Просмотр кода страницы Английская Википедия:Anchorage, Alaska

{{Английская Википедия/Панель перехода}}
{{Short description|Consolidated city-borough in Alaska, United States}}
{{Redirect|Anchorage}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Anchorage
| native_name        = {{native name|tfn|Dgheyay Kaq'}}
| official_name      = Municipality of Anchorage
| settlement_type    = [[Consolidated city-county|Consolidated city-borough]]
| image_skyline      = {{Multiple image
| perrow                   = 1/2/2/2/1
| total_width              = 300
| caption_align            = center 
| border                   = infobox 
| image1 = Anchorage Skyline in Winter - Hotel Captain Cook - Anchorage Alaska.jpg 
| caption1            = [[Downtown Anchorage]] in 2018 
| image2 = Parque Eagle River, Anchorage, Alaska, Estados Unidos, 2017-09-01, DD 33.jpg 
| caption2 = [[Eagle River (Cook Inlet)|Chugach State Park]]
| image3 = Downtown Anchorage, Alaska.jpg 
| caption3 = View from 5th Avenue
| image4 = Anchorage1.jpg
| caption4 = Anchorage in 2006
| image5 = Anchorage Alaska aerial view.jpg
| caption5 = Port of Anchorage in 1999
| image6 = USS Anchorage in Anchorage, Alaska.jpg 
| caption6 = Anchorage Skyline with [[USS Anchorage (LPD-23)|USS ''Anchorage'']] departing
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Anchorage, Alaska.svg
| flag_link          = Flag of Anchorage, Alaska
| image_seal         = Seal of Anchorage, Alaska.svg
|image_shield=Seal of Anchorage, Alaska.png
| pushpin_map        = USA Alaska Anchorage#Alaska#North America#Earth
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt    = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| image_map          = 
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = 
| map_caption1       = Interactive map of Anchorage
| image_map1         = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=300|frame-height=200|frame-align=center|zoom=4|type=point|title=Anchorage|marker=city|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080}}
| nicknames          = "The City of Lights and Flowers", "Los Anchorage"<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/04/29/alaska-cultural-connections-los-anchorage/ |title=Alaska Cultural Connections: Los Anchorage |first=Jessica |last=Cochran |access-date=March 14, 2017 |archive-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315002612/http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/04/29/alaska-cultural-connections-los-anchorage/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newsminer.com/los-anchorage-may-seem-a-world-apart-but-it-s/article_8bf0e675-84e9-5057-8268-db19638f222b.html |title='Los Anchorage' may seem a world apart, but it's not alien territory |first=Dermot |last=Cole |newspaper=[[Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]] |date=September 25, 2011 |access-date=March 15, 2018 |archive-date=September 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929121159/http://www.newsminer.com/los-anchorage-may-seem-a-world-apart-but-it-s/article_8bf0e675-84e9-5057-8268-db19638f222b.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| motto              = Big Wild Life
| coordinates        = {{coord|61|13|00|N|149|53|37|W|region:US-AK|display=it}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1  = State
| subdivision_name1  = [[Alaska]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|Borough]]
| subdivision_name2  = Anchorage
| established_title  = Settled
| established_title2 = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date   = 1914
| established_date2  = {{plainlist|
*November 23, 1920 <small>(city)</small>
*January 1, 1964 <small>(borough)</small>
*September 15, 1975<br /><small>(unified municipality)</small>}}
| named_for          = The [[Anchorage (shipping)|anchorage]] at the mouth of [[Ship Creek]]
<!-- | government_type          = [[Council–manager government|Council–manager]]-->| governing_body     = [[Anchorage Assembly]]
| leader_title       = [[List of mayors of Anchorage, Alaska|Mayor]]
| leader_name        = [[Dave Bronson]]
| leader_title1      = [[Alaska Senate]]
| leader_name1       = {{Collapsible list
|framestyle               = border:none; padding:0;
|title                    = Senators
|[[Matt Claman]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|[[Forrest Dunbar]] (D)
|[[Cathy Giessel]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
|[[Elvi Gray-Jackson]] (D)
|[[James D. Kaufman|James Kaufman]] (R)
|[[Kelly Merrick]] (R)
|[[Löki Tobin]] (D)
|[[Bill Wielechowski]] (D)
}}
| leader_title2      = [[Alaska House]]
| leader_name2       = {{Collapsible list
 | framestyle               = border:none; padding:0;
 | title                    = Representatives
|[[Jamie Allard]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
|[[Jennifer Armstrong (politician)|Jennie Armstrong]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|[[Julie Coulombe]] (R)
|[[Zack Fields]] (D)
|[[Alyse Galvin]] ([[Independent politician|I]])
|[[Andrew Gray (politician)|Andrew Gray]] (D)
|[[Cliff Groh]] (D)
|[[Craig Johnson (Alaska politician)|Craig Johnson]] (R)
|[[Andy Josephson]] (D)
|[[Thomas McKay (Alaska politician)|Tom McKay]] (R)
|[[Donna Mears]] (D)
|[[Genevieve Mina]] (D)
|[[Dan Saddler]] (R)
|[[Calvin Schrage]] (I)
|[[Laddie Shaw]] (R)
|[[Stanley Wright]] (R)
}}
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_total_sq_mi   = 1946.69
| area_land_sq_mi    = 1706.89
| area_water_sq_mi   = 239.80
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 78.8
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web |title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_02.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=October 29, 2021 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028015839/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_02.txt |url-status=live }}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 5041.89
| area_land_km2      = 4420.81
| area_water_km2     = 621.08
| elevation_ft       = 102
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 287145 {{decrease}}
| pop_est_as_of      = 2022
| pop_est_footnotes  = <ref name="USCensusEst2021">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |date=January 14, 2023|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=January 14, 2023}}</ref>
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
| population_total   = 291247
| population_rank    = {{plainlist|
*[[List of cities in Alaska|1st]] in Alaska
*[[List of United States cities by population|73rd]] in the United States}}
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_density_km2 = 65.88
| population_urban   = 249,252 ([[List of United States urban areas|US: 164th]])<ref name="urban area">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html|title=List of 2020 Census Urban Areas|website=census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 7, 2023}}</ref>
| population_density_urban_sq_mi = 2,718.4
| population_metro   = 398,807 (US: [[Metropolitan Statistical Area|137th]])
| population_demonyms = {{plainlist|
*Anchoragite
*{{nowrap|Anchoriginal (informal)}}}}
<!-- GDP ----------->
| demographics_type2       = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web |url = https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/GDPALL02020|title = Gross Domestic Product: All Industries in Anchorage Municipality County, AK|website = www.fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/NGMP11260|title = Total Gross Domestic Product for Anchorage, AK (MSA)|website = www.fred.stlouisfed.org}}</ref>
|demographics2_title1     = [[Consolidated city-county|Consolidated city-borough]]
|demographics2_info1      = $27.809 billion (2022) 
|demographics2_title2     = Metro
|demographics2_info2      = $31.569 billion (2022) 
| timezone           = [[Alaska Time Zone|AKST]]
| utc_offset         = -9
| timezone_DST       = [[Alaska Daylight Time|AKDT]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -8
| postal_code_type   = ZIP code
| postal_code        = 99501–99524, 99529–99530, 99599
| area_code          = [[Area code 907|907]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 02-03000
| geocode            = {{GNIS 4|1398242}}
| blank_name_sec2    = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Subarctic climate|Dfc]]
| website            = {{URL|https://www.muni.org/}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

The '''Municipality of Anchorage''' ({{Lang-tfn|Dgheyay Kaq'; Dgheyaytnu}}) is the largest city in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Alaska]] by population. With a population of 291,247 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Anchorage_municipality,_Alaska?g=1600000US0203000 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 14, 2023}}</ref><ref name="2020Census">{{cite web |title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts Anchorage Municipality (County), Alaska; Anchorage municipality, Alaska |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/anchoragemunicipalitycountyalaska,anchoragemunicipalityalaska/PST045222 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 14, 2023}}</ref> it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population, and has more people than all of [[Northern Canada]] and [[Greenland]] combined. The [[Anchorage metropolitan area]], which includes Anchorage and the neighboring [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska|Matanuska-Susitna Borough]], had a population of 398,328 in 2020,<ref name="2020 Census Data">{{cite web |url=https://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/cen/2020-census-data.html |title=2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places |format=Web |publisher=State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development |access-date=October 31, 2021 |archive-date=October 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031220447/https://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/cen/2020-census-data.html |url-status=live }}</ref> accounting for more than half the state's population. At {{cvt|1,706|sqmi}} of land area, the city is the [[List of cities in the United States by area|fourth-largest by area]] in the [[United States]] and larger than the smallest state, [[Rhode Island]], which has {{cvt|1,212|sqmi}}.<ref>
{{cite web |url=https://www.trendrr.net/1946/top-10-largest-cities-in-usa-by-area/ |title=Top 10 Largest Cities in USA by Land Area |last=Jegede |first=Abayomi |work=Trendrr |date=July 2, 2021 |access-date=August 21, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114044525/https://www.trendrr.net/1946/top-10-largest-cities-in-usa-by-area/ |archive-date=January 14, 2019}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~esquared/alaska/geogrphy.htm |title=Alaska Geography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018031503/http://home.earthlink.net/~esquared/alaska/geogrphy.htm |archive-date=October 18, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> First settled as a [[tent city]] near the mouth of [[Ship Creek, Alaska|Ship Creek]] in 1915 when construction on the [[Alaska Railroad]] began, Anchorage was incorporated as a city in November 1920.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Naske |first=Claus-M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-xhQl1WDWa0C |title=Alaska: A History of the 49th State |date=1987 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-2573-2 |pages=7 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="ADCRF" /> In September 1975, the City of Anchorage merged with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough, creating the Municipality of Anchorage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://library.municode.com/ak/anchorage/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=ANMUCHCORE |title=Municode Library |access-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824003557/https://library.municode.com/ak/anchorage/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=ANMUCHCORE |url-status=live }}</ref> The municipal city limits span {{cvt|1961.1|sqmi|km2|1}}, encompassing the [[Urban area|urban core]], a [[Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson|joint military base]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/case-studies/anchorage_casestudy.pdf |title=Case Studies in Smart Growth Implementation – Anchorage, Alaska |first1=William |last1=Fulton |first2=Jessica |last2=Daniels |first3=Benjamin |last3=de la Peña |publisher=Smart Growth Leadership Institute |year=2008 |access-date=January 9, 2015 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304210251/http://smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/case-studies/anchorage_casestudy.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> several [[List of neighborhoods of Anchorage, Alaska|outlying communities]], and almost all of [[Chugach State Park]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach/ |title=Chugach State Park, Alaska State Parks |author=State of Alaska |work=alaska.gov |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=August 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814102123/http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Because of this, less than 10% 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.muni.org/departments/ocpd/planning/projects/anchlanduse/documents/lupm-section1_2_29_16.pdf |title=Anchorage Bowl Land Use Plan Map – Anchorage Bowl Comprehensive Plan – Community Discussion Draft 2/29/16 |publisher=Municipality of Anchorage |access-date=October 13, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316183044/http://www.muni.org/Departments/OCPD/Planning/Projects/AnchLandUse/Documents/LUPM-Section1_2_29_16.pdf |archive-date=March 16, 2016}}</ref>

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% of the industrialized world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airportimprovement.com/article/anchorage-intl-airport-serves-pit-stop-global-cargo-carriers |title=Anchorage Int'l Airport Serves as Pit Stop for Global Cargo Carriers – Airport Improvement Magazine |website=airportimprovement.com |access-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-date=February 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206185108/http://www.airportimprovement.com/article/anchorage-intl-airport-serves-pit-stop-global-cargo-carriers |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.adn.com/alaska-travel/article/edit-new-icelandair-alaska-route-opens-northwest-passage-sky/2013/02/11/ |title=Iceland airline's 'over the top' flights will connect Alaska to Europe |access-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824013902/https://www.adn.com/alaska-travel/article/edit-new-icelandair-alaska-route-opens-northwest-passage-sky/2013/02/11/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.van.fedex.com/files/FedEx%20Express%20Hub%20in%20Anchorage.pdf |title=Latest Global News |work=About FedEx |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=October 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030230411/http://news.van.fedex.com/files/FedEx%20Express%20Hub%20in%20Anchorage.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/anchorage-airport-alaska-international-flights-b1799686.html |title=Alaskan airport set to be the new stopover between Europe and Asia-Pacific |website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |date=February 9, 2021 |access-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-date=August 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824014324/https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/anchorage-airport-alaska-international-flights-b1799686.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Anchorage has won the [[All-America City Award]] four times: in 1956, 1965, 1984–85, and 2002, from the [[National Civic League]]<!-- Hmmm...I forget exactly, but wasn't the award originally given by Look magazine? -->.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncl.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130&Itemid=186 |title=National Civil League All-America winners by state |publisher=National Civic League |access-date=July 2, 2008 |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204211235/http://www.ncl.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130&Itemid=186 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Kiplinger]] has named it the United States' most tax-friendly city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/real-estate/T054-S001-top-10-tax-friendly-cities/index.html |title=Top 10 Tax-Friendly Cities |date=April 24, 2007 |publisher=Kiplinger |access-date=February 15, 2016 |archive-date=February 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224021011/http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/real-estate/T054-S001-top-10-tax-friendly-cities/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Anchorage, Alaska}}
{{For timeline}}
Archaeological evidence discovered at [[Beluga Point]] just south of Anchorage proper, along the Turnagain Arm, suggests that habitation of the Cook Inlet began 5,000 years ago by a group of [[Alutiiq]] people who arrived by [[kayak]]. As this population moved on, they were followed by a second wave of Alutiiq occupation beginning roughly 4,000 years ago, followed by a third wave around 2,000 years ago. Around 500 AD the [[Chugach|Chugach Alutiiq]] were displaced by the arrival of Dena'ina [[Athabaskan]]s, who entered through the mountain passes. The [[Denaʼina|Dena'ina]] had no fixed settlements, migrating throughout the area with the seasonal changes, fishing along coastal streams and rivers in the summer, hunting moose, mountain goats, and Dall sheep in early fall, and picking berries in late fall. They tended to winter near trading junctions along common travel routes, where they traded with other Dena'ina and [[Ahtna]] tribes from nearby areas.<ref name="Aunt Phil's Trunk pp. 1">''Aunt Phil's Trunk: Bringing Alaska's history alive! Volume 3'' by Laurel Bill, Phyllis Carlson – Aunt Phil's Trunk LLC 2016 pp. 1–5</ref>

