Alaska (Alyeska)
All things Alaska
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Alaska (Alyeska) (alaska.shtml) | Updated: 01-Jan-2009 - 02:48
I visited Alaska on a business trip (2 days) many years ago and hope to get back some day for a real visit. I was able to briefly see Palmer and Anchorage. I visited in June and would like to someday get back for summer and winter. Maybe even drive up the Alaska Highway, watch the start of the The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, visit Denila National Park
Alaska (Alyaska) is an exclave and a state of the United States of America located west of Canada in the extreme northwest portion of North America. A state of superlatives, it has the largest area, the highest mountain and greatest difference in elevation, the most extensive wilderness, and the most lakes, shoreline, and wetlands of any state, yet has the lowest population density.
The area that became Alaska was purchased from Russian interests on October 18, 1867, for $7,200,000. The land went through several administrative changes before becoming an organized territory in 1912 and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. The name "Alaska" is derived from the Aleut alaxsxaq, meaning "the mainland", or more literally "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed".
More at WidipediA: Alaska
Origin of Name It's a Russian version of an Aleutian Indian name, Alyeska, meaning peninsula, or great land.
In 1867 the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for just over $7,000,000 (2 cents and acre) - one of the greatest land deals ever recorded.
The Gold Rush of the late 19th century put the state on the map, then followed by the Prudhoe Bay oil and gas reservoir discovery in 1968, Alaska quickly began its incredible economic contribution (in the billions) to the U.S. economy.
Larger than Texas, California and Montana combined, it's so gigantic and rugged that the private airplane has (in many areas) replaced the family car.
Alaska Cities & Towns
Alaska Web Cams
- Alaska Webcams - Juneau Cams, Anchorage Cams, Dutch Harbor Cams, Far North Webcams and more...
- Borealis Webcam Multiview - Anchorage and McGrath
- Alaska Webcams
- More Alaska Webcams - link
- Top 10 World Webcams - link
- Alaska Airmen's Web Cam on Lake Hood
Quick Links
More Alaska
- everything2.com
- Alaska Air & Airplane Links
- Sled Dog Racing & Mushing
- Mushers
- Totally Random Alaska Links
- Alaska Highway
- Books: General, History & Human Interest
- The State of Alaska
- Welcome to Alaska
- Alaska Building - link
- ancestry.com - link
- Alaska Aurora Forecast - link
- AuroraWebCam.com
- Anchorage Chamber of Commerce - Home
- Alaska State Land Offerings - link
- Remote Recreational Cabin Sites Program - link
- The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race
- Alaska Railroad - link
- Official Anchorage Alaska Travel Guide - link
News
- Anchorage Daily News
WidipediA: The Anchorage Daily News is a daily newspaper based in Anchorage, Alaska, in the United States. It is the most widely read newspaper in the state.
- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
WidipediA: The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner is a newspaper that serves the city of Fairbanks, Alaska and Fairbanks North Star Borough
Weather
- Alaska Weather Information
- PA, CA, HI Weather Comparison
- Very Cool Alaska Weather Map - link
Travel & Road Conditions
Alaska Web Cams
Click on web cam image below for more information and larger view.
Anchorage
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Barrow
Fairbanks
Nome
The area code for the entire state is 907, by the way, so all telephone numbers below are prefaced by that area code. For further information, visit the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau
Alaska is actually the northern, western and easternmost point in the United States. The Aleutian Chain extends into the Eastern Hemisphere.
Alaska has about one registered pilot for every 58 residents, six times as many pilots per capita and 14 times as many airplanes per capita as the rest of the United States.
Anchorage
It is the largest city in the state of Alaska and metropolitan area comprises of more than over 50% of the Alaska's total population.
The AlaskaCam view is looking east on 4th Avenue at G Street in Anchorage, Alaska ("The Busy Corner") from high atop the historic Alaska Building and is updated every twenty seconds.
Anchorage
Anchorage was established in 1914 as a railroad construction port for the Alaska Railroad, which 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. 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, Anchorage merged with Eagle River, Girdwood, Glen Alps, and several other communities. The merger expanded the city, known officially as the Municipality of Anchorage. The city continued to grow in the 1980s, and capital projects and an aggressive beautification campaign took place.
Downtown Anchorage is on a grid, so it's very easy to find ones way around. East/west streets are alphabetical, while north/south streets are numbered. It is Alaska's hub and largest city, with a population of 260,000 people -- 40% of everyone in the entire state.
