Anchorage, Alaska

"Anchorage" redirects here. For other uses, see Anchorage (disambiguation).

Anchorage
Dgheyay Kaq' (Tanaina)
Consolidated city-borough
Municipality of Anchorage
Anchorage Skyline with USS Anchorage departing
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Downtown Anchorage
Alaska Native Heritage Center
Chugach State Park
Anchorage Museum
Port of Alaska
Flag of Anchorage
Flag
Official seal of Anchorage
Seal
Nicknames: 
"The City of Lights and Flowers", "Los Anchorage"[1][2]
Motto: 
Big Wild Life
Map
Interactive map of Anchorage
Anchorage is located in Anchorage
Anchorage
Anchorage
Anchorage is located in Alaska
Anchorage
Anchorage
Anchorage is located in North America
Anchorage
Anchorage
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
Government
 • BodyAnchorage Assembly
 • MayorSuzanne LaFrance
 • Alaska Senate
Senators
 • Alaska House
Representatives
Area
[3]
1,946.69 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)[5]
291,247
 • Estimate 
(2023)[6]
286,075 Decrease
 • Rank
  • 1st in Alaska
  • 74th in the United States
 • Density170.6/sq mi (65.88/km2)
 • Urban
249,252 (US: 164th)[4]
 • Urban density2,718.4/sq mi (1,049.6/km2)
 • Metro
398,807 (US: 137th)
Demonyms
  • Anchoragite
  • Anchoriginal (informal)
GDP
[7][8]
 • Consolidated city-borough$27.809 billion (2022)
 • Metro$31.569 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC-9 (AKST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99501–99524, 99529–99530, 99599
Area code907
Geocode1398242
FIPS code02-03000
ClimateDfc
Websitemuni.org

Anchorage (Tanaina: Dgheyay Kaq'; Dgheyaytnu), officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census,[5][9] it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 398,328 in 2020,[10] accounting for more than half the state's population. At 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km2) of land area, the city is the fourth-largest by area in the U.S.[11]

Anchorage is in Southcentral Alaska, at the terminus of the Cook Inlet, on a peninsula formed by the Knik Arm to the north and the Turnagain Arm to the south.[12] First settled as a tent city near the mouth of Ship Creek in 1915 when construction on the Alaska Railroad began, Anchorage was incorporated as a city in November 1920.[13][14] In September 1975, the City of Anchorage merged with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough, creating the Municipality of Anchorage.[15] The municipal city limits span 1,961.1 sq mi (5,079.2 km2), encompassing the urban core, a joint military base,[16] several outlying communities, and almost all of Chugach State Park.[17] Because of this, less than 10 percent of the Municipality (or Muni) is populated, with the highest concentration of people in the 100 square-mile area that makes up the city proper, on a promontory at the headwaters of the inlet, commonly called Anchorage, the City of Anchorage, or the Anchorage Bowl.[18]

Due to its location, almost equidistant from New York City, Tokyo, and Murmansk, Russia (straight over the North Pole), Anchorage lies within 10 hours by air of nearly 90 percent of the global north.[19][20] For this reason, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a common refueling stop for international cargo flights and home to a major FedEx hub, which the company calls a "critical part" of its global network of services.[21][22]

Anchorage has won the All-America City Award four times: in 1956, 1965, 1984–85, and 2002, from the National Civic League.[23] Kiplinger has named it the United States' most tax-friendly city.[24]

  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. ^ a b "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". United States Census Bureau. January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  7. ^ "Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Anchorage Municipality County, AK". www.fred.stlouisfed.org.
  8. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Anchorage, AK (MSA)". www.fred.stlouisfed.org.
  9. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts Anchorage Municipality (County), Alaska; Anchorage municipality, Alaska". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places" (Web). State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  11. ^ Jegede, Abayomi (July 2, 2021). "Top 10 Largest Cities in USA by Land Area". Trendrr. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Alaska Geography". Archived from the original on October 18, 2014.
  13. ^ Naske, Claus-M. (1987). Alaska: A History of the 49th State. University of Oklahoma Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-8061-2573-2.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference ADCRF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Municode Library". Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  16. ^ Fulton, William; Daniels, Jessica; de la Peña, Benjamin (2008). "Case Studies in Smart Growth Implementation – Anchorage, Alaska" (PDF). Smart Growth Leadership Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  17. ^ State of Alaska. "Chugach State Park, Alaska State Parks". alaska.gov. Archived from the original on August 14, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  18. ^ "Anchorage Bowl Land Use Plan Map – Anchorage Bowl Comprehensive Plan – Community Discussion Draft 2/29/16" (PDF). Municipality of Anchorage. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  19. ^ "Anchorage Int'l Airport Serves as Pit Stop for Global Cargo Carriers – Airport Improvement Magazine". airportimprovement.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
  20. ^ "Iceland airline's 'over the top' flights will connect Alaska to Europe". Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  21. ^ "Latest Global News" (PDF). About FedEx. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
  22. ^ "Alaskan airport set to be the new stopover between Europe and Asia-Pacific". Independent.co.uk. February 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  23. ^ "National Civil League All-America winners by state". National Civic League. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
  24. ^ "Top 10 Tax-Friendly Cities". Kiplinger. April 24, 2007. Archived from the original on February 24, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2016.