[[Captain James Cook]] was among the first European explorers to map the Alaskan coastline, and many of the geographical features (mountains, islands, rivers, waterways, etc.) still bear the names he gave them. Cook was searching for the fabled [[Northwest Passage]], a route that would provide a shorter means of reaching the Pacific from Europe than the difficult [[Northeast Passage]] around the north of Asia, or south around South America. On May 15, 1778, after enduring weeks of hard weather, Cook turned into an inlet between two landmarks he called Cape Douglas and [[Augustine Volcano|Mount St. Augustine]]. He anchored his ship, [[HMS Resolution (1771)|HMS ''Resolution'']], at a place he called "Anchor Point" (later named "Anchorage" as another [[Anchor Point, Alaska|Anchor Point]] existed to the south near [[Homer, Alaska]]), near a creek he dubbed "Ship Creek" nestled between two large [[Arm (geography)|arms]] (waterways). Cook spent ten days exploring the inlet named after him. He first sent [[William Bligh]] to scout the north arm, where he met with the [[Denaʼina language|Dena'ina Natives]] of the [[Eklutna]] area, who told him the name of the [[Knik Arm]] and that it was not the Northwest Passage, but rather an outlet for two rivers (the [[Knik River|Knik]] and [[Matanuska River]]s). Cook then sailed south to scout the other arm, and in a bad mood after running the ''Resolution'' aground on a sandbar on his way back out of the shallow waters, called it "River Turnagain", having found no sign of the passage there either.<ref>''Captain Cook: Master of the Seas'' by Frank McLynn, Yale University Press, 2011{{ISBN?}}{{page needed|date=October 2021}}</ref>

In the 19th century, Russian presence in South-Central Alaska was well-established. The Russians placed trading posts along Cook Inlet, such as the [[Shelikhov-Golikov Company]]'s post at ''Niteh'' on the Palmer Flats (between the Knik and Matanuska Rivers), which in turn created small agricultural communities in [[Ninilchik]], [[Seldovia]], and [[Eklutna, Anchorage|Eklutna]]. The Russians also introduced diseases such as [[smallpox]] that had devastating effects on the local Native population, which plummeted by half just 10 years after the first census.<ref name="Aunt Phil's Trunk pp. 1"/>

In 1867, U.S. Secretary of State [[William H. Seward]] brokered a deal to [[Alaska Purchase|purchase Alaska]] from Imperial Russia for $7.2 million, or about two cents an acre (${{Inflation|US-GDP|7.2|1867|r=1}} million in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars).{{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}} His political rivals lampooned the deal as "[[Seward's folly]]", "Seward's icebox" and "Walrussia". In 1888, gold was discovered along [[Turnagain Arm]] just south of modern-day Anchorage, leading to a new influx of prospectors, and small towns such as Spenard, Hope, Rainbow, Bird, Indian, and [[Girdwood, Anchorage, Alaska|Girdwood]] began to spring up.

[[File:Anchtentcity.jpg|thumb|The tent city (called "The White City" in the handwritten caption) in Ship Creek, photographed by Alberta Pyatt on July 1, 1915.]]
Alaska became an [[Organized incorporated territories of the United States|organized incorporated United States territory]] in 1912. Anchorage, unlike every other large town in Alaska south of the [[Brooks Range]], was neither a fishing nor mining camp. The area surrounding Anchorage lacks significant economic metal ores. A number of [[Dena'ina people|Dena'ina]] settlements existed along Knik Arm for years. By 1911 the families of J. D. "Bud" Whitney and Jim St. Clair lived at the mouth of [[Ship Creek]] and were joined there by a young forest ranger, Jack Brown, and his bride, Nellie, in 1912.<ref name=mormon>{{cite book |title=A Gathering of Saints in Alaska: an informal chronicle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the state of Alaska |date=1983 |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |location=Alaska |pages=306}}</ref>

The city grew from its happenstance choice as a site for railroad construction to begin in 1914. The waters near Ship Creek were deep enough for barges and small ships to dock, and under the direction of [[Frederick Mears]], it became a railroad-construction port for the [[Alaska Engineering Commission]]. The area near the mouth of [[Ship Creek, Alaska|Ship Creek]], where the railroad headquarters was, quickly became a [[tent city]]. Anchorage formed at a time when proponents of [[Prohibition]] were gaining traction, and as part of an effort to stem the flow of the alcohol trade, at the direction of President [[Woodrow Wilson]] and with the symmetry of the US Army, a town site was mapped out on higher ground to the south of the tent city, with the condition that a person's land could be repossessed if caught breaking the alcohol laws.<ref name="Aunt Phil's Trunk pp. 1"/> Anchorage has been noted in the years since for its order and rigidity compared with other Alaska town sites.<ref name="ADCRF">{{cite web |url=http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.cfm?Comm_Boro_Name=Anchorage&Data_Type=generalOverview&submit2=GettData |title=Community Database Online, Anchorage |publisher=Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs |access-date=July 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324091343/http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.cfm?Comm_Boro_Name=Anchorage&Data_Type=generalOverview&submit2=GettData |archive-date=March 24, 2012}}</ref> In 1915, territorial governor [[John Franklin Alexander Strong]] encouraged residents to change the city's name to one that had "more significance and local associations".<ref name="PrestonJones">{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Preston |date=2010 |title=City for Empire: An Anchorage History, 1914–1941 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tq07VrebnpkC&pg=PA169 |publisher=University of Alaska Press |pages=169–70 |isbn=978-1602230859 |access-date=February 22, 2016 |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817093823/https://books.google.com/books?id=tq07VrebnpkC&pg=PA169 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the summer of that year, residents held a vote to change the city's name; a plurality favored the name "Alaska City",<ref name="PrestonJones"/> but the territorial government ultimately declined to change the city's name.<ref name="PrestonJones"/> Anchorage was incorporated on November 23, 1920.<ref name="ADCRF"/>

Construction of the [[Alaska Railroad]] continued until its completion in 1923. The city's economy in the 1920s and 1930s centered on the railroad. Colonel Otto F. Ohlson, the [[Swedes|Swedish]]-born general manager of the railroad for nearly two decades, became a symbol of residents' contempt due to the firm control he maintained over the railroad's affairs, which by extension became control over economic and other aspects of life in Alaska.
[[File:Anchorage 1953 FWS.jpg|thumb|Fourth Avenue in 1953, looking east from near I Street. Just ten years before, the retail area shown in the foreground was mostly an industrial area, housing lumber yards and similar uses.]]

Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the city experienced massive growth as [[air transportation]] and the military became increasingly important. Aviation operations in Anchorage commenced along the firebreak south of town (today's [[Delaney Park Strip]]), which residents also used as a [[golf course]]. An increase in air traffic led to clearing of a site directly east of town site boundaries starting in 1929; this became [[Merrill Field]], which served as Anchorage's primary airport during the 1930s and 1940s, until [[Anchorage International Airport]] superseded it in 1951. Merrill Field still sees a significant amount of [[general aviation]] traffic.

[[Elmendorf Air Force Base]] and the United States Army's [[Fort Richardson (Alaska)|Fort Richardson]] were constructed in the 1940s, and served as the city's primary economic engine until the 1968 [[Prudhoe Bay Oil Field|Prudhoe Bay discovery]] shifted the thrust of the economy toward the oil industry.

[[File:Great Alaska Earthquake Fourth Ave Anchorage.jpg|right|thumb|Fourth Avenue after the Good Friday or [[1964 Alaska earthquake|Great Alaskan earthquake]] on March 27, 1964]]
The [[1964 Alaska earthquake|Good Friday earthquake]] of March 27, 1964, hit Anchorage hard at a magnitude of 9.2, killing 115 people and causing $116 million in damages ($750 million in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars).{{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/tsunami/event-data?maxYear=1964&minYear=1964&locInclude=prince |title=Search Parameters Year = 1964 Location contains 'prince'|last=National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS  Global Historical Tsunami Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information|year=1972 |publisher=|doi=10.7289/V5PN93H7}}</ref><ref name="AEIC">{{cite web |url=http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/quakes/Alaska_1964_earthquake.html |title=The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 |work=Geophysical Institute, UAF |publisher=Alaska Earthquake Information Center |access-date=July 4, 2011 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120407153657/http%3A//www%2Eaeic%2Ealaska%2Eedu/quakes/Alaska_1964_earthquake%2Ehtml |archive-date=April 7, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="usgs">{{cite web |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1964_03_28.php |title=Historic Earthquakes, Prince William Sound, Alaska |publisher=USGS |access-date=July 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825173010/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1964_03_28.php |archive-date=August 25, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The earth-shaking event lasted nearly five minutes; most structures that failed remained intact for the first few minutes then failed with repeated flexing.<ref name="AEIC" /><ref name="usgs" /> It was the [[Lists of earthquakes#Largest earthquakes by magnitude|world's fourth-largest earthquake in recorded history]].<ref name="AEIC" /><ref name="usgs" /> Broadcaster [[Genie Chance]] has been credited with holding Anchorage together, as she immediately rushed to the Anchorage Public Safety Building and stayed on the KENI airwaves for almost 24 continuous hours.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=May 22, 2020 |title=Genie Chance and the Great Alaska Earthquake |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/podcasts/the-daily/this-is-chance-alaska-earthquake.html |access-date=December 4, 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125024431/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/podcasts/the-daily/this-is-chance-alaska-earthquake.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Chance, effectively designated as the public safety officer by the city's police chief,<ref>{{Cite web |title=When a Quake Shook Alaska, a Radio Reporter Led the Public Through the Devastating Crisis |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-quake-shook-alaska-radio-reporter-led-public-through-devastating-crisis-180974450/ |access-date=December 4, 2020 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115202233/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-quake-shook-alaska-radio-reporter-led-public-through-devastating-crisis-180974450/ |url-status=live }}</ref> was instrumental in Anchorage's relief and recovery efforts as she coordinated response efforts, connected urgent needs with available resources, disseminated information of available shelters and food sources, and passed messages among loved ones over the air, reuniting families.<ref name=":0" /> Because the city and surrounding suburban area was built on top ground consisting of glacial silt, the prolonged shaking from the earthquake caused soil liquefaction, leading to massive cracks in roadways and collapse of large swaths of land. One of Anchorage's most affected residential areas, the Turnagain neighborhood, saw dozens of homes originally at 250 to 300 feet above sea level sink to sea level. Rebuilding and recovery dominated the remainder of the 1960s.

In 1968, [[ARCO]] discovered oil in [[Prudhoe Bay, Alaska|Prudhoe Bay]] on the [[Alaska North Slope]], and the resulting [[oil boom]] spurred further growth in Anchorage. In 1975, the City of Anchorage and the Greater Anchorage Area Borough (which includes [[Eagle River (Anchorage)|Eagle River]], [[Girdwood, Anchorage|Girdwood]], Glen Alps, and several other communities) merged into the geographically larger Municipality of Anchorage<ref name="ADCRF" /> The city continued to grow in the 1980s, and capital projects and an aggressive beautification campaign took place.

Several attempts have been made to move Alaska's state capital from [[Juneau]] to Anchorage, or to a site closer to Anchorage. The motivation is straightforward: the "railbelt" between Anchorage and Fairbanks contains most of Alaska's population. Robert Atwood, owner of the ''Anchorage Times'' and a tireless booster for the city, championed the move. Alaskans rejected attempts to move the capital in 1960 and 1962, but in 1974, as Alaska's center of population moved away from Southeast Alaska and to the railbelt, voters approved it. Communities such as Fairbanks and much of rural Alaska opposed moving the capital to Anchorage for fear of concentrating more power in the state's largest city. As a result, in 1976, voters approved a plan to build a new capital city near [[Willow, Alaska|Willow]], about {{cvt|70|mi|km}} north of Anchorage. In the 1978 election, opponents to the move reacted by campaigning to defeat a nearly $1 billion bond issue to fund construction of the new capitol building and related facilities (${{Inflation|US-GDP|1|1978}} billion in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars).{{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}}. Later attempts to move the capital or the legislature to [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]], north of Anchorage, also failed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=406 |title=Alaska History and Cultural Studies – Governing Alaska – The Capital of Alaska |work=akhistorycourse.org |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=January 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117152401/http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=406 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Anchorage has over twice as many state employees as Juneau, and is to a considerable extent the center of Alaska's state and federal government activity.{{Citation needed|date=November 2015}}

On 1 September 1983, Anchorage being the vantage point when [[Korean Air Flight 007]] took off from Anchorage bound for [[Seoul]] after refuel. 269 passengers, including 62 Americans on board the flight from Anchorage lost their lives after being shot down over Soviet airspace.