Links
- City of Anchorage, AK
- Google Map
- AlaskaCam.com
- google Map
- WikipediA
- Municipality of Anchorage
- anchorage.net
- Overview of Anchorage, Alaska - link
- Google Map
- University of Alaska Anchorage NEW
- City-data.com
- Good Friday Earthquake - link
Anchorage Area Listings
Links
The Anchorage Daily News, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Company
Info
(from their site) - Alaska's best source of news and information, the Pulitzer Prize winning Anchorage Daily News has a tradition of excellence dating back to 1946.
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Anchorage Fur Rendezvous
400 D Street #200
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Phone: (907) 274-1177
Fax: (907) 277-2199
Links
Festival Info
( from festival site ) - The Fur Rondy Festival is a significant part of the history and tradition of Anchorage. In the mid 1930’s, Anchorage was just a small town of about 3,000 people that stretched between Park Strip and Ship Creek. There were no televisions, malls or movie theaters, no video games, ipods or computers, not even an Iditarod! Winters were brutal and stoking fires, shoveling snow and surviving the elements was the basic daily pastime in those days.
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Barrow (Utqiagvik) - Top of the World
Barrow is the northernmost settlement on the North American mainland and in the United States, and one of the northernmost towns of more than 2,000 residents in the world.
The webcam image above is taken from the 4-story ASRC building in
downtown Barrow, Alaska near the
beach and updated every 5 minutes.
This image is been recorded by a web cam overlooking the landfast ice (or coastal ocean during the ice-free period in summer). The camera is looking approximately WNW.
Cantore Stories: Life in Barrow, Alaska
November 10, 2008, The Weather Channel, Cantore Stories: On Top of the World . It chronicles the lives of Barrow, Alaska residents who live and survive in one of the most extreme climates in the United States.
Arctic Ocean both cools and warms Barrow, Alaska
By Jack Williams, USATODAY.com BARROW, Alaska — On just about any day during the summer Barrow records the lowest daily temperature in the USA; usually in the 30s. During the middle of winter, however, the USA's lowest temperatures are usually recorded much farther south in Alaska.
Links
- The City of Barrow Official Site
Barrow is the economic, transportation and administrative center for the North Slope Borough. Located on the Chukchi Sea coast, Barrow is the northernmost community in the United States.The community is traditionally known as Ukpeagvik, “place where snowy owls are hunted.” Barrow was incorporated as a first-class city in 1959.
- google Map
- WikipediA
Interesting Links
- The City of Barrow Official Site
Barrow is the economic, transportation and administrative center for the North Slope Borough. Located on the Chukchi Sea coast, Barrow is the northernmost community in the United States.The community is traditionally known as Ukpeagvik, “place where snowy owls are hunted.” Barrow was incorporated as a first-class city in 1959.
- google Map
- WikipediA
- City of Barrow, Alaska
Barrow is the northernmost city in Alaska, 340 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the largest municipal government in the world, and the nation's farthest northern community. With approximately 4,500 residents, the Barrow area is probably the harshest polar location in Alaska.
- North Slope Borough
The North Slope Borough encompasses 89,000 square miles of Arctic territory at the top of Alaska. Our land is home to traditions born of a culture ages old. It is also home to resources like oil and gas, which have enabled our people, the Iñupiat, to enter the cash economy of the modern world with self-determination and an enduring respect for the survival skills taught to us by our ancestors.
- KBRW - Top of the World Radio
The station, which began broadcasting at noon on December 22, 1974, is the only radio station serving an approximate area of 88,000 square miles. It started modestly with a $180,000 grant from the State of Alaska and after 22 months of planning, KBRW began broadcasting with 1,000 watts of power and programmed music shows, hosted by a cadre of community volunteers. That signal was strengthened in the villages starting in 1988 with a series of five translators, one for each out-lying village served.
- City-data.com
- Barrow, Alaska
- everything2.com: Barrow, Alaska
- The Artic Sounder - link
Serving the Northwest Arctic Borough and the North Slope Borough. The Arctic Sounder is published each Thursday by Alaska Newspapers, Inc.
- If I Can Take It There, I Can Take It Anywhere, Outside magazine article, June 1996
- Tough Sledding, Forbes.com article by James M. Clash
- Barrow Alaska Tribute by Jeffery Sward
- Annie Patterson Illustration & Design - link
Interesting Info - Barrow, Alaska
On November 18 or 19 the sun goes down, and remains below the horizon for about 65 days until it re-appears, normally on January 22 or 23. During that time there is a decreasing amount of twilight each day, and on December 21st, about the shortest day of the year, civil twilight in Barrow lasts for a mere 3 hours.
