AnchorageAlaska

With about 247,000 residents according a 1998 estimate, Anchorage is the largest city in the state of AlaskA, comprising approximately half of the state's population. Anchorage is situated in the south-central region of Alaska, 61 degrees latitude (about the same as Stockholm and St. Petersburg), -149 degrees longitude (about the same as Hawaii), on a triangular-shaped peninsula bordered on the east by the rugged, scenic, and eminently hike-worthy ChugachMountains, on the northwest by the KnikArm, and on the southwest by the TurnagainArm, both of which are arms of the CookInlet.

Despite having wide and treacherous mudflats rather than beaches, Anchorage is a major port. Major industries include oil, tourism, and the military. There are two strategically important military bases bordering Anchorage on the north: ElmendorfAirForceBase and FortRichardson. Nearly all tourists pass through Anchorage at some stage of their journeys in AlaskA. Not suprisingly, summer is tourist season, and downtown Anchorage, as well as the highways leading north and south of town, are typically teeming with tourists then.

Average summer temperatures are, approximately, 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit; average winter temperatures are about 0-20 degrees. The weather on any given day and for entire seasons can be extremely unpredictable. Some winters feature several feet of snow and bitterly cold temperatures; others, just a foot or two of snow and constant and annoying (to residents) thaws, which puts dangerous ice on the streets. (This forces Anchoragites to be become rather good drivers.) Summers are very mild and pleasant, though it can rain quite a bit then. There isn't any beach-bathing in Anchorage, except at a few local lakes on the warmest summer days; then those lakeside beaches can be extremely popular. Aside from the winter cold, which most Alaskans don't mind, there are two primary nuisances associated with the seasons: in the summer, mosquitos (which are much worse out in "TheBush" than in the city itself); in the winter, long nights and very short days. For months in mid-winter, residents go to work in the dark and return in the dark. Consequently, SADs (SeasonalAffectiveDisorder) is an acknowledged problem in Anchorage and in AlaskA generally.

Anchoragites exemplify many of the qualities to be found among Alaskans generally: independence, friendliness, practical-mindedness, and a love of the outdoors.

Following the massive 1964 GoodFridayEarthquake, there was set a limit on height of buildings in Anchorage; the tallest buildings are 21 stories high. Though space is limited in the "Anchorage bowl" as locals call the peninsula on which the city is located, many parks, greenbelts, and other undeveloped areas can be found within the city itself, making it a particularly attractive city to live in for nature lovers.

There is a branch of the UniversityofAlaska in east-central Anchorage, the quality of which, in most departments, lags that of flagship University of Alaska-Fairbanks. Despite the remoteness of the location, the arts thrive in Anchorage. The city boasts a symphony orchestra, an opera company and concert association, and numerous independent performance groups. There are even weekly sessions of IrishTraditionalMusic and other sorts of music.