==Geography==
[[File:Anchorage by Sentinel-2, 2020-08-17.jpg|alt=|thumb|Satellite view taken August 2020. The Municipality encompasses the entire land mass between the Knik River and Knik Arm (top), and the Turnagain Arm (bottom), with the Mat-Su borough to the north, the Kenai Peninsula to the south, and Whittier just east of the mountains (lower right). The [[city proper]] lies on the coastal [[alluvial plain]] at the headwaters of Cook Inlet, between the two arms (left of center).]]
Anchorage is in [[Southcentral Alaska]]. At [[61st parallel north|61 degrees north]], it lies slightly farther north than [[Oslo]], [[Stockholm]], [[Helsinki]] and [[Saint Petersburg]], but not as far north as [[Reykjavík]] or [[Murmansk]]. It is northeast of the [[Alaska Peninsula]], [[Kodiak Island]], and [[Cook Inlet]], due north of the [[Kenai Peninsula]], northwest of [[Prince William Sound]] and the [[Alaska Panhandle]], and nearly due south of [[Denali]].

The city is on a strip of coastal lowland and extends up the lower alpine slopes of the [[Chugach Mountains]]. Point Campbell, the westernmost point of Anchorage on the mainland, juts out into [[Cook Inlet]] near its northern end, at which point it splits into two [[Arm (geography)|arms]]. To the south is Turnagain Arm, a fjord that has some of the world's highest tides. Knik Arm, another tidal inlet, lies to the west and north. The [[Chugach Mountains]] on the east form a boundary to development, but not to the city limits, which encompass part of the wild alpine territory of [[Chugach State Park]].

The city's sea coast consists mostly of treacherous [[mudflats]]. Newcomers and tourists are warned not to walk in this area because of extreme tidal changes and the very fine glacial [[silt]]. Unwary victims have walked onto the solid seeming silt revealed when the tide is out and have become stuck in the mud. The two recorded instances of this occurred in 1961 and 1988.<ref>{{cite book |title=Danger Stalks the Land: Alaskan Tales of Death and Survival |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fGZ1CPK5GNoC |first=Larry |last=Kaniut |publisher=St. Martins Press |year=1999 |pages=2–6, 287–91 |isbn=978-1466824898 |access-date=March 15, 2018 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726003645/https://books.google.com/books?id=fGZ1CPK5GNoC |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the municipality has an area of 1,961.1 square miles (5,079.2 km<sup>2</sup>); 1,697.2 square miles (4,395.8 km<sup>2</sup>) of which is land and 263.9 square miles (683.4 km<sup>2</sup>) of it is water. The total area is 13.5% water.

Boroughs and census areas next to the Municipality of Anchorage are [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska|Matanuska-Susitna Borough]] to the north, [[Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska|Kenai Peninsula Borough]] to the south and [[Chugach Census Area, Alaska|Chugach Census Area]] to the east. The [[Chugach National Forest]], a national [[protected area]], extends into the southern part of the municipality, near [[Girdwood, Anchorage|Girdwood]] and [[Portage (Anchorage)|Portage]].

===Cityscape===
{{See also|List of neighborhoods in Anchorage, Alaska|List of tallest buildings in Anchorage}}
{{panorama|image=File:Anchorage at night.jpg|height=200px|caption=Panorama of Anchorage as viewed at night from the Glen Alps neighborhood, near [[Flattop Mountain (Anchorage, Alaska)|Flattop Mountain]]}}
{{panorama|image=File:USS Anchorage in Anchorage, Alaska.jpg|height=200px|caption=The [[USS Anchorage (LPD-23)|USS ''Anchorage'']] departing from its eponymous port in May 2013. The vessel is framed by the city's downtown and the Chugach Mountain Range in the background.}}
{{panorama|image=File:Turnagain Arm, Cook Inlet, Alaska.jpg|height=200px|caption=Panorama of [[Cook Inlet]] near the mouth of Turnagain Arm, a few miles south of the "Anchorage bowl." The tide is out, exposing the surrounding mudflats.}}

===Wildlife===
{{See also|Bears in Anchorage, Alaska}}
[[File:Moose and calf in Anchorage, Alaska.jpg|thumb|Moose and calf outside a church in Anchorage]]

A diverse wildlife population exists within urban Anchorage and the surrounding area. Approximately 250 [[American black bear|black bears]] and 60 [[grizzly bear]]s live in the area. Bears are regularly sighted within the city. [[Moose]] are also a common sight; in the Anchorage Bowl, there is a summer population of approximately 250 moose, increasing to as many as 1,000 during the winter. They are a hazard to drivers, with over 100 moose killed by cars each year. Two people were stomped to death, in 1993 and 1995, in Anchorage.<ref>{{cite web |title=Moose Stomps Man to Death on College Campus |url=https://apnews.com/81130f4b3c05b2508acdb2948ba45b81 |work=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=December 5, 2013 |archive-date=December 15, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215011536/http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1995/Moose-Stomps-Man-to-Death-on-College-Campus/id-81130f4b3c05b2508acdb2948ba45b81 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Cross-country skier]]s and [[dog musher]]s using city trails have been charged by moose on numerous occasions; the [[Alaska Department of Fish and Game]] has to kill some individual aggressive moose in the city every year. [[Dall sheep]] are often viewed quite close to the road at Windy Point.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://alaska.org/driving/turnagain-arm-drive.htm |title=Alaska Highway Drives from Anchorage |publisher=Alaska.org |access-date=August 31, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920172917/http://alaska.org/driving/turnagain-arm-drive.htm |archive-date=September 20, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref> Approximately thirty [[Northwestern wolf|northern timber wolves]] reside in the Anchorage area. In 2007, several dogs were killed by timber wolves while on walks with their owners.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=planning.anchorage5 |title=Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Living with Wildlife in Anchorage: a Cooperative Planning Effort |publisher=State of Alaska |date=April 2000 |access-date=February 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080105075651/http://wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=planning.anchorage5 |archive-date=January 5, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/wolves/story/9514718p-9424671c.html |title=North Side wolf pack attacks, kills dogs |newspaper=Anchorage Daily News |date=December 11, 2007 |access-date=February 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081019103544/http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/wolves/story/9514718p-9424671c.html |archive-date=October 19, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> There are also [[beaver]] dams in local creeks and lakes, and sightings of [[fox]]es and kits in parking lots close to wooded areas in the spring are common. Along the [[Seward Highway]] headed toward Kenai, there are common sightings of [[beluga whale]]s in the Turnagain Arm. [[Canada lynx|Lynx]]es are occasionally sighted in Anchorage as well. Within the Municipality there are also a number of streams that host [[salmon]] runs. Fishing for salmon at Ship Creek next to downtown is popular in the summer.

==Climate==
{{Main|Climate of Anchorage, Alaska}}
{{climate chart
|Anchorage
|11|23|0.73
|14|27|0.72
|19|34|0.60
|29|44|0.47
|40|56|0.72
|48|63|0.97
|52|65|1.83
|50|64|3.25
|42|55|2.99
|29|40|2.03
|17|28|1.16
|13|25|1.11
|float=left
|clear=left
|units=imperial
|source=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/anchorage/alaska/united-states/usak0012 |title=U.S. Climate Data |access-date=May 7, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726003129/https://www.usclimatedata.com/climate/anchorage/alaska/united-states/usak0012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
[[File:Beach at Jewel Lake Park, Anchorage, Alaska.jpg|thumb|An early summer day at Jewel Lake Park in western Anchorage, Alaska]]
{{multiple image
| width             = 200
| align             = right
| image1            = Anchorage, Alaska from Glenn Alps Trailhead.jpg
| caption1          = Anchorage as viewed from the Glen Alps trailhead during the summer
| image2            = Anchorage Alaska and Sleeping Lady.JPG
| caption2          = Anchorage as viewed from Glen Alps trailhead during {{cvt|0|F|0}} weather in the winter|
}}

Anchorage has a [[subarctic climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: '''Dfc''') but with strong maritime influences that lead to a relatively moderate climate,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.muni.org/FastFacts/Pages/Climate.aspx |title=Climate |access-date=July 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731031644/https://www.muni.org/FastFacts/Pages/Climate.aspx |archive-date=July 31, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> in contrast to the much more continental [[Fairbanks]]. Most of its precipitation falls in late summer. Average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately {{cvt|55|to|78|F|C|0}}; average daytime winter temperatures are about {{cvt|5|to|30|F|C|1}}. Anchorage has a frost-free [[growing season]] that averages slightly over 101 days. According to local folklore, when a native plant called [[fireweed]] goes to seed after a full bloom, the first snowfall of winter is 6 weeks away.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fireweed: Countdown to Winter |url=http://humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/comments/fireweed_countdown_to_winter/ |website=Human Flower Project |access-date=October 29, 2014 |archive-date=October 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141029185755/http://humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/comments/fireweed_countdown_to_winter/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Average January low and high temperatures at [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport]] (ANC) are {{cvt|11|to|23|F|C|0}} with an average winter snowfall of {{cvt|75.5|in|cm|0}}.<ref name="NOWData NWS Anchorage, AK (PAFC) ANCthr"/> The 2011–2012 winter had {{cvt|134.5|in|cm|1}}, which made it the<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-recordbreaking-snowfall-20120407,0,1706357.story |title=Record-breaking Snowfall in Anchorage |publisher=ktuu.com |date=April 7, 2012 |access-date=9 June 2012 |archive-date=April 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120408043207/http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-recordbreaking-snowfall-20120407,0,1706357.story |url-status=live }}</ref> snowiest winter on record, topping<ref name="autogenerated1" /><ref name="ASR">{{cite web |url=http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/climate/pdf/Anchorage%20Snowfall%20Records.pdf |title=Snowfall Records for Anchorage Alaska |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=April 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220135411/http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/climate/pdf/Anchorage%20Snowfall%20Records.pdf |archive-date=February 20, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> the 1954–1955 winter with {{cvt|132.8|in|cm|1}}. The coldest temperature ever recorded at the original weather station at [[Merrill Field on the East end of 5th Avenue]] was {{cvt|−38|F|1}} on February 3, 1947.<ref name="ATR" group="nb">In an average winter, the first snow happens in mid-October and begins to thaw in mid-March, but snow can sometimes be present until the end of April. The high temperature would usually drop below freezing at the beginning of November. The average first frost happens during the first half of September and the average last frost happens during the second half of May.

In March 2002, a record snow storm, 26.7 inches, hit Anchorage.{{cite web |url=http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/climate/pdf/Temperature%20Records%20for%20Anchorage%20Alaska.pdf |title=Temperature Records for Anchorage Alaska |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=April 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220132134/http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/climate/pdf/Temperature%20Records%20for%20Anchorage%20Alaska.pdf |archive-date=February 20, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Summers are mild (although cool compared to the [[contiguous US]] and even [[interior Alaska]]), and it can rain frequently, although not abundantly. Average July low and high temperatures are {{cvt|52|to|66|F|C|0}} and the highest reading ever recorded was {{cvt|90|F|1}} on July 4, 2019.<ref>[http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/alaska-bakes-with-alltime-heat-records-update-620 Alaska Bakes with Alltime Heat Records] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307222239/https://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/alaska-bakes-with-alltime-heat-records-update-620 |date=March 7, 2016 }}<br />[[Weather Underground]]. June 21, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2016</ref> The average annual precipitation at the airport is {{cvt|16.63|in|mm|0}}.<ref name="NOWData NWS Anchorage, AK (PAFC) ANCthr"/> Anchorage's [[latitude]] causes summer days to be very long and winter daylight hours to be very short. The city is often cloudy during the winter, which further decreases the amount of sunlight experienced by residents.<ref>{{cite web |title=For November, December, and January, average monthly percent possible sunshine (the hours of direct sunlight experienced, divided by the possible hours of sunlight for the location) is below 35% |url=http://climate.umn.edu/cawap/mpr/jargon.htm |publisher=Climate.umn.edu |access-date=October 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019191704/http://climate.umn.edu/cawap/mpr/jargon.htm |archive-date=October 19, 2012}}{{cite web |title=For an explanation of the concept "percent possible sunlight |url=http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/ccd-data/pctpos.txt |publisher=Data Through 2005 Average Percent Possible Sunshine at [[National Climatic Data Center]] |access-date=November 20, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617103120/http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/ccd-data/pctpos.txt |archive-date=June 17, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The coldest daily maximum recorded in Anchorage was {{convert|-19|F|C}} in January 1989, while the coldest daily maximum on average between 1991 and 2020 was {{convert|1|F|C}}.<ref name="NOWData NWS Anchorage, AK (PAFC) ANCthr"/> Warm summer nights do not occur even with the bayside location and extensive daylight; the mildest night on record was {{convert|63|F|C}}{{when?|date=November 2023}}. The mean temperature is {{convert|59|F|C}}.<ref name="NOWData NWS Anchorage, AK (PAFC) ANCthr"/>

Due to its proximity to active [[volcanoes]], ash hazards are a significant, though infrequent, occurrence. The most recent notable volcanic activity centered on the multiple eruptions of [[Mount Redoubt]] during March–April 2009, resulting in a {{cvt|25000|ft|m|adj=on}} high ash cloud as well as ash accumulation throughout the Cook Inlet region. Previously, the most active recent event was an August 1992 eruption of [[Mount Spurr]], which is {{cvt|78|mi|km|0}} west of the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avo.alaska.edu/archives/spurreos/spurreos.php |title=Mt. Spurr's 1992 Eruptions |access-date=November 26, 2008 |publisher=[[Alaska Volcano Observatory]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081209050941/http://www.avo.alaska.edu/archives/spurreos/spurreos.php |archive-date=December 9, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The eruption deposited about {{cvt|3|mm|1}} of volcanic ash on the city. The clean-up of ash resulted in excessive demands for water and caused major problems for the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility.