Barrow Area Listings
KBRW
Top of The World Radio
Silakkuagvik Communications, Inc.
KBRW AM/FM
PO BOX 109
Barrow, Alaska 99723
Phone: 907-852-6811
Links
Listing Info
( from their site ) - KBRW maintains its broadcast studios on donated land at 1695 Okpik Street in Barrow.
The station, which began broadcasting at noon on December 22, 1974, is the only radio station serving an approximate area of 88,000 square miles. It started modestly with a $180,000 grant from the State of Alaska and after 22 months of planning, KBRW began broadcasting with 1,000 watts of power and programmed music shows, hosted by a cadre of community volunteers. That signal was strengthened in the villages starting in 1988 with a series of five translators, one for each out-lying village served.
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Fairbanks
Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state.
The ArcticCam, located in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner building in Fairbanks, Alaska, overlooks downtown Fairbanks, the Chena River and the Cushman Street Bridge.
The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is held every February. It runs from Whitehorse, Yukon to Fairbanks, Alaska in odd-numbered years, and from Fairbanks to Whitehorse in even-numbered years.
Web Cams
- First Avenue in Fairbanks, across from Golden Heart Park - Live (Courtesy of Festival Fairbanks)
Fairbanks Links
- City of Fairbanks, AK
- Google Map
- google Map
- WikipediA
- Fairbanks Alaska Visitor Information Site
- Fairbanks North Star Borough
- Alaska Climate Research Center NEW
- Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (newspaper)
- University of Alaska Fairbanks NEW
- City-data.com
- Festival Fairbanks
- Festival Fairbanks : Golden Heart Plaza - Web Cam
- Festival Fairbanks : 1st Avenue Web Cam
Nenana Links
Are the mosquitoes bad in Fairbanks?
No. Fairbanks has some of the best behaved mosquitoes in the world.
Fairbanks Area Listings
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Links
2009 World Ice Art Championships
Feb. 24-Mar. 22, 2009 - - - 10 AM to 10 PM daily
Info
(from Ice Alaska's site) Ice Alaska, Inc. is a nonprofit Corporation formed by Fairbanksans in October 1989.
The World Ice Art Championships are an international ice sculpture competition held annually in Fairbanks Alaska and sponsored by Ice Alaska, a non-profit corporation formed in 1990. An annual event has been held in Fairbanks, Alaska each March since 1988, when the tradition of ice sculpture, a feature of the Fairbanks Winter Carnival celebrations held during the 1930's, was revived. Since 1988, there has been participation by sculptors from more than thirty countries, including France, Russia, China, Sweden, Morocco, Malaysia, England, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Finland. Typically there are about 100 sculptors participating in the event.
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Links
- www.nenanaakiceclassic.com
- google Map
- WidipediA:: Nenana, Alaska
- The Nenana Ice Classic: Betting on Warming
Info
(from their site) The Nenana Ice Classic is a non-profit corporation formed by the residents of Nenana, Alaska, for the purpose of conducting an annual ice pool contest under special statutory authority enacted the first state legislature in 1960. The Association was incorporated by the State of Alaska in December 1972. Previously it had operated as an unincorporated association.
Tickets are on sale from February 1st thru April 5th of each year.
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Nome
Nome is the commercial hub of northwestern Alaska, as well as the site for the finish of the 1049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from Anchorage each March.
City of Nome's Webcam Is here! It looks over the Visitor Center and out to Norton Sound, part of the Bering Sea. Near the end of the Iditarod race the camera over looks the finish line and the "Burled Arch" on Front Street.
THE IDITAROD SLED DOG RACE
Nome is the finish line for the annual Iditarod Race. Known as "The Last Great Race on Earth", mushers and
dogs travel 1,049 miles from Anchorage to Nome each March. End of the Trail activities are held in Nome during the entire
month. For more information, contact the Nome Convention & Visitors Bureau or the Iditarod Trail Committee, P.O. Box
870800, Wasilla, Alaska, 99687.
Front Street, Nome, Alaska, circa 1908.
The Nome Nugget (Nome Frozen In)
Links
- Nome Cam
- google Map
- WikipediA
- City of Nome, Alaska
The City of Nome is Alaska's oldest continuous first class city, incorporated on April 9, 1901. Nome is located on the south coast of the Seward Peninsula facing Norton Sound, part of the Bering Sea.
