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Anchorage, Alaska
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Borough, City
Official name: Municipality of Anchorage
Motto: Big Wild Life
Nickname: The City of Lights and Flowers
Country
United States
State
Alaska
Elevation 102 ft (31 m)
Coordinates 149°53′57″W / 61.21833°N 149.89917°W / 61.21833; -149.89917
Area 1,961.1 sq mi (5,079 km2)
- land 1,697.2 sq mi (4,396 km2)
- water 263.9 sq mi (683 km2)
Population 279,243 (2008) [1]
- metro 359,180 [4]
Density 164.2 /sq mi (63 /km2)
Founded 1914
- Incorporated November 23, 1920
Mayor Dan Sullivan
Timezone AKST (UTC-9)
- summer (DST) AKDT (UTC-8)
ZIP code 99501–99524, 99530
Area code 907
FIPS code 02-03000
GNIS feature ID 1398242
Website: www.muni.org
Anchorage (officially called the Municipality of Anchorage [MOA]) is a consolidated city-borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. With an estimated 279,243 municipal residents in 2008[1] (359,180 residents within the Metropolitan Statistical Area),[2] it is Alaska's largest city and constitutes more than 40 percent of the state's total population; only New York has a higher percentage of residents who live in the state's largest city. Anchorage has been named All-America City four times, in 1956, 1965, 1984/85, and 2002, by the National Civic League.[3] It has also been named by Kiplinger as the most tax friendly city in the United States.[4]
History
Anchorage, unlike every other large town in Alaska south of the Brooks Range, was neither a fishing nor mining camp. The area within tens of miles of Anchorage is barren of significant economic metal minerals; there is no fishing fleet operating out of Anchorage. The city grew from its happenstance choice as the site, in 1914, of a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad. The railroad was built between 1915 and 1923. Ship Creek Landing, where the railroad headquarters was located, quickly became a tent city; Anchorage was incorporated on November 23, 1920. The city's economy in the 1920s centered around the railroad. Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the city experienced massive growth as air transportation and the military became increasingly important. Merrill Field opened in 1930, and Anchorage International Airport opened in 1951. Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort Richardson were constructed in the 1940s.
On March 27, 1964, Anchorage was hit by the magnitude 9.2 Good Friday Earthquake, which killed 115 Alaskans and caused $1.8 billion in damage (2007 U.S. dollars). The earth-shaking event lasted nearly five minutes; most structures that failed remained intact the first few minutes, then failed with repeated flexing. It was the second largest earthquake in the recorded history of the world. Rebuilding dominated the city in the mid 1960s.
In 1968, oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay, 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.
Geography
Anchorage is located in South Central Alaska. It lies slightly farther north than Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and St. Petersburg, but not as far north as Reykjavik 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 Alaska Panhandle, and nearly due south of Mount McKinley/Denali. The city is on a strip of coastal lowland and extends up the lower alpine slopes of the Chugach Mountains. 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 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 seacoast 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 the tide is out and have become stuck in the mud. The two recorded instances of this occurred in 1961 and 1988.[5] Contrary to popular belief, these unfortunate people usually die of hypothermia due to the very cold water before they drown.[citation needed]
Climate
Anchorage has a subarctic climate (the Köppen climate classification is Dfc) but with strong maritime influences that moderate temperatures. Average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately 55 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 26 degrees Celsius); average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 30 degrees (−15 to −1 degrees Celsius). Anchorage has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 100 days.
Average January low and high temperatures at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (PANC) are 9 °F/22 °F (−13 °C/-5 °C) with an average winter snowfall of 70.60 inches (179.3 cm). The 1954–1955 winter had 132.8 inches (337.3 cm), which made it the snowiest winter on record. The coldest temperature ever recorded at the original weather station located at Merrill Field on the East end of 5th Avenue was −38 °F (−38.8 °C) on February 3, 1947.
Summers are typically mild (although cool compared to the contiguous US and even interior Alaska), and it can rain frequently. Average July low and high temperatures are 52 °F/66 °F (11 °C/19 °C) and the hottest reading ever recorded was 92 °F (33.3 °C) on June 25, 1953. The average annual precipitation at the airport is 16.07 inches (408 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 decreases the amount of sunlight experienced by residents.[6]
Owing to its proximity to active volcanoes, ash hazards are a significant, though infrequent, occurrence. The most recent notable volcanic activiy centered around the multiple eruptions of Mt.Redoubt during March–April 2009, resulting in a 25,000-foot (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 located 78 miles (126 km) west of the city.[7] The eruption deposited about 3 mm (0.1 in) of volcanic ash on the city. The clean-up of ash resulted in excessive demands for water and caused major problems for the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility.
Climate data for Anchorage, Alaska Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high °F (°C) 56
(13) 57
(14) 56
(13) 72
(22) 82
(28) 92
(33) 84
(29) 85
(29) 73
(23) 64
(18) 62
(17) 53
(12) 92
(33)
Average high °F (°C) 22
(-5.6) 26
(-3.3) 34
(1.1) 44
(6.7) 55
(12.8) 62
(16.7) 65
(18.3) 63
(17.2) 55
(12.8) 40
(4.4) 28
(-2.2) 24
(-4.4) 43
(6.1)
Average low °F (°C) 9
(-12.8) 12
(-11.1) 18
(-7.8) 29
(-1.7) 39
(3.9) 47
(8.3) 52
(11.1) 49
(9.4) 41
(5) 28
(-2.2) 16
(-8.9) 11
(-11.7) 29
(-1.7)
Record low °F (°C) -35
(-37) -38
(-39) -24
(-31) -15
(-26) 1
(-17) 29
(-2) 34
(1) 31
(-1) 19
(-7) -6
(-21) -21
(-29) -36
(-38) -38
(-39)
Rainfall inches (mm) 0.68
(17.3) 0.74
(18.8) 0.65
(16.5) 0.52
(13.2) 0.70
(17.8) 1.06
(26.9) 1.70
(43.2) 2.93
(74.4) 2.87
(72.9) 2.09
(53.1) 1.09
(27.7) 1.05
(26.7) 16.08
(408.4)
Snowfall inches (mm) 10.7
(271.8) 11.5
(292.1) 9.0
(228.6) 4.8
(121.9) 0.4
(10.2) 0.0
(0) 0.0
(0) 0.0
(0) 0.3
(7.6) 7.3
(185.4) 10.7
(271.8) 14.8
(375.9) 69.5
(1,765.3)
% Humidity 59.5 73.5 68.5 61.5 58.0 58.0 64.0 70.0 72.0 71.0 72.0 75.5 74.5
Source: http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/monthly/USAK0012 October 7, 2009
Source #2: http://www.climate-zone.com/climate/united-states/alaska/anchorage/ February 15, 2010
Wildlife
