Anchorage, Alaska
As Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage holds two-fifths of the entire state’s population. Anchorage’s population is just over 350,000. Named an All-America City several times in its history, Anchorage is known for its ability to adapt to a climate which is extremely unusual to the rest of the United States.
Established in 1914 as a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad, Anchorage had humble beginnings as a tent city with a working population. Originally the city’s economy was based on the railroad, but by the 1950s, the city experienced a massive boom due to an increased amount of air transportation and military presence. Anchorage’s development was dramatically halted in 1964 when the Good Friday Earthquake, a stunning magnitude 9.2 quake, struck Alaska, killing 115 Alaskans and causing $1.8 billion dollars worth of damage. The rest of the decade was devoted to reconstruction of the city. An oil boom in 1968 caused massive growth once again in the city, and from then until today, Anchorage has experienced much expansion and beautification.
Anchorage sits in south central Alaska on a strip of coastal lowlands. To the south is a fjord with record-breaking tides called the Turnagain Arm, while Knik Arm lies to the north and west. The Chugach Mountains reign the city limits in to the east. A subarctic climate means that Anchorage experiences lows in the mid 50s and highs in the mid 70s during the summer, and lows in the single digits and highs in the 30s during the winter. Summer days are very long and winter days are very short.
Alaskan culture is distinguishable from the rest of the United States because of its geographical situation. Along with performing arts, most of which taking place in the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, and chamber music societies, cultural events in Anchorage include ice carving competitions and summer festivals. Several museums in Alaska, including the Alaska Museum of Natural History and the Oscar Anderson House Museum, are housed in Anchorage. Hockey is the most popular sport in Anchorage and the Alaska Aces is one of the city’s two professional sports teams.