- City of Nome, AK
- Google Map
- City-data.com
- Nome Chamber of Commerce
More Alaska Cities
Juneau, Kotzebue, Sitka, Whittier
Links
Info
Juneau is the capital city of Alaska. The only capital city in the USA with no road access into the city.
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Links
- City of Kotzebue, Alaska Official Site - (link )
- google Map
- WidipediA: Kotzebue
- Photographs of Kotzebue Alaska - (link ) Pictures of buildings and scenes in Kotzebue
- Kotzebue Web Cams - (link ) Pictures of buildings and scenes in Kotzebue
- KOTZ Radio - (link ) Listen online
Info
(from WidipediA) Kotzebue is a city in Northwest Arctic Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,237
Kotzebue gets its name from the Kotzebue Sound, which was named after Otto von Kotzebue, who explored the sound while searching for the Northwest Passage in the service of Russia in 1818.
Kotzebue lies on a sand spit at the end of the Baldwin Penninsula in the Kotzebue Sound where the Noatak, Kobuk and Selawik rivers end. The Kotzebue Sound was named after Otto von Kotzebue who 'discovered' the sound while exploring for Russia in 1818. The site was a trading location for local natives for hundreds of years. A post office was established in 1899.♣
Links
Info
The name Sitka (derived from Sheet’ká, a contraction of the Tlingit name Shee At'iká) means "People on the Outside of Shee," Sheet’-ká X'áat'l (often expressed simply as Shee) being the Tlingit name for Baranof Island. The town is sometimes referred to as "Sitka-by-the-Sea."
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Totally Random Alaska Links
A totally rendom collection of links and information about Alaska
Alaska Airlines / Horizon Air
P.O. Box 68900
Seattle, WA 98168
Toll Free: 1-800-ALASKAAIR (1-800-252-7522)
Links
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - For more than 75 years, Alaska Airlines and its people have been guided through thick and thin by a shared commitment to integrity, caring, resourcefulness, professionalism and spirit. Especially spirit - an Alaskan spirit, born in the land the airline is named after - a place where "can-do" and "neighbor-helping-neighbor" are facts of life.
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Alaska Permanent Fund
State of Alaska
Department of Revenue
Permanent Fund Dividend Division
State Office Building, 11th Floor
PO BOX 110461
Juneau, Alaska 99811-0461
616 E Street
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
Phone: (907) 269-0370
Fax: (907) 269-0384
1005 Cushman Street
Fairbanks, Alaska 99701
Phone: (907) 451-2820
Fax: (907) 451-5142
Links
- Alaska PFD
- WidipediA: Alaska Permanent Fund
Listing Info
( from Wikipedia ) - The Alaska Permanent Fund is a constitutionally established fund, managed by a semi-independent corporation, established by Alaska in 1976. Shortly after the oil from Alaska’s North Slope began flowing to market through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, the Permanent Fund was created by an amendment to the constitution of the U.S. state of Alaska to be an investment for at least 25% of proceeds from some minerals [such as oil and gas] sale or royalties. The Fund does not include either property taxes on oil company property nor income tax from oil corporations, so the minimum 25% deposit is closer to 11% if those sources were also considered. The Alaska Permanent Fund sets aside a certain share of oil revenues to continue benefiting current and all future generations of Alaskans. Many citizens also believed that the legislature too quickly and too inefficiently spent the $900 million bonus the state got in 1969 after leasing out the oil fields. This belief spurred a desire to put some oil revenues out of direct political control.
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Links
- www.nps.gov/dena/
- WidipediA: Mount McKinley
- WidipediA: Denali National Park and Preserve
Info
It's more than a mountain!
Denali’s dynamic glaciated landscape supports a diversity of wildlife with grizzly bears, caribou, wolves, Dall sheep and moose. Summer slopes are graced with birds and wildflowers. Visitors enjoy sightseeing, backpacking, mountaineering, and research opportunities. Whether climbing or admiring, the crowning jewel of North America’s highest peak is the awe inspiring 20,320 foot Mount McKinley.
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Links
Info
Alaska Commercial Company is a retail company which provides groceries and general merchandise in stores throughout Alaska. Alaska Commercial Company's roots can be traced back to 1776 when Catherine the Great granted trading rights to the Russian-American Trading Company. The Russian Trading Company operated trading posts throughout Alaska, trading goods and services for furs, gold and other tradable goods. When the United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, the firm was sold to San Francisco merchants, Lewis Gerstle and Louis Sloss. The new company was re-named the Alaska Commercial Company. From 1868, to the Gold Rush Days of the early 1900's, Alaska Commercial Company was a provider of groceries and general merchandise for trappers, explorers and gold seekers.
