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Anchorage, Alaska

Coordinates: 61°13′00″N 149°53′37″W / 61.21667°N 149.89361°W / 61.21667; -149.89361
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anchorage
Downtown Anchorage and Bootleggers Cove as photographed from Point Woronzof Park on an April evening.
Downtown Anchorage and Bootleggers Cove as photographed from Point Woronzof Park on an April evening.
Flag of Anchorage
Official seal of Anchorage
Nicknames: 
"The City of Lights and Flowers", "Los Anchorage"[1][2]
Motto: 
Big Wild Life
Location of Anchorage within Alaska
Location of Anchorage within Alaska
Coordinates: 61°13′00″N 149°53′37″W / 61.21667°N 149.89361°W / 61.21667; -149.89361
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughAnchorage
Settled1914
Incorporated
  • November 23, 1920 (city)
  • January 1, 1964 (borough)
  • September 15, 1975
    (unified municipality)
Named forThe anchorage at the mouth of Ship Creek
Area
 • City and Borough1,946.69 sq mi (5,041.89 km2)
 • Land1,706.89 sq mi (4,420.81 km2)
 • Water239.80 sq mi (621.08 km2)
 • Urban
78.8 sq mi (204 km2)
Elevation
102 ft (31 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City and Borough291,247
 • Rank
  • 1st in Alaska
  • 73rd in the United States
 • Density170.6/sq mi (65.88/km2)
 • Urban
249,252 (US: 163rd)[4]
 • Urban density2,718.4/sq mi (1,049.6/km2)
 • Metro
398,328 (US: 136th)
Demonyms
  • Anchoragite
  • Anchoriginal (informal)
Time zoneUTC-9 (AKST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99501–99524, 99529–99530, 99599
Area code907
Geocode1398242
FIPS code02-03000
ClimateSubarctic
Websitewww.muni.org

Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, United States. With a population of 291,247 residents (as of 2020),[5] it makes up nearly two-fifths of the state's population.

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

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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.

Anchorage has a subarctic climate (Dfc in the Köppen climate classification).

References

[change | change source]
  1. Cochran, Jessica. "Alaska Cultural Connections: Los Anchorage". Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  2. Cole, Dermot (September 25, 2011). "'Los Anchorage' may seem a world apart, but it's not alien territory". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Archived from the original on September 29, 2018. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  4. "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "QuickFacts: Anchorage municipality, Alaska". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 9, 2023.