The average temperature of the sea ranges from {{cvt|35.8|F|1}} in February to {{cvt|53.1|F|1}} in August.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.seatemperature.org/north-america/united-states/anchorage.htm |title=Anchorage Water Temperature – United States – Sea Temperatures |website=World Sea Temperatures |access-date=June 4, 2017 |archive-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705120929/https://www.seatemperature.org/north-america/united-states/anchorage.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Anchorage weatherbox}}
{{Weather box|collapsed=yes
|location=Campbell Airstrip (Anchorage Alaska)
|single line=Yes
|metric first=
|Jan high F=20
|Feb high F=26
|Mar high F=35
|Apr high F=45
|May high F=58
|Jun high F=66
|Jul high F=68
|Aug high F=65
|Sep high F=55
|Oct high F=41
|Nov high F=26
|Dec high F=22
|year high F=
|Jan low F=2
|Feb low F=4
|Mar low F=9
|Apr low F=22
|May low F=33
|Jun low F=41
|Jul low F=47
|Aug low F=44
|Sep low F=35
|Oct low F=22
|Nov low F=7
|Dec low F=5
|year low F=
|Jan snow inch=10.0
|Feb snow inch=16.0
|Mar snow inch=18.0
|Apr snow inch=9.0
|May snow inch=0.2
|Jun snow inch=0.0
|Jul snow inch=0.0
|Aug snow inch=0.0
|Sep snow inch=0.0
|Oct snow inch=9.0
|Nov snow inch=11.0
|Dec snow inch=2.0
|source 1=NOAA<ref name="NOWData NWS Anchorage, AK (PAFC) ANCthr"/>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1920=1856
|1930=2277
|1940=3495
|1950=11254
|1960=44397
|1970=48081
|1980=174431
|1990=226338
|2000=260283
|2010=291826
|2020=291247
|estyear=2022
|estimate=287145
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022|access-date=April 13, 2023}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=U.S. Decennial Census |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=June 30, 2013 |df=mdy |archive-date=April 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426102944/http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Moffatt, Riley. ''Population History of Western U.S. Cities & Towns, 1850–1990''. [[Lanham, Maryland|Lanham]]: Scarecrow, 1996, 1. {{ISBN|978-0810830332}}</ref>
}}
Anchorage first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41084484v1ch5.pdf |title=Population |work=U.S. Decennial Census 1920 |page=544 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=August 21, 2021 |archive-date=August 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170817233607/https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41084484v1ch5.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It incorporated that same year and in 1975 it was consolidated with its borough.

===2020 census===
According to the 2020 census, Anchorage had a population of 291,247.<ref name="2020Census"/> Its racial makeup was 63.8% White (57.1% were non-Hispanic or Latino), 10.0% Asian, 9.1% American Indian or Alaska Native, 9.4% were Hispanic or Latino, 6.0% were African American and 8.4% were from two or more races. 6.9% of the population were under the age of 5, 24.0% were under the age of 18, 64.3% were between 18 and 64, and 11.7% were 65 years or over. 50.9% of the population were male and 49.1% were female. 9.3% were veterans and 10.9% of the population was born outside of the United States. There were 119,276 housing units, 106,567 households and the average household size was 2.69 people per household. 17.8% of households had a language other than English spoken at home. 95.9% of households had a computer present with 90.0% having a [[broadband]] [[Internet]] connection. 93.9% of the population had a [[high school diploma]] or higher with 36.1% having a [[Bachelor's degree]] or higher. 8.4% of the population under the age of 65 had a [[disability]] with 11.1% of the same age group having no [[health insurance]]. 68.5% of the population were in the civilian labor force. The median household income was $84,928 and the per capita income from May 2019–April 2020 was $41,415. The poverty rate was 9.5%.

{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Anchorage municipality, Alaska – Racial and Ethnic Composition'''<br> (''NH = Non-Hispanic'')<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Anchorage municipality, Alaska|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US0203000&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Anchorage municipality, Alaska|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0203000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Anchorage municipality, Alaska|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US0203000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|181,982
|182,814
|style='background: #ffffe6; |158,232
|69.92%
|62.64%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |54.33%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|14,667
|15,308
|style='background: #ffffe6; |13,777
|5.64%
|5.25%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4.73%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|18,326
|22,047
|style='background: #ffffe6; |22,480
|7.04%
|7.55%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7.72%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|14,208
|23,208
|style='background: #ffffe6; |27,281
|5.46%
|7.95%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.37%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|2,335
|5,776
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,844
|0.90%
|1.98%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.38%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|583
|562
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,922
|0.22%
|0.19%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.66%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|13,383
|20,050
|style='background: #ffffe6; |31,273
|5.14%
|6.87%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |10.74%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|14,799
|22,061
|style='background: #ffffe6; |26,438
|5.69%
|7.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.08%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''260,283'''
|'''291,826'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''291,247'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2010 census===
According to the 2010 census, Anchorage had a population of 291,826 and its racial and ethnic composition was as follows:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190521214830/https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 21, 2019 |title=U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=FactFinder.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP8&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20161012022855/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP8&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 12, 2016 |title=U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=FactFinder.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP7&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213915/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP7&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=FactFinder.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>
*[[White Americans|White]]: 66.0% (62.6% [[Non-Hispanic whites|non-Hispanic]])
*[[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]]: 8.1%
*[[Asian Americans|Asian]]: 8.1% (3.3% [[Filipino Americans|Filipino]], 1.2% [[Korean Americans|Korean]], 1.1% [[Hmong Americans|Hmong]], 0.41% [[Chinese Americans|Chinese]], 0.35% [[Thai Americans|Thai]])
*[[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] and [[Alaska Natives]]: 7.9% (1.4% [[Iñupiat]], 1.1% [[Yup'ik]], 0.8% [[Aleut]])
*[[African Americans|Black or African American]]: 5.6% 
*Other race: 2.3%
*[[Pacific Islands Americans|Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders]]: 2.0% (1.4% [[Samoan Americans|Samoan]])
*[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race): 7.6% (4.4% [[Mexican Americans|Mexican]], 1.2% [[Puerto Rican Americans|Puerto Rican]], 0.71% [[Dominican Americans|Dominican]])
{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Racial composition !! 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02/02020.html |title=Anchorage Municipality, Alaska |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=April 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110803224049/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02/02020.html |archive-date=August 3, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> !! 1990<ref name="pop">{{cite web |title=Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |access-date=April 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812191959/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html |archive-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> !! 1970<ref name="pop"/> !! 1950<ref name="pop"/>
|-
|[[White Americans|White]] ||66.0% ||80.7% ||87.2% ||97.2% 
|-
|—[[Non-Hispanic whites|Non-Hispanic]] ||62.6% ||78.7% ||n/a ||n/a
|-
|[[African Americans|Black or African American]] ||5.6% ||6.4% ||5.9% ||n/a
|-
|Native American or [[Alaska Natives|Alaska Native]] ||7.9% ||6.4% ||1.8% ||1.2%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race) ||7.6% ||4.1% ||2.4%<ref>From 15% sample</ref> ||n/a
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] ||8.1% ||4.8% ||1.0% ||n/a
|}
[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Anchorage (5559865449).png|thumb|left|Map of racial/ethnic distribution in Anchorage, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: <span style="color:#ff0000">'''Non-Hispanic White'''</span>, <span style="color:#0000ff">'''Black'''</span>, <span style="color:#00ff80">'''Asian'''</span>, <span style="color:#ff8000">'''Hispanic'''</span> or '''Alaska Native and Other''' (yellow)]]
[[File:Anchorage Welcomes You sign.jpg|thumb|The "Anchorage Welcomes You" sign outside Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The city is known for showcasing abundant flowers during the summer months.]]
[[File:Anchorage skyline as seen from the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.jpg|thumb|View from the [[Tony Knowles Coastal Trail]] near the mouth of Chester Creek. From foreground to background: Westchester Lagoon, the southern reaches of the [[Bootleggers Cove, Anchorage|Bootleggers Cove]] neighborhood, and the [[Downtown Anchorage|downtown]] skyline.]]

According to the 2010 census, the largest national ancestry groups were as follows: 17.3% [[German Americans|German]], 10.8% [[Irish Americans|Irish]], 9.1% [[English Americans|English]], 6.9% [[Scandinavian Americans|Scandinavian]] (3.6% [[Norwegian Americans|Norwegian]], 2.2% [[Swedish Americans|Swedish]], 0.6% [[Danish Americans|Danish]]) and 5.6% [[French Americans|French]]/[[French Canadian Americans|French Canadian]] ancestry.<ref name="census2">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_DP02&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212212624/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_DP02&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=FactFinder.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_3YR_B04003&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212211850/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_3YR_B04003&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=FactFinder.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>

According to the 2010 American Community Survey, approximately 82.3% of residents over the age of five spoke only English at home. [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]] was spoken by 3.8% of the population; speakers of other [[Indo-European languages]] made up 3.0% of the population; those who spoke [[Asian languages|Asian]] and [[Oceanic languages|Pacific Islander languages]] at home were 9.1%; and speakers of other languages made up 1.8%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_C16001&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213136/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_C16001&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=FactFinder.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>

In 2010, there were 291,826 people, 107,332 households and 70,544 families residing in the municipality. The population density was {{convert|171.2|/mi2|/km2}}. There were 113,032 housing units at an average density of {{convert|59.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 107,332 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.19. The age distribution was 26.0% under 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 32.9 years. 50.8% of the population was male and 49.2% were female.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF2_SF2DP1&prodType=table |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212212931/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF2_SF2DP1&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |title=U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=FactFinder.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref>

The median income for a household in the municipality was $73,004, and the median income for a family was $85,829. The per capita income for the municipality was $34,678. About 5.1% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line.<ref name="census1">{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02/0203000.html |title=Anchorage (municipality) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau |publisher=Quickfacts.census.gov |access-date=October 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905020052/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02/0203000.html |archive-date=September 5, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_DP03&prodType=table |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20160213193529/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_DP03&prodType=table |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 13, 2016 |title=U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=FactFinder.census.gov |access-date=October 15, 2012}}</ref> Of the city's population over the age of 25, 33.7% held a bachelor's degree or higher, and 92.1% had a high school diploma or equivalent.<ref name="census2"/>

===Languages===
In 2010, 83.7% (220,304) of Anchorage residents aged five and older spoke only English at home, while 4.5% (11,769) spoke Spanish, 2.5% (6,654) [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], 1.6% (4,108) [[Pacific Islands|various Pacific Island languages]], 1.4% (3,636) [[Indigenous languages of the Americas|various Native American/Alaska Native languages]], 1.1% (2,994) [[Korean language|Korean]], 0.6% (1,646) German, 0.6% (1,502) [[Hmong language|Hmong]], 0.5% (1,307) Russian, and Japanese was spoken as a [[main language]] by 0.5% (1,185) of the population over the age of five. In total, 16.3% (43,010) of Anchorage's population aged five and older spoke a [[mother language]] other than English.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results |title=Anchorage Municipality County, Alaska |publisher=[[Modern Language Association]] |access-date=August 10, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815140430/http://www.mla.org/cgi-shl/docstudio/docs.pl?map_data_results |archive-date=August 15, 2013}}</ref>

{{as of|2006|September|7|df=US}}, 94 languages were spoken by students in the [[Anchorage School District]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asdk12.org/aboutasd/languages.asp |title=About the Anchorage School District – Languages our students speak |publisher=ASD Online – Anchorage School District |access-date=April 1, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219202251/http://www.asdk12.org/aboutasd/languages.asp |archive-date=December 19, 2008}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Anchorage Visitor Information Center.jpg|thumb|The Anchorage Visitor Information Center, downtown on 4th Avenue]]

Anchorage's largest economic sectors include transportation, military, municipal, state and federal government, tourism, corporate headquarters (including regional headquarters for [[multinational corporation]]s) and resource extraction. Large portions of the local economy depend on Anchorage's geographical location and surrounding [[natural resources]]. Anchorage's economy traditionally has seen steady growth, though not quite as rapid as many places in the [[Outside (Alaska)|lower 48 states]]. With the notable exception of a real estate-related crash in the mid-to-late 1980s, which saw the failure of numerous financial institutions, it does not experience as much pain during economic downturns.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

The [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport]] (TSAIA) is the world's fourth busiest airport for cargo traffic, surpassed only by [[Memphis International Airport|Memphis]], [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], and [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai Pudong]]. This traffic is strongly linked to Anchorage's location along [[great circle]] routes between Asia and the lower 48. In addition, the airport has an abundant supply of jet fuel from in-state refineries in [[North Pole, Alaska|North Pole]] and [[Kenai, Alaska|Kenai]].<!--I should know this already, though a quickie web search wasn't of much help. Even though it's called the "Kenai Refinery," isn't it actually located in Nikiski?--> This [[jet fuel]] is transported to the [[Port of Anchorage]], then by rail or pipeline to the airport.

[[File:Anchorage Alaska aerial view.jpg|thumb|Aerial view of the [[Port of Anchorage]] on Cook Inlet in 1999]]
The [[Port of Anchorage]] receives 95 percent of all goods destined for Alaska. Ships from Totem Ocean Trailer Express and Horizon Lines arrive twice weekly from the [[Port of Tacoma]] in [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. Along with handling these activities, the port is a storage facility for jet fuel from Alaskan refineries, which is used at both TSAIA and [[Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson]] (JBER).

