Anchorage, Alaska: City in Alaska, United States of America
Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, United States.
With a population of 291,247 residents (as of 2020), it makes up nearly two-fifths of the state's population.
Anchorage | |
|---|---|
 Downtown Anchorage and Bootleggers Cove as photographed from Point Woronzof Park on an April evening. | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nicknames: "The City of Lights and Flowers", "Los Anchorage" | |
| Motto: Big Wild Life | |
 Location of Anchorage within Alaska | |
| Coordinates: 61°13′00″N 149°53′37″W / 61.21667°N 149.89361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Anchorage |
| Settled | 1914 |
| Incorporated |
|
| Named for | The anchorage at the mouth of Ship Creek |
| Area | |
| • City and Borough | 1,946.69 sq mi (5,041.89 km2) |
| • Land | 1,706.89 sq mi (4,420.81 km2) |
| • Water | 239.80 sq mi (621.08 km2) |
| • Urban | 78.8 sq mi (204 km2) |
| Elevation | 102 ft (31 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • City and Borough | 291,247 |
| • Rank | |
| • Density | 170.6/sq mi (65.88/km2) |
| • Urban | 249,252 (US: 164th) |
| • Urban density | 2,718.4/sq mi (1,049.6/km2) |
| • Metro | 398,807 (US: 137th) |
| Demonyms |
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| Time zone | UTC-9 (AKST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP code | 99501–99524, 99529–99530, 99599 |
| Area code | 907 |
| Geocode | 1398242 |
| FIPS code | 02-03000 |
| Climate | Subarctic |
| Website | www |
History
Anchorage was originally a construction camp during the building of the Alaska Railroad. By 1920, it had grown to the point where it was decided to officially make it a city. Being at the head of Cook Inlet it became an important place for shipping in Alaska because ships could load and unload cargo to and from the new railroad.
In the 1940, an both the army and the air force built bases near Anchorage, and it got even bigger. In 1964, Anchorage was hit by the Good Friday Earthquake, the second strongest earthquake ever recorded. Over a hundred people died and a lot of buildings in and around Anchorage were destroyed.
Over the next few years, a lot of work went into rebuilding the city and making the buildings better in case there was another earthquake. In 1968, oil was discovered up in the Arctic region of Alaska, and Anchorage again got bigger quickly and merged with other towns in the area. Today it is a modern city with a very large international airport, a large sea port that is very busy, and all the other things you would expect to find in a big city.
Utilities
Water for the city comes from Eklutna Lake.
The city's electricity comes from power plants in the city and from a dam also fed by Eklutna Lake.
Heat for homes comes from natural gas provided by Enstar Natural Gas Company.
Climate
Anchorage has a subarctic climate (Dfc in the Köppen climate classification).
References
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