | Valdez | Wasilla
Boroughs, census areas	Aleutians East | Aleutians West | Anchorage | Bethel | Bristol Bay | Denali | Dillingham | Fairbanks North Star | Haines | Juneau | Kenai Peninsula | Ketchikan Gateway | Kodiak Island | Lake and Peninsula | Matanuska-Susitna | Nome | North Slope | Northwest Arctic | Prince of Wales - Outer Ketchikan | Sitka | Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon | Southeast Fairbanks | Valdez-Cordova | Wade Hampton | Wrangell-Petersburg | Yakutat | Yukon-Koyukuk