The existing port was substantially built in the late 1950s and is reaching the end of its useful life. Beginning in 2017, the Port of Anchorage is undertaking an extensive 7-year Anchorage Port Modernization Project<ref>{{cite web |title=Anchorage Port Modernization Project |url=http://www.portofanc.com/modernization-project/ |website=portofanc.com |access-date=January 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316172958/http://www.portofanc.com/modernization-project/ |archive-date=March 16, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref> to upgrade its aging infrastructure, support larger deeper draft vessels, and future proof the port seismically and environmentally for another 75 years.

The United States military has two large installations, [[Elmendorf Air Force Base]] and [[Fort Richardson (Alaska)|Fort Richardson]], which originally stemmed from the branching off of the [[U.S. Air Force]] from the [[U.S. Army]] following World War II. In a cost-cutting effort initiated by the [[Base Realignment and Closure, 2005|2005 BRAC proceedings]], the bases were combined. JBER was created, which also incorporated [[Kulis Air National Guard Base]] near TSAIA. The combination of these three bases employ approximately 8,500 civilian and military personnel. These individuals along with their families comprise approximately ten percent of the local population. During the [[Cold War]], Elmendorf became an important base due to its proximity to the [[Soviet Union]], particularly as a [[Alaskan Air Command|command center]] for numerous forward air stations established throughout the western reaches of Alaska (most of which have since closed).

[[File:Downtown Anchorage, Alaska.jpg|thumb|left|View of downtown Anchorage from the Hotel Captain Cook. The gold building on the right, the [[Conoco-Phillips Building]], is the tallest building in Alaska and exemplifies the importance of the petroleum industry.]]

While [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]] is the official state capital of Alaska, more state employees reside in the Anchorage area. Approximately 6,800 state employees work in Anchorage compared to about 3,800 in Juneau. The State of Alaska purchased the [[Bank of America]] Center (which it renamed the [[Robert B. Atwood Building]]) to house most of its offices, after several decades of leasing space in the McKay Building (now the [[McKinley Tower]]) and later the Frontier Building.

The resource sector, mainly petroleum, is arguably Anchorage's most visible industry, with many high-rise buildings bearing the logos of large multinationals such as [[Hilcorp]] and [[ConocoPhillips]]. While field operations are centered on the [[Alaska North Slope]] and south of Anchorage around [[Cook Inlet]], the majority of offices and administration are found in Anchorage. The headquarters building of [[ConocoPhillips Alaska]], a subsidiary of [[ConocoPhillips]], is in downtown Anchorage.<ref>"[http://www.conocophillipsalaska.com/permits/Grandview%20and%20Pioneer%20Permit%20apps/Surface%20Use%20Plan.pdf North Slope National Petroleum Reserva Alaska 2008/2009 Exploration Drilling Program] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919092544/http://conocophillipsalaska.com/permits/Grandview%20and%20Pioneer%20Permit%20apps/Surface%20Use%20Plan.pdf |date=September 19, 2010 }}." [[ConocoPhillips Alaska]]. November 2008. Page 1 (1/8). Retrieved February 14, 2010.</ref> It is also [[Conoco-Phillips Building|the tallest building in Alaska]]. Many companies who provide oilfield support services are likewise headquartered outside of Anchorage but maintain a substantial presence in the city, most notably [[Arctic Slope Regional Corporation]] and [[CH2M Hill]].

Four small airlines, [[Alaska Central Express]],<ref>"[http://www.aceaircargo.com/contact.html Contact Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614062043/http://www.aceaircargo.com/contact.html |date=June 14, 2010 }}." Alaska Central Express. Retrieved January 24, 2010.</ref> [[Era Aviation]],<ref>"[http://www.frontierak.com/contact.html Contact Us] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100814212149/http://www.frontierak.com/contact.html |date=August 14, 2010 }}." [[Era Aviation]]. Retrieved July 16, 2009.</ref> [[Hageland Aviation Services]],<ref>"[http://www.hageland.com/contactus.html Contact Us] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091109000203/http://www.hageland.com/contactus.html |date=November 9, 2009 }}." [[Hageland Aviation Services]]. Retrieved November 3, 2009.</ref> and [[PenAir]], are headquartered in Anchorage.<ref>"[http://www.penair.com/contact.html Contact Us] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221140945/http://www.penair.com/contact.html |date=December 21, 2008 }}." [[PenAir]]. Retrieved July 16, 2009.</ref> [[Alaska Airlines]] (at one point headquartered in Anchorage, but now headquartered in the [[Seattle]] area), has major offices and facilities at TSAIA, including the offices of the Alaska Airlines Foundation.<ref>"[http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/company/csr/as-foundation.asp The Alaska Airlines Foundation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328134239/http://www.alaskaair.com/as/www2/company/csr/as-foundation.asp |date=March 28, 2010 }}." [[Alaska Airlines]]. Retrieved February 27, 2010.</ref> Prior to their respective dissolutions, airlines [[MarkAir]], [[Reeve Aleutian Airways]] and [[Wien Air Alaska]] were also headquartered in Anchorage.<ref>"World Airline Directory." ''[[Flight International]]''. March 22–28, 1995. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1995/1995%20-%200761.html?search=MarkAir 761] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303092150/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1995/1995%20-%200761.html?search=MarkAir |date=March 3, 2012 }}.</ref><ref>"World Airline Directory." ''Flight International''. March 30, 1985. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200971.html 111] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303132724/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200971.html |date=March 3, 2012 }}." Retrieved July 23, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reeveair.com/index.cfm?section=history&page=intro |title=About Us |access-date=April 13, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990827223858/http://www.reeveair.com/index.cfm?section=history&page=intro |archive-date=August 27, 1999 |website=Reeve Aleutian Airways}}</ref> The Reeve Building, at the corner of West Sixth Avenue and D Street, was spared the wrecking ball when the city block it sits on was cleared to make way for the [[Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall]], and was incorporated into the mall's structure. In 2013, ''[[Forbes]]'' named Anchorage among its list of Best Places for Business and Careers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Best Places For Business and Careers – Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/best-places-for-business/ |work=Forbes |access-date=January 16, 2014 |archive-date=August 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808004953/http://www.forbes.com/best-places-for-business |url-status=live }}</ref>

Five [[Alaska Native corporation|Alaska Native regional corporation]]s are based in Anchorage: [[The Aleut Corporation]], [[Bristol Bay Native Corporation]], [[Calista Corporation]], [[Chugach Alaska Corporation]], and [[Cook Inlet Region, Inc.]]

Anchorage does not levy a [[sales tax]]. However, it charges a 12% bed tax on hotel stays and an 8% tax on [[car rentals]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Alaska Taxable 2008 |date=January 2009 |publisher=Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development |url=http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dcra/osa/pub/08Taxable.pdf |access-date=February 24, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621031627/http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dcra/osa/pub/08Taxable.pdf |archive-date=June 21, 2009}}</ref> Since about 2000, in response to strong revenue and occupancy rates, major hotel developers from the Lower 48 have been building new hotels along C Street from International Airport Road to just north of Tudor Road, with two more to open in 2017, making this half-mile stretch of C Street a new "hotel row".<ref>{{cite web |title='Hotel Row' springs up in Midtown Anchorage, updated September 28, 2016 |url=https://www.adn.com/business/article/why-anchorages-c-street-hotel-cluster-exists/2015/11/15/ |newspaper=Alaska Dispatch News |access-date=January 21, 2017 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202003526/https://www.adn.com/business/article/why-anchorages-c-street-hotel-cluster-exists/2015/11/15/ |url-status=live }}</ref> From Anchorage people can easily head south to popular fishing locations on the [[Kenai Peninsula]] or north to locations such as [[Denali National Park]] and [[Fairbanks]].

==Arts==
[[File:Alaska Center for the Performing Arts. Anchorage, Alaska.jpg|thumb|The Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, in downtown Anchorage]]
[[File:Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center 2014.jpg|thumb|The front entrance of the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center in downtown]]
Located next to Town Square Park in downtown Anchorage, the [[Alaska Center for the Performing Arts]] is a three-part complex that hosts numerous [[performing arts]] events each year. The facility can accommodate more than 3,000 people. In 2000, nearly 245,000 people visited 678 public performances. It is home to eight resident performing arts companies and has featured mega-musicals performed by visiting companies. The center also hosts the International Ice Carving Competition as part of the [[Fur Rendezvous festival]] in February.

The [[Anchorage Concert Association]] brings 20 to 30 events to the community each year, including Broadway shows like [[Disney]]'s [[The Lion King (musical)|The Lion King]], [[Les Misérables (musical)|Les Misérables]], [[Mamma Mia! (musical)|Mamma Mia!]], [[The Phantom of the Opera (musical)|The Phantom of The Opera]], [[West Side Story]], and others. The [[Sitka Summer Music Festival]] presents an "Autumn Classics" festival of chamber music for two weeks each September on the campus of [[Alaska Pacific University]]. Orchestras include the [[Anchorage Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Anchorage Youth Symphony]].

Annually in January, the Anchorage Folk Festival takes place at the [[University of Alaska Anchorage]], featuring concerts, dances, and workshops with featured guest artists and over 130 performances by volunteer singers, dancers, musicians, and storytellers.

*[[Alaska Native Heritage Center]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskanative.net |title=Alaska Native Heritage Center |publisher=Alaskanative.net |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=April 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403123831/http://www.alaskanative.net/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*Alaska Museum of Natural History<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskamuseum.org |title=Alaska Museum of Natural History |publisher=Alaskamuseum.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130160823/http://alaskamuseum.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum]]
*[[Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anchoragemuseum.org |title=The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center |publisher=Anchoragemuseum.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303162329/https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Oscar Anderson House Museum]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anchoragehistoric.org |title=anchoragehistoric.org |publisher=anchoragehistoric.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623212745/http://www.anchoragehistoric.org/ |archive-date=June 23, 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Wells Fargo Alaska Heritage Library & Museum<ref>[http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/museums/museum_anchorage_visit.html Alaskan Heritage Museum] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807141842/http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/museums/museum_anchorage_visit.html |date=August 7, 2012 }} Wells Fargo. Retrieved August 10, 2012.</ref>

The city of Anchorage provides three municipal facilities large enough to hold major events such as concerts, trade shows and conventions. Downtown facilities include the [[Alaska Center for the Performing Arts]], [[William A. Egan Civic & Convention Center]] and the recently completed [[Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center]], which will be connected via [[Skyway|skybridge]] to form the Anchorage Civic & Convention District. The [[Sullivan Arena]] hosts sporting events as well as concerts and annual trade shows. 
{{clear}}

==Sports==
{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Sports teams in Anchorage
! Team !! Sport !! League !! Began !! Folded !! Venue (capacity) !! Championships
|-
| [[Anchorage Bucs]] || [[Baseball]] || [[Alaska Baseball League]] || 1981 ||  || [[Mulcahy Stadium]] (3500) || 0
|-
| [[Anchorage Glacier Pilots]] || Baseball || Alaska Baseball League || 1969 ||  || Mulcahy Stadium (3500) || 5 (1969, 1971, 1986, 1991, 2001)
|-
| [[Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks]] || Baseball || Alaska Baseball League || Relocated from [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]] in 2010 ||  || Loretta French Park (600) || 1 (2007)
|-
| [[Alaska Aces (ECHL)|Alaska Aces]] || [[Ice Hockey|Hockey]] || [[ECHL]] || 1989 || 2017 || [[Sullivan Arena]] (6,290 (seated), 6,490 (with standing room)) || 3 (2006, 2011, 2014)
|-
| [[Anchorage Wolverines]] || Hockey || [[North American Hockey League]] || 2021 ||  || [[Ben Boeke Ice Rink|Ben Boeke Ice Arena]] || 0
|-
| [[Anchorage Northern Knights]] || [[Basketball]] || [[Continental Basketball Association]] || 1977 || 1982 || [[West Anchorage High School|West Anchorage High School Gymnasium]] || 1 (1980)
|-
|}
{{multiple image
|direction=
|width=200
|align=right
|image1=Iditarod in Anchorage Alaska.jpg
|caption1=Ceremonial start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, in downtown Anchorage
|image2=
|caption2=Statue in downtown Anchorage marks the ceremonial start of each year's 1,161-mile Iditarod race
}}
[[File:Anchorage Golf Course.jpg|thumb|upright|Anchorage Golf Course]]

National attention focuses on Anchorage on the first Saturday of each March, when the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]] kicks off with its ceremonial start downtown on Fourth Avenue. Anchorage is also home to the Fur Rendezvous Open World Championship Sled Dog Races, a three-day dog sled sprint event consisting of three timed races of {{cvt|25.5|mi|km}} each. Held each February, the event is part of the annual Fur Rendezvous, a winter sports carnival.

Anchorage is home to three teams in the [[Alaska Baseball League]]. The [[Anchorage Bucs]] and [[Anchorage Glacier Pilots]], which both play at [[Mulcahy Stadium]], and the [[Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks]] based at Lee Jordan Field in Chugiak.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cerchinooks.com |title=Chugiak–Eagle River Chinooks – Alaska Baseball League |website=cerchinooks.com |access-date=April 13, 2022 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923201924/http://www.cerchinooks.com/about/abl-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Anchorage has no professional sports teams. The most recent to call the city home was the [[Alaska Aces (ECHL)|Alaska Aces]] of the [[ECHL]]. The Aces were very successful during their time in Anchorage, claiming three league titles, four conference championships, and eight division championship during their 29-year history (1989–2017). The Aces affiliated with various [[National Hockey League]] teams, including the [[Calgary Flames]], [[Minnesota Wild]], and [[Vancouver Canucks]]. After the 2016–17 season, the team ceased operations and was sold to a group in [[Portland, Maine]], where it became the [[Maine Mariners (ECHL)|Maine Mariners]] in the 2018–19 season. In 2021, the [[NAHL]] approved the addition of an expansion team in Anchorage.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=31385 |title=NAHL team in Anchorage, Alaska approved for the 2021–22 season |publisher=North American Hockey League |date=March 22, 2021 |access-date=August 21, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322175047/http://www.nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=31385 |archive-date=March 22, 2021}}</ref> The expansion team, named the [[Anchorage Wolverines]], began competing in the Midwest Division for the 2021–22 season.

