Government Hill, Anchorage

61°13′50″N 149°52′28″W / 61.23056°N 149.87444°W / 61.23056; -149.87444

Government Hill runs across the midground in this view looking northeast from the Hotel Captain Cook in downtown Anchorage. Only the water tower, AT&T Alascom headquarters and Hollywood Vista site can be plainly seen, with tall trees along the bluff obscuring the rest of the view.

Government Hill is a neighborhood in the northwest part of Anchorage, Alaska, United States, sitting in between Anchorage's downtown area and the western reaches of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, specifically the portion formerly known as Elmendorf Air Force Base. The neighborhood is named for the "hill" it sits on of about 115 feet (35 m)[1] bearing the same name, which is actually a bluff which rises alongside the northern banks of Ship Creek. The origins of the name date to 1915, when a federal land reserve was created in the area for the Alaska Engineering Commission, then heavily involved in constructing the Alaska Railroad nearby.[2]

The neighborhood sits alongside Knik Arm in north Anchorage. It is very ethnically diverse. Numerous Korean emigrants to Anchorage over the years have made Government Hill their first home in the city. Many residents work either in downtown Anchorage or at JBER, which flank the neighborhood to the south and north, respectively. Both are within walking distance.

  1. ^ >Radar Structure of Earthquake-Induced, Coastal Landslides in Anchorage, Alaska - USGS WR CMG
  2. ^ Hoagland, Alison K. (1993). Buildings of Alaska. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 102–104. ISBN 0-19-507363-0.