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Municipality of Skagway | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Skagway in 2009 | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: "Gateway to the Klondike" | |
 Location of Skagway in Alaska | |
| Coordinates: 59°27′30″N 135°18′50″W / 59.45833°N 135.31389°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Founded | 1897 |
| Incorporated (city) | June 28, 1900 |
| Incorporated (borough) | June 5, 2007 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sam Bass[1] |
| • State senator | Jesse Kiehl (D) |
| • State rep. | Sara Hannan (D) |
| Area | |
• Borough | 9.49 sq mi (24.59 km2) |
| • Land | 9.45 sq mi (24.46 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.12 km2) |
| Elevation | 33 ft (10 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Borough | 1,240 |
| • Density | 130/sq mi (50/km2) |
| • Urban (CDP)[3] | 1,164 |
| Time zone | UTC−9 (AKST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−8 (AKDT) |
| Zip Code | 99840 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-70760 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1414754 2339479 |
| Website | skagway.org |
The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240,[3] up from 968 in 2010.[4] The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal with the large number of summer tourists each year.[5] Incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007, it was previously a city (urban Skagway located at 59°27′30″N 135°18′50″W / 59.45833°N 135.31389°W) in the Skagway-Yakutat-Angoon Census Area (now the Hoonah–Angoon Census Area, Alaska).[5] The most populated community is the census-designated place of Skagway.
Skagway, on the Taiya Inlet, was an important saltwater port during the Klondike Gold Rush. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, part of the area's mining past, now in operation purely for the tourist trade and running throughout the summer months, has its starting point at the port of Skagway. Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships, and the tourist trade is a big part of the business of Skagway.
Skagway is also the setting for part of Jack London's book The Call of the Wild, Will Hobbs's book Jason's Gold, and Joe Haldeman's novel, Guardian. The John Wayne film North to Alaska (1960) was filmed nearby.
The name Skagway (historically also spelled Skaguay) is the English divergent of sha-ka-ԍéi, a Tlingit idiom which figuratively refers to rough seas in the Taiya Inlet, which are caused by strong north winds.[6] (See, "Etymology and the Mythical Stone Woman", below.)
- ^ "Municipality of Skagway Borough". skagway.org. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places" (Web). State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ a b June 5, 2008, election, Skaguay News, summer edition, 2008. Page 17.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Thorntonwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).