The University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves are a member of the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]]. UAA has [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] teams in [[gymnastics]] and hockey, as well as several other [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] teams. UAA sponsors the annual [[Great Alaska Shootout]], an annual [[NCAA]] Division I basketball tournament featuring colleges and universities from across the United States along with the UAA team.

Anchorage is the finish line for the [[Sadler's Ultra Challenge]] wheelchair race.

There are four [[Rugby union|rugby]] clubs, including the Bird Creek Barbarians RFC, Anchorage Thunderbirds,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thunderbirds.20m.com |title=Home |publisher=Thunderbirds.20m.com |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209101422/http://www.thunderbirds.20m.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Mat Valley Maulers RFC, and Spenard Green Dragons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdcreekrfc.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208234039/http://www.birdcreekrfc.com/ |archive-date=February 8, 2008 |title=2007 Bird Creek Barbarians RFC |website=birdcreekrfc.com}}</ref> The season runs from April through September.

The [[Anchorage Northern Knights]] gained national attention when they joined the eight-team [[Eastern Basketball Association]] in 1977, a league whose nearest competitor was {{cvt|5000|mi|km}} from Anchorage. The Knights captured the 1979–80 league championship, and featured several players who would play in the NBA, most notably [[Brad Davis (basketball)|Brad Davis]], a future player and broadcaster for the [[Dallas Mavericks]]. They competed in the renamed [[Continental Basketball Association]] for five seasons until the economic recession ended their run in 1982.

The city was the U.S. candidate for hosting the 1992 and 1994 [[Winter Olympics]], but lost to [[Albertville]], France and [[Lillehammer]], [[Norway]] respectively. Anchorage is a premier cross-country skiing city, in terms of density of groomed trails within the urban core. There are {{cvt|105|mi|km}} of maintained ski trails in the city, some of which reach downtown. The same trail system also provides access to [[Chugach State Park]], a {{cvt|495000|acre|ha|adj=on}} high alpine park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.muni.org/parks/trails.cfm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030620081121/http://www.muni.org/parks/trails.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 20, 2003 |title=Parks and Recreation |publisher=Muni.org |access-date=July 22, 2010}}</ref> The [[Tour of Anchorage]] is an annual 50-kilometer ski race within the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourofanchorage.com/ |title=Tour of Anchorage |publisher=Tour of Anchorage |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=January 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111193523/http://www.tourofanchorage.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and is the Host for the 2009 and 2010 US Senior National Cross Country Ski Championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/nationals09/ |title=2009 and 2010 US Cross Country Ski Championships in Anchorage Alaska |publisher=Anchoragenordicski.com |date=September 28, 2009 |access-date=July 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214125713/http://www.anchoragenordicski.com/nationals09/ |archive-date=February 14, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Anchorage is also home to Alaska's first [[WFTDA]] flat track women's roller derby league, the [[Rage City Rollergirls]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ragecityrollergirls.org |title=Anchorage, Alaska's Premier Roller Derby League! |publisher=Rage City Rollergirls |access-date=July 22, 2010 |archive-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100312081041/http://www.ragecityrollergirls.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Anchorage Football Stadium]] is also a noteworthy sports venue.

The [[1989 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships]] was played in Anchorage.

==Parks and recreation==
[[File:Peakthree.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Peak Three in the Chugach Mountains]]
[[File:AlaskaBotanicalGardens.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Alaska Botanical Garden]]

===Parks, gardens, and wildlife refuges===
*[[Alaska Native Heritage Center]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://alaskanative.net |title=Alaska Native Heritage Centre – Home website |publisher=Alaskanative.net |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=August 13, 2002 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20020813061838/http://www.alaskanative.net/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*The [[Alaska Botanical Garden]] has over 900 species of hardy perennials and 150 native plant species<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskabg.org |title=Alaska Botanical Garden |publisher=Alaskabg.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218084252/http://alaskabg.org/ |archive-date=December 18, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Alaska Zoo]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskazoo.org |title=Alaska Zoo Home Page |publisher=Alaskazoo.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224145929/https://www.alaskazoo.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskawildlife.org |title=Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center |publisher=Alaskawildlife.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906063729/https://www.alaskawildlife.org/ |archive-date=September 6, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge]]
*[[Delaney Park Strip]]
*[[Kincaid Park]]
*[[Point Woronzof Park]]
*[[Flattop Mountain (Anchorage, Alaska)|Flattop Mountain Recreation Area]]
*[[Westchester Lagoon]]/[[George M. Sullivan#Early life|Margaret Eagan Sullivan Park]]

Many of Anchorage's parklands are interconnected with [[green belt]]s that follow the lakes and streams that form the natural watershed, creating water/parkland (blue/green) interfaces in the pluvial flood zones, which helps minimize the risk of floods damaging homes and businesses.<ref name=":99">{{Cite journal|last1=Pallathadka|first1=Arun|last2=Chang|first2=Heejun|last3=Ajibade|first3=Idowu|date=2021|title=The Spatial Patterns of Pluvial Flood Risk, Blue-Green Infrastructure, and Social Vulnerability: A Case Study from Two Alaskan Cities.|journal=International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research|volume=8|url=https://dc.uwm.edu/ijger/vol8/iss3/2}}</ref>

===Recreational facilities===
*[[Alpenglow at Arctic Valley|Arctic Valley Ski Area]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.skiarctic.com |title=Arctic Valley Ski |publisher=skiarctic.com.com |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416184817/http://www.skiarctic.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Alyeska Resort]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alyeskaresort.com |title=Alaska Ski Vacation Resorts – Alyeska gets top ratings! |publisher=Alyeskaresort.com |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130000811/http://www.alyeskaresort.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Hilltop Ski Area]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hilltopskiarea.org |title=Hilltop Ski Area – Home Page |publisher=Hilltopskiarea.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204132533/http://www.hilltopskiarea.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Kincaid Park]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.muni.org/parks/parkdistrictsw.cfm |title=ParkDistrictSW |publisher=Muni.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413050709/http://www.muni.org/parks/ParkDistrictSW.cfm |archive-date=April 13, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Tony Knowles Coastal Trail]]

===Points of interest===
*[[Moose's Tooth Pub & Pizzeria]], a pub and pizzeria ranked 3rd best in the United States<ref name="then_Loca">{{Cite web |title=Local Anchorage pizzeria ranks No. 3 in America |author=Samantha Davenport |work=The Northern Light |date=August 10, 2015 |access-date=10 September 2015 |url=http://www.thenorthernlight.org/local-anchorage-pizzeria-ranks-3-in-america/ |archive-date=June 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621094800/http://www.thenorthernlight.org/local-anchorage-pizzeria-ranks-3-in-america/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Anchorage Museum]]
{{clear}}

==Government and politics==
{{See also|List of mayors of Anchorage, Alaska}}
{|class=wikitable style="float:right; font-size:85%; margin:10px"
|+ Municipality of Anchorage election results from statewide races
|-
! Year
! Office
! Results
|-
|rowspan=3 |[[2010 Alaska elections|2010]]
|[[United States Senate election in Alaska, 2010|Senator]]
|align=right {{party shading/Independent}} |[[Lisa Murkowski|Murkowski]] 42–32%
|-
|[[United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, 2010|House]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Don Young|Young]] 65–34%
|-
|[[2010 Alaska gubernatorial election|Governor]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Sean Parnell|Parnell]] 57–41%
|-
|rowspan=2 |[[2012 Alaska elections|2012]]
|[[2012 United States presidential election in Alaska|President]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Mitt Romney|Romney]] 53–43%
|-
|[[2012 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska|House]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Don Young|Young]] 61–32%
|-
|rowspan=3 |[[2014 Alaska elections|2014]]
|[[2014 United States Senate election in Alaska|Senator]]
|align=right {{party shading/Democratic}} |[[Mark Begich|Begich]] 48–47%
|-
|[[2014 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska|House]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Don Young|Young]] 47–46%
|-
|[[2014 Alaska gubernatorial election|Governor]]
|align=right {{party shading/Independent}} |[[Bill Walker (American politician)|Walker]] 49–45%
|-
|rowspan=3 |[[2016 Alaska elections|2016]]
|[[2016 United States presidential election in Alaska|President]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Donald Trump|Trump]] 47–42%
|-
|[[2016 United States Senate election in Alaska|Senator]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Lisa Murkowski|Murkowski]] 45–25%
|-
|[[2016 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska|House]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Don Young|Young]] 48–40%
|-
|rowspan=2 |[[2018 Alaska elections|2018]]
|[[United States House of Representatives election in Alaska, 2018|House]]
|align=right {{party shading/Independent}} |[[Alyse Galvin|Galvin]] 51–49%
|-
|[[2018 Alaska gubernatorial election|Governor]]
|align=right {{party shading/Democratic}} |[[Mark Begich|Begich]] 48–48%
|-
|rowspan=3 |[[2020 Alaska elections|2020]]
|[[2020 United States presidential election in Alaska|President]]
|align=right {{party shading/Democratic}} |[[Joe Biden|Biden]] 49–47%
|-
|[[2020 United States Senate election in Alaska|Senator]]
|align=right {{party shading/Republican}} |[[Dan Sullivan (U.S. senator)|Sullivan]] 50–47%
|-
|[[2020 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska|House]]
|align=right {{party shading/Independent}} |[[Alyse Galvin|Galvin]] 51–49%
|}

Anchorage is governed by an elected mayor and 11-member [[city council|assembly]], with the assistance of a [[city manager]]. These positions are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elected offices in Alaska): no candidates officially run under any party banner. All 11 members are elected from districts known as sections. Five of the sections elect two members from designated seats, while the remaining section elects one member. Before the [[1980 United States Census]], the single-member section was the one centered around the northern Anchorage communities of [[Chugiak]] and [[Eagle River (Anchorage)|Eagle River]]. Since then, the area encompassing [[Downtown Anchorage]] and surrounding neighborhoods has served as the city's single-member section. The mayor (along with members of the school board) is elected in a citywide vote. In practice, major candidates' party affiliation and political ideology are usually well known and highlighted by local media for the purpose of framing debate. The city's mayor is Dave Bronson. Along with seven sister cities in the SCI program{{clarify|date=January 2017}}, Anchorage has a cultural exchange program with [[Montenegro]].

In the 2017 municipal election, Christopher Constant and Felix Rivera became the first openly gay candidates elected to Anchorage public office.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gay-candidates-win-alaska-election_us_58e53b55e4b06a4cb30e9ed9] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406174916/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gay-candidates-win-alaska-election_us_58e53b55e4b06a4cb30e9ed9|date=April 6, 2017}} ''HuffPost'', "Two Openly Gay Candidates Notch Historic Wins in Alaska Election". Retrieved April 6, 2017.</ref><ref>[http://www.ktva.com/anchorage-voters-elect-first-openly-gay-assembly-members-590/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407062702/http://www.ktva.com/anchorage-voters-elect-first-openly-gay-assembly-members-590/|date=April 7, 2017}} KTVA, "Anchorage voters elect first openly gay assembly members". Retrieved April 6, 2017.</ref>

Anchorage generally leans toward [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidates in both state and presidential elections. But since the establishment of the municipality in 1975, there have been two [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] mayors ([[Tony Knowles (politician)|Tony Knowles]] and [[Mark Begich]]), each of whom was elected to two consecutive terms and later to statewide office. [[Downtown Anchorage|Downtown]], [[Girdwood, Anchorage|Girdwood]], and much of both the west and east parts of town trend Democratic. Areas closest to the military bases, including [[Eagle River, Alaska|Eagle River]], and south Anchorage are the municipality's most Republican areas. Midtown is relatively moderate. In [[2020 United States presidential election in Alaska|2020]], [[Joe Biden]] became the first Democrat to win Anchorage since [[Lyndon Johnson]] in [[1964 United States presidential election in Alaska|1964]].
{{PresHead|place=Anchorage, Alaska|source=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2018/02/02/alaska-results-by-county-equivalent-1960-2016/ |title=RRH Elections |first=RRH |last=Elections |website=rrhelections.com |date=February 2, 2018 |access-date=January 12, 2020 |archive-date=January 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129212547/https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2018/02/02/alaska-results-by-county-equivalent-1960-2016/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
<!--{{PresRow|Year|Winner|GOP #|Dem #|3rd #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2020|Democratic|68,169|70,933|6,031|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|61,066|53,953|14,999|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|66,430|54,026|4,745|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|76,959|55,221|3,040|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|76,807|47,676|3,681|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|67,959|34,726|16,235|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|51,627|32,638|13,538|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|45,253|32,889|31,227|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|50,508|29,412|2,659|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|60,987|25,158|2,627|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|38,956|15,186|11,774|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|31,884|17,136|2,857|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|23,918|10,859|3,003|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|13,833|13,005|3,831|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|9,051|13,537|0|Alaska}}
{{PresFoot|1960|Republican|11,119|9,581|0|Alaska}}

Voting trends show that Downtown Anchorage votes Democratic in large margins, while [[Spenard, Anchorage|Spenard]], Turnagain/Inlet View, and University/Airport Heights are relatively moderate and swing in elections. The remaining Anchorage areas have traditionally trended Republican.<ref>{{cite web |title=2008 Presidential Election Results by House District in Alaska |publisher=USA Election Atlas |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=88046.0 |access-date=July 5, 2010}}</ref> In 2018, Anchorage began conducting municipal elections by mail (as directed by the assembly in 2015) and had the highest voter turnout in the city's history.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kelly |first1=Devin |title=Anchorage's vote-by-mail election was supposed to boost turnout. It shattered a record. |url=https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2018/04/04/anchorages-vote-by-mail-election-was-supposed-to-boost-turnout-its-now-shattered-a-record/ |website=Anchorage Daily News |access-date=March 14, 2019 |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119135514/https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/anchorage/2018/04/04/anchorages-vote-by-mail-election-was-supposed-to-boost-turnout-its-now-shattered-a-record/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Anchorage-Eagle River sends 16 representatives ({{as of|2018|lc=y}}, nine Republicans and seven Democrats) to the 40-member [[Alaska House of Representatives]] and eight senators (five Republicans and three Democrats) to the 20-member Senate. When seats from the neighboring [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska|Mat-Su Borough]] are added, more than half the Alaska state legislature comes from the [[Anchorage metropolitan area]]. This is often used as an argument for moving the state capital from [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]] to the Anchorage area.