Alaska Commercial Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of The North West Company
More information available on listings's web site.
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Links
Info
(from their site )Alaska's Digital Archives presents a wealth of historical photographs, albums, oral histories, moving images, maps, documents, physical objects, and other materials from libraries, museums and archives throughout our state.
About Alaska's Digital Archives
The Alaska Virtual Library and Digital Archives project is a collaborative effort initiated by the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Consortium Library at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and the Alaska State Library in Juneau.
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Alaska History Store
c/o Digital Photographic Service
Elmer E. Rasmuson Library
P.O. Box 756808
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
Physical Address:
c/o Digital Photographic Services
Elmer E. Rasmuson Library
University of Alaska Fairbanks
310 Tanana Drive
Fairbanks, AK 99775
Phone:
Toll Free:
Fax:
Links
Info
(from their site ) - We proudly offer museum-quality prints of many beautiful historical photographs and maps housed in the Rasmuson Library in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have hundreds of photos and maps, all with great Alaska and northern content. All our proceeds benefit the preservation work of the Rasmuson Library. Find a great gift AND feel good knowing you've helped us keep our collections alive!
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Links
Info
If you have information to contribute, or questions about contributing information, you can contact Tim at tkelley@alaska.com or Dave at brann@alaska.net.
(from musher's site) The Alaska Lost Ski Areas Project (ALSAP) is an Alaskan historical web site with the goal of documenting all lost downhill, cross country and jump ski sites in Alaska. A lost ski area is a site that was once used regularly for skiing, but is not used or used only rarely for skiing now. This web site is updated when new information on lost ski areas in Alaska is found or contributed. More information on lost Alaskan ski areas is always welcome ! Especially digital scans of old photos of lost ski areas in use.
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Alaska Native Arts
500 West 6th Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska
mailing address
P.O. Box 101497
Anchorage, Alaska
Tel: 99510-1497
Links
Info
(from organizations's site)
ANAF’s Objectives are to
Improve the economic wellbeing of Alaska Native artists; Invigorate education and training of the next generation of Alaska Native artists; Increase awareness of Alaska Native cultures and create opportunities to inform about the diverse cultural expressions of Alaska’s indigenous peoples; and, Stimulate demand for and help establish fair market pricing for works of art by Alaska Native people.
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Links
Info
(from their site) - Soon after gold was discovered in 1881, breweries in the new town of Juneau began quenching the thirst of hardy Alaskan miners. By 1903 at least four breweries had begun operation in the twin cities of Juneau and Douglas. Between 1899 and 1907, local residents enjoyed a particularly fine brew created by the Douglas City Brewing Company. Almost 100 years later, Alaskan Amber Beer, based on that same historic recipe, has started a small gold rush of its own.
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Alaska Newspapers
301 Calista Court, Suite B
Anchorage, Alaska 99518
Phone: (907) 272-9830
Toll Free in Alaska: (800) 770-9830
Fax: (907) 272-9512
Links
- www.alaskanewspapers.com
- The Arctic Sounder
- The Bristol BayTimes
- The Cordova Times
- The Dutch Harbor Fisherman
- The Seward Phoenix LOG
- The Tundra Drums
Info
(from the site ) Founded in 1992, Alaska Newspapers, Inc. is a subsidiary of Calista Corp., one of the largest Alaska Native corporations in the state. ANI publishes six weekly community newspapers, a statewide shopper, a statewide magazine and slate of special publications that supplement our products year-round.
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Alyeska Resort
P. O. Box 249
Girdwood, Alaska 99587
Main Hotel Number: 907.754.1111
Hotel Fax Number: 907.754.2200
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Links
Listing Info
( from listing's site ) - Borealis Broadband owns and operates a completely independent Wireless Broadband network in Anchorage and in rural areas. Our network has been delivering high quality wireless communication services since 1997 and continues to deliver outstanding speed, reliability and quality for our customers.
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Hatcher Pass Lodge
Box 763
Palmer, Alaska 99645
Phone: (907) 745-5897
Reservations: (907) 745-1200 or (907) 745-5897
Links
- www.hatcherpasslodge.com
- Independence Mine State Historical Park- Hatcher Pass Visitor Center: Gold Cord Rd at Mile 17.3 Hatcher Pass Rd.
Info
(from their site) Hatcher Pass Lodge is location above treeline at 3,000 feet in the Talkeetna Mountains, Hatcher Pass Lodge offers overnight guests and day visitors alike the full spectrum of outdoor experience in Alaska.