===Public safety===
[[File:Anchorage Fire Department Engine 1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Anchorage Fire Department]] engine based at its [[Downtown Anchorage|downtown]] station, responding to a call early in the morning]]
With a reported strength of 383 sworn officers, the [[Anchorage Police Department (Alaska)|Anchorage Police Department]] is the largest police department in the state, serving an area of <span style="white-space:nowrap">159 square miles</span> with a population of 300,950.<ref>[https://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/data/table_78_ak.html "Table 78 (Alaska). Full-Time Law Enforcement Employees by State by City, 2008."]. Retrieved December 11, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924013255/https://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/data/table_78_ak.html |date=September 24, 2009 }}</ref> Until 2016, [[Alaska State Troopers]] provided policing for the southern regions of Anchorage along Turnagain Arm. After their withdrawal, [[Girdwood, Anchorage|Girdwood]] contracted with the neighboring city of [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]] for its policing,<ref>{{cite news |title=Municipality, Whittier agree to interim Girdwood police contract |newspaper=Alaska Dispatch News |url=https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2016/10/20/anchorage-whittier-agree-to-interim-police-contact-for-final-months-of-2016 |access-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-date=May 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517152746/https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2016/10/20/anchorage-whittier-agree-to-interim-police-contact-for-final-months-of-2016/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the following year APD provided contract policing to other Turnagain Arm communities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Turnagain Arm Police Service Area Begins |work=Glacier City Gazette |url=https://glaciercitygazette.net/turnagain-arm-police-service-area-begins |access-date=May 15, 2018 |archive-date=May 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517005341/https://glaciercitygazette.net/turnagain-arm-police-service-area-begins/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Fire & EMS Operations Division of the [[Anchorage Fire Department]] (AFD) includes thirteen fire stations with over 300 personnel covering three rotating 24-hour shifts. Additionally, there are volunteer fire departments in [[Girdwood, Anchorage|Girdwood]] and [[Chugiak]] and fire departments on [[Elmendorf Air Force Base]] and [[Fort Richardson (Alaska)|Fort Richardson]], as well as the Airport Police and Fire Department.<ref>[http://www.muni.org/fire1/index1.cfm Anchorage Fire Department] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070307020214/http://www.muni.org/fire1/index1.cfm |date=March 7, 2007 }} official website. Retrieved April 2, 2007.</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:75%; margin:10px"
|+ Anchorage crime rate (2010), compared
|
! Violent crimes<ref group="nb">Includes of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault.</ref><small><br />per 100,000 pop.</small>
! Property crimes<ref group="nb">Includes burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.</ref><small><br />per 100,000 pop.</small>
|-
! Anchorage<ref name=anchoragecrime>Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010). [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/table-8/10tbl08ak.xls "Table 8 (Alaska). Offenses Known to Law Enforcement."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313084128/https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/table-8/10tbl08ak.xls/ |date=March 13, 2016 }} Uniform Crime Reports. FBI. Retrieved August 10, 2012.</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|837.7
|style="text-align:center;"|3,518.0
|-
! Alaska<ref name="ucrstate">Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010). [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl04.xls "Table 4. Crime in the United States, by Region, Geographic Division, and State, 2009–2010."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529072615/https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl04.xls/ |date=May 29, 2016 }} [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl05.xls ''Crime in the United States 2010''.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626135410/https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl05.xls/ |date=June 26, 2016 }}. Retrieved August 10, 2012.</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|638.8
|style="text-align:center;"|2,852.5
|-
! U.S. cities,<br /><small>pop. 100,000–249,999</small><ref name="table16">Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2010). [https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl16.xls "Table 16. Rate: Number of Crimes per 100,000 Inhabitants by Population Group, 2005."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626200832/https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl16.xls/ |date=June 26, 2016 }}. Retrieved August 10, 2012.</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|519.6
|style="text-align:center;"|3,846.8
|-
! U.S. cities,<br /><small>pop. 250,000–499,999</small><ref name="table16"/>
|style="text-align:center;"|757.7
|style="text-align:center;"|4,216.6
|-
! U.S. total<ref name="ucrstate"/>
|style="text-align:center;"|403.6
|style="text-align:center;"|2,941.9
|-
|colspan="3"|{{refbegin}}''Source:'' [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] [[Uniform Crime Reports]]{{refend}}
|}

In 2010, Anchorage reported 837.7 [[violent crimes]] per 100,000 population and 3,518.0 property crimes per 100,000 population (see table). Anchorage's [[crime rate]], both for violent and property crimes, is higher than for Alaska as a whole or for the U.S. as a whole. When compared with U.S. cities of similar size, Anchorage has a slightly higher rate of violent crime and a slightly lower rate of [[property crime]]. Anchorage, and Alaska in general, have very high rates of sexual assault in comparison with the rest of the country, with Anchorage's annual rate of forcible rapes over three times as high as for the U.S. as a whole. In 2010, the rate of rape for Anchorage was 90.9 per 100,000 population,<ref name=anchoragecrime/> while the U.S. rate was 27.5 per 100,000 population.<ref name="ucrstate"/> [[Alaska Natives]] are victimized at a much higher rate than their representation in the population.<ref>Rosay, André. (Winter 2004). [http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/forum/20/4winter2004/a_rapes.html "Forcible Rapes and Sexual Assaults in Anchorage."] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617121511/http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/FORUM/20/4winter2004/a_rapes.html |date=June 17, 2008 }} Alaska Justice Forum 20(4): 1, 9–11. Retrieved April 2, 2007.</ref>

The Anchorage Community Survey, a public survey conducted in 2004–05 by the Justice Center at [[University of Alaska Anchorage]], found that overall, Anchorage residents are fairly satisfied with the performance of the Anchorage Police Department.<ref>Myrstol, Brad A. (Summer 2005). [http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/forum/22/2summer2005/d_makinggrade.html "Making the Grade? Public Evaluation of Police Performance in Anchorage."] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411103802/http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/forum/22/2summer2005/d_makinggrade.html |date=April 11, 2012 }} ''Alaska Justice Forum'' 22(2): 5–10. Retrieved August 10, 2012.</ref> Most survey respondents perceived the justice system to be "somewhat effective" or "very effective" at apprehending and prosecuting criminal suspects, bringing about just outcomes, and reducing crime.<ref>Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage. (Fall 2005). [http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/forum/22/3fall2005/b_attitudes.html "Anchorage Attitudes Toward Justice System."] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617112514/http://justice.uaa.alaska.edu/FORUM/22/3fall2005/b_attitudes.html |date=June 17, 2008 }} ''Alaska Justice Forum'' 22(3): 8.</ref>

==Education==
[[File:University of Alaska Anchorage entrance sign.jpg|thumb|University of Alaska Anchorage entrance sign]]
[[File:University Lake Dog Park, January 2019.jpg|thumb|University Lake Dog Park, January 2019]]
Public education in all of Anchorage municipality, including [[Eagle River, Alaska|Eagle River]], [[Chugiak, Alaska|Chugiak]], [[Fort Richardson (Alaska)|Fort Richardson]] and [[Elmendorf Air Force Base]], is managed by the [[Anchorage School District]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st02_ak/schooldistrict_maps/c02020_anchorage/DC20SD_C02020.pdf|title=2020 census - school district reference map: Anchorage Municipality, AK|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|accessdate=July 22, 2022}}</ref> the 87th largest district in the United States, with nearly 50,000 students attending 98 schools.<ref>{{cite web |last=GreatSchools |url=http://www.greatschools.org/alaska/anchorage/Anchorage-School-District/ |title=Anchorage School District |access-date=June 19, 2011 |archive-date=June 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120613020415/http://www.greatschools.org/alaska/anchorage/Anchorage-School-District/ |url-status=live }}</ref> There are also a number of choices in private education, including both religious and non-denominational schools.

Anchorage has four [[higher education|higher-education]] facilities that offer bachelor's or master's degrees: the [[University of Alaska Anchorage]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uaa.alaska.edu |title=University of Alaska Anchorage |publisher=Uaa.alaska.edu |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=December 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217182744/http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Alaska Pacific University]], [[Charter College (United States)|Charter College]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chartercollege.org |title=Charter College Virtual Library |publisher=Chartercollege.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125031021/http://www.chartercollege.org/ |archive-date=January 25, 2012}}</ref> and the Anchorage campus of [[Texas]]-based [[Wayland Baptist University]]. The [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]] also has a small Center for Distance Education downtown. Other continuing education facilities in Anchorage include the Grainger Leadership Institute, Nine Star Enterprises, CLE International, Nana Worksafe, and PackBear DBA Barr & Co.

Ninety percent of Anchorage's adults have high-school diplomas, 65 percent have attended one to three years of college, and 17 percent hold advanced [[Academic degree|degrees]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Anchorage has the most ethnically diverse schools in the United States, including the three most diverse high schools, the three most diverse middle schools, and the 19 most diverse elementary schools. Even the least diverse schools in Anchorage rank in the top 1% nationally.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tunseth |first1=Matt |title=Anchorage public schools lead nation in diversity |url=http://www.adn.com/article/20150523/anchorage-public-schools-lead-nation-diversity |website=Alaska Dispatch News |publisher=Alaska Dispatch Publishing |access-date=June 8, 2015 |archive-date=May 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527022415/http://www.adn.com/article/20150523/anchorage-public-schools-lead-nation-diversity |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Chugach School District]] operates neighborhood schools in [[Valdez–Cordova Census Area, Alaska]], as well as the supplementary Voyage to Excellence Residential School in Anchorage; its board office is in Anchorage.<ref>"[http://www.chugachschools.com/files/_YQETr_/c782023db2cddc8e3745a49013852ec4/Public_Directory.pdf Personnel Directory 2016–2017]{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." [[Chugach School District]]. District Office, Anchorage, AK</ref> The [[Aleutian Region School District]], which operates schools in areas of the [[Aleutian Islands]], has its district administrative offices in Anchorage.<ref>"[http://www.aleutregion.org/district_contacts District Contacts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213110653/http://www.aleutregion.org/district_contacts |date=February 13, 2017 }}." [[Aleutian Region School District]].</ref>

==Media==
{{main|Media in Anchorage, Alaska}}
[[File:KTUU news van in downtown Anchorage, Alaska.jpg|left|thumb|upright|KTUU news van parked at Town Square Park]]
Anchorage's leading newspaper is the ''[[Anchorage Daily News]]'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.adn.com/ |title=Anchorage Daily News mainpage |agency=adn.com |access-date=May 22, 2011 |newspaper=Anchorage Daily News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524082550/http://www.adn.com/ |archive-date=May 24, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> a citywide daily newspaper. Other newspapers include the ''[[Alaska Star]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskastar.com/ |title=Alaska Star |access-date=May 22, 2011 |publisher=Alaska Star |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522043147/http://www.alaskastar.com/ |archive-date=May 22, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> serving primarily [[Chugiak, Alaska|Chugiak]] and [[Eagle River, Alaska|Eagle River]], the ''[[Anchorage Press]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anchoragepress.com/ |title=Anchorage Press |access-date=May 22, 2011 |publisher=Anchorage Press |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20110519153732/http://www.anchoragepress.com/ |archive-date=May 19, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> a free weekly covering mainly cultural topics, and ''[[The Northern Light (college newspaper)|The Northern Light]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thenorthernlight.org/ |title=The Northern Light |access-date=May 22, 2011 |publisher=The Northern Light |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728095832/http://www.thenorthernlight.org// |archive-date=July 28, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> the student newspaper of the [[University of Alaska Anchorage]]. Anchorage's major network television affiliates are [[KTUU-TV|KTUU]] 2 ([[NBC]]), [[KTBY]] 4 ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]), [[KAUU]] 5 ([[CBS]]/[[MyNetworkTV]]), [[KAKM]] 7 ([[PBS]]), [[KTVA]] 11 ([[Rewind TV]]), [[KYUR]] 13 ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]/[[The CW|CW]]), and [[KDMD (TV)|KDMD]] 33 ([[Ion Television|Ion]]/[[Telemundo]]/[[MeTV]]). Anchorage is one hour behind the [[Pacific Time Zone]], and receives the same network feed as the West Coast. Weekday [[Primetime#North America|primetime]] runs from 7 to 10 pm. Effectively, programs are viewed at the same local hour as those in the [[Central Time Zone]]. The city's only cable television provider is [[General Communication, Inc.]] (GCI). However, [[Dish Network]] and [[DirecTV]] offer satellite television service in Anchorage and the surrounding area; and uses East Coast feeds.

There are many radio stations in Anchorage; see [[List of radio stations in Alaska]] for more information.
{{Anchorage Radio}}

==Health and utilities==
[[File:Alaska Anchorage Community Hospital 1972 01.jpg|thumb|Anchorage Community Hospital as it appeared in August 1972. The building is called the Arne Beltz Building and houses the municipal health department.]]

[[Providence Alaska Medical Center]] on Providence Drive in Anchorage is the largest hospital in Alaska and is part of [[Providence Health & Services]] in Alaska, [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Oregon]], and California. It features the state's most comprehensive range of services. Providence Health System has a history of serving Alaska, beginning when the [[Sisters of Providence (Montreal)|Sisters of Providence]] of [[Montreal]] first brought health care to [[Nome, Alaska|Nome]] in 1902. As the territory grew during the following decades, so did efforts to provide care. Hospitals were opened in [[Fairbanks]] in 1910 and Anchorage in 1937.

Alaska Regional Hospital on DeBarr Road opened in 1958 as Anchorage Presbyterian Hospital, downtown at 825 L Street. This predecessor to Alaska Regional was a joint venture between local physicians and the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)|Presbyterian Church]]. In 1976 the hospital moved to its present location on DeBarr Road, and is now a 254-bed licensed and accredited facility. Alaska Regional has expanded services and in 1994, Alaska Regional joined with [[Hospital Corporation of America|HCA]], one of the nation's largest healthcare providers.

[[Alaska Native Medical Center]] on Tudor Road provides medical care and therapeutic health care to [[Alaska native]]s—229 tribes—at the Anchorage site and at 15 satellite facilities throughout the state. ANMC specialists also travel to clinics in the [[Bush Alaska|bush]] to provide care. The 150-bed hospital is also a teaching center for the [[University of Washington]]'s regional medical education program. ANMC houses an office of the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]. The [[Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium]] and Southcentral Foundation jointly own and manage ANMC.

Electric power in the Anchorage area is provided by Chugach Electric Association, a nonprofit, member-owned cooperative founded in 1948. From 1932 to 2020, the Municipality of Anchorage operated its own electric utility, Municipal Light & Power (ML&P). Historically, ML&P served the older, more urbanized regions of the city, while Chugach served newer areas of town, suburbs, and rural areas. Chugach acquired ML&P in 2020, with the sale finalized in October.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chugach Electric Association |title=Chugach Electric completes ML&P acquisition |url=https://www.chugachelectric.com/media/press-releases/2020/10/30/chugach-electric-completes-mlp-acquisition |website=Chugach Electric Association |access-date=19 December 2021 |archive-date=December 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219005355/https://www.chugachelectric.com/media/press-releases/2020/10/30/chugach-electric-completes-mlp-acquisition |url-status=live }}</ref> Post-acquisition, the Chugach cooperative had over 92,000 members.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chugach Electric Association |title=Annual Report 2020 |url=https://www.chugachelectric.com/system/files/annual_reports/2020%20Annual%20Report.pdf |website=Chugach Electric Association |access-date=December 19, 2021 |archive-date=December 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219005400/https://www.chugachelectric.com/system/files/annual_reports/2020%20Annual%20Report.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Most homes have natural gas-fueled heat. [[AltaGas|ENSTAR Natural Gas Company]] is the sole provider for Anchorage, servicing some 90-percent of the city's population.

The Municipality of Anchorage owns and operates the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility, serving some 55,000 customer accounts with water from [[Eklutna Lake]], which is mainly meltwater from [[Eklutna Glacier]]. Anchorage Municipal Solid Waste Services and Anchorage Refuse conduct trash removal in the city depending on location.

==Transportation==

===Major highways===
*{{jct|state=AK|AK|1}} passing through downtown Anchorage 
*{{jct|state=AK|AK|3}} branching off from AK-1 in [[Gateway, Alaska|Gateway]], 35 miles northeast of Anchorage city

Alaskans do not use numerical route designations in everyday discourse, preferring the named designations—in this case the Seward Highway (for AK-1 south of the city), the Glenn Highway (for AK-1 northeast of the city), and the Parks Highway (for AK-3).

====Highway to Highway====
{{Main|Seward Highway to Glenn Highway Connection}}
On and off since the 1960s, the [[Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities]], in coordination with the [[Federal Highway Administration]] and the Municipality of Anchorage (or the lineal predecessors of those entities), have been exploring the concept of a roadway connecting the endpoints of the Seward and Glenn highways. The project is called "Highway to Highway", and the most recent concept for this project is that of a "trenched" freeway through the heart of Anchorage.

Highway to Highway was included in the 2005 Long Range Transportation Plan, and would cost at least $575 million (${{Inflation|US-GDP|575|2005}} million in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars).{{Inflation-fn|US-GDP}} – by far the largest urban infrastructure project in Alaska's history.

===Public transit===
{{Main|People Mover (Anchorage)}}
Anchorage has a [[public transit|bus system]] called People Mover,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.muni.org/transit |title=Muni.org |publisher=Muni.org |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=April 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413132925/https://www.muni.org/departments/transit/peoplemover/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> with a hub downtown and satellite hubs at [[Dimond Center]] and Muldoon Mall. The [[People Mover (Anchorage)|People Mover]] provides carpool organization services. The public [[paratransit]] service known as AnchorRides<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.muni.org/Departments/transit/AnchorRides/Pages/AnchorRIDESOverview.aspx |title=AnchorRIDES |work=muni.org |access-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-date=December 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205113109/http://www.muni.org/Departments/transit/AnchorRides/Pages/AnchorRIDESOverview.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref> provides point-to-point accessible transportation services to seniors and those who experience disabilities.

===Rail===
{{multiple image
|footer=An Alaska Railroad locomotive (left) and the Alaska Railroad depot (right) in the [[Ship Creek]] valley immediately north of downtown Anchorage. The [[Port of Anchorage]] can be seen in the background. 
|width=200
|align=right
|image1=ARR Diesellocomotive at Anchorage station.JPG
|image2=Anchorage RR depot.JPG
}}
The [[Alaska Railroad]] offers year-round freight service along the length of its rail system between [[Seward, Alaska|Seward]] (the southern terminus of the system), [[Fairbanks]] (the northern terminus of the system), and [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]] (a deep water, ice-free port). Daily passenger service is available during summer (May 15 – September 15), but is reduced to one round-trip per week between Anchorage and Fairbanks during the winter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.akrr.com/arrc53.html |title=The Alaska Railroad – Route Map |publisher=Akrr.com |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211145550/http://www.akrr.com/arrc53.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.akrr.com/arrc7.html |title=The Alaska Railroad – Freight Services |publisher=Akrr.com |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227084202/http://www.akrr.com/arrc7.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.akrr.com/arrc18.html |title=The Alaska Railroad – Fares/Schedules |publisher=Akrr.com |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=February 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100217045342/http://www.akrr.com/arrc18.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Passenger terminals exist at [[Talkeetna, Alaska|Talkeetna]], [[Denali National Park and Preserve|Denali National Park]], [[Fairbanks]], and several other locations. These communities are also served by bus line from Anchorage. The Ship Creek Shuttle connects downtown with the Ship Creek area, including stops at the [[Anchorage (Alaska Railroad station)|Alaska Railroad depot]].

Anchorage also is conducting a feasibility study on a [[commuter rail]] and [[light rail]] system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ses.uaa.alaska.edu/Projects/ACT%20Project.htm |title=Clean Alaska Transportation Project |publisher=Ses.uaa.alaska.edu |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306233253/http://ses.uaa.alaska.edu/Projects/ACT%20Project.htm |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/436196.html Anchorage Daily News Report], June 14, 2008 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201221735/http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/436196.html |date=December 1, 2008 }}</ref> For the commuter rail system, Anchorage would use existing Alaska Railroad tracks to provide service to [[Whittier, Alaska|Whittier]], [[Palmer, Alaska|Palmer]], [[Seward, Alaska|Seward]], [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]], and [[Eagle River, Alaska|Eagle River]].

===Air transport===
{{multiple image
|align=right
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|image1=Lake Hood Seaplane Base and Gravel Strip.jpg
|caption1=Aerial view of [[Lake Hood Seaplane Base]] (foreground) and Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (background).
|image2=UPS Boeing 747 landing in Anchorage, Alaska.jpg
|caption2=UPS Boeing 747 departing from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport – a major hub for the airline. 
}}
The [[Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport]], {{cvt|6|mi|km}} south of [[downtown Anchorage]], is the airline hub for the state, served by many national and international airlines, including Seattle-based [[Alaska Airlines]] as well as many intrastate airlines and charter air services. The airport is the primary international air freight gateway in the nation. By weight, five percent of the value of all United States international air cargo moved through Anchorage in 2008.<ref>[http://www.bts.gov/publications/americas_freight_transportation_gateways/2009/highlights_of_top_25_freight_gateways_by_shipment_value/anchorage/index.html Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Alaska—Air Freight Gateway] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915153056/http://www.bts.gov/publications/americas_freight_transportation_gateways/2009/highlights_of_top_25_freight_gateways_by_shipment_value/anchorage/index.html |date=September 15, 2012 }} Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Retrieved August 10, 2012.</ref> During the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], it was briefly the busiest airport in the United States due to sustained volume of cargo flights through Alaska while passenger travel sharply decreased in other American airports.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2020/05/22/in-an-upside-down-world-anchorage-briefly-had-busiest-us-airport/ |title=In an upside-down world, Anchorage briefly had busiest U.S. airport |work=Anchorage Daily News |date=May 22, 2020 |access-date=May 28, 2020 |archive-date=May 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531232647/https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2020/05/22/in-an-upside-down-world-anchorage-briefly-had-busiest-us-airport/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is [[Lake Hood Seaplane Base]], the largest Seaplane Base in the world. [[Merrill Field]], a [[general aviation]] airport on the edge of downtown, was the 87th-busiest airport in the nation in 2010.<ref>[http://www.muni.org/Departments/budget/utilitiesEnterprise/2012%20ppsd%20Utility/Book%20-%20MF.pdf Merrill Field Airport Organization Chart, 2012] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202143204/http://www.muni.org/Departments/budget/utilitiesEnterprise/2012%20ppsd%20Utility/Book%20-%20MF.pdf |date=February 2, 2014 }}. Retrieved August 10, 2012.</ref> There are also ten smaller private (mostly Department of Transportation) general aviation airports within the city limits.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airnav.com/ |title=Airports in Anchorage Alaska |publisher=Airnav.com |access-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-date=January 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130044744/http://www.airnav.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

*[[List of airports in the Municipality of Anchorage]]

==Notable people==
{{main|List of people from Anchorage}}

==Sister cities==
Anchorage has seven [[Twin towns and sister cities|sister cities]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.muni.org/departments/mayor/boards/sistercities/pages/default.aspx |publisher=Municipality of Anchorage |title=Anchorage Sister Cities |access-date=September 7, 2016 |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119135608/http://www.muni.org/departments/mayor/boards/sistercities/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flagdeco|JPN}} [[Chitose, Hokkaido|Chitose]], Japan
*{{flagdeco|AUS}} [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], Australia
*{{flagdeco|PRC}} [[Harbin]], China
*{{flagdeco|ROK}} [[Incheon]], South Korea
*{{flagdeco|RUS}} [[Magadan]], Russia
*{{flagdeco|NOR}} [[Tromsø]], Norway
*{{flagdeco|UK}} [[Whitby]], United Kingdom

==See also==
{{portal|Geography|North America|United States|Alaska|Aviation}}
*[[Anchorage Fire Department]]
*"[[Anchorage (song)|Anchorage]]" by singer [[Michelle Shocked]].
*[[List of aerospace museums]]
*[[List of tallest buildings in Anchorage]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Anchorage, Alaska]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group="nb"}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Preston Jones. ''City For Empire: An Anchorage History, 1914–1941'' (University of Alaska Press, 2010) 214 pages{{ISBN?}}

==External links==
<!-- Per [[WP:ELMINOFFICIAL]], choose one official website only -->
{{Sister project links|voy=Anchorage}}
*{{Official website}}
*[https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/dcra/DCRAExternal/community/Details/2d5ef9f0-9855-4b68-9350-bc9d20e81807 Anchorage] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930062702/https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/dcra/DCRAExternal/community/Details/2d5ef9f0-9855-4b68-9350-bc9d20e81807 |date=September 30, 2018 }} at the Community Database Online from the [[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development|Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs]]
*Maps from the [[Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development]]: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120425051357/http://labor.alaska.gov/research/census/borcamaps/1_3_0map.pdf 2010, municipality], [https://web.archive.org/web/20151222121634/http://labor.alaska.gov/research/census/placemaps/03000.pdf 2010, municipality plus Anchorage/Chugiak/Eagle River insets]
*{{osmrelation|2605259}}
*{{curlie|Regional/North_America/United_States/Alaska/Boroughs_and_Census_Areas/Anchorage}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre=Municipality of Anchorage
|North=[[Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska|Matanuska-Susitna Borough]]
|Northeast=
|East=[[Chugach Census Area, Alaska|Chugach Census Area]]
|Southeast=
|South=[[Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska|Kenai Peninsula Borough]]
|Southwest=''[[Cook Inlet]]''
|West=[[Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska|Kenai Peninsula Borough]]
|Northwest=
}}
{{Alaska borough seats}}
{{Anchorage Borough, Alaska}}
{{Alaska}}
{{All-American City Award Hall of Fame}}
{{USPopulousCities}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Anchorage, Alaska| ]]
[[Category:Anchorage metropolitan area|*]]
[[Category:Cities in Alaska]]
[[Category:Alaska boroughs]]
[[Category:Consolidated city-counties]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Port cities in Alaska]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1914]]
[[Category:1914 establishments in Alaska]]
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