Alaska Facts and Figures

Boy, do we have all sorts of information for you. Get ready to learn all about Alaska!

General Facts

With the extension of the Aleutian Islands into the eastern hemisphere, Alaska is technically both the westernmost and easternmost state in the United States, as well as also being the northernmost.
Alaska is the largest state in the United States at 586,412 square miles (1,518,800 square kilometers), over twice the size of Texas, the next largest state. On a bit of a side note, in Anchorage there's a t-shirt business that pokes some friendly fun at Texas – one shirt states “Split Alaska in half and make Texas the third largest state”!
Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other U.S. states combined.
Alaska is larger than all but 18 sovereign countries.
With over 100,000 glaciers, Alaska has half of all in the world's glaciers.
Alaska has more than three million lakes.
The United States purchased Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million ($118 million adjusted for inflation) at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km²).
Alaska became a state on January 3, 1959 (making it the 49th state – Hawaii became the 50th state on August 21, 1959).
Due to it being an arm of a very long inlet, one of the world's largest tides occurs in Turnagain Arm, just south of Anchorage – tidal differences can be more than 35 feet (10.7 m). The road from Anchorage to Girdwood follows Turnagain Arm, so during summer months you might see surfers trying to catch the wave of the bore tide.
As of 2012, the population of Alaska was approximately 750,000. Of that, approximately half (around 380,000) live in the Anchorage area (Anchorage, Eagle River, Palmer, Wasilla, Girdwood).
There is approximately 16,000 miles of road in Alaska. The road system connects to Canada and the “lower 48” via the Alaska Highway (sometimes referred to by its military name, the ALCAN). However, the road system only covers a relatively small area of the state. For example, the cities/towns of Nome, Juneau (the state capitol), and Bethel are not accessible by road. Of course, they have roads in the towns, but those road are not connected to the road system. Juneau, however, does have a well established ferry system that connects it to the road system.
Rural areas of Alaska are colloquially referred to as “bush Alaska”. These are typically areas that have a small population and are not connected to the road system. By square footage, bush Alaska encompasses the majority of the state.
Alaska’s territorial waters touch Russia’s, with Alaska’s Little Diomede Island only 3 miles from Russia’s Big Diomede Island. Alaska’s island is populated, Russia’s is not.
As of the 2010 census, approximately 15% of Alaskans are American Indian or Alaskan Native. There are various Native Alaskan cultures – such as Athabascan, Tlingit (pronounced kleen-get), Inuit, Yup'ik, and Aleut, among others.

History

Around 14,000 BC -- The Bering land bridge connects Asia to western Alaska. Various Paleolithic families and animals migrate from Asia to North America.
1732 -- The first European vessel to reach Alaska is generally thought to be the St. Gabriel, led by Siberian and Belorussian explorers. In 1741, Vitus Bering, an explorer commissioned by Peter the Great, explores Russia and returns with sea otter pelts, judged to be the finest fur in the world.
Late 1700's – Various Russian expeditions occur; not the best of times if you're a sea otter or an Alaskan Native.
1778 – Captain James Cook, midway through his third voyage (you history buffs will know that voyage didn't end too swell for Cook), sails through what is now known as the Cook Inlet, and which ended at “the Anchorage”, which later became known simply as “Anchorage”. Side note: Most likely Cook, and a few others, sailed multiple different arms of the Cook inlet trying to get back to open ocean, only to have to turn again. Girdwood is at the end of the “Turnagain Arm” of the Cook Inlet – I think you can guess how “Turnagain Arm” got its name!
Late 1700's/early 1800's – Various Spanish expeditions occur, primarily in southeast Alaska (hence the Alaskan towns and glaciers with Spanish names – e.g., Valdez, Cordoba, Malispina Glacier).
Early to Mid 1800's – Sitka, in southeast Alaska, becomes the capital of Russian America. Evidence of Russian settlements in names, churches and Russian language dialects still can be found throughout southeast Alaska.
1867 -- William H. Seward, US Secretary of State, negotiates the Alaska Purchase from the Russians. Russia sells as they are in a difficult financial position and fear losing the territory without compensation to the British, whom they had recently fought with in the Crimean War.
1867-1896 – Russians leave. Alaska becomes a “Department” of the US and is under the jurisdiction of the US Army, then Treasury, then Navy. Mostly, Alaska goes unnoticed by everyone in the US.
1896 – There's gold in those hills! Suddenly, everyone in the US who wants to make a quick buck (which, in those days, was a whole bunch of people), heads to Alaska for the Klondike Gold Rush. Gold was discovered in the Yukon Territory of Canada, and the easiest way to get there was via Alaska. Soapy Smith becomes one of Alaska's most notorious crime bosses
1899 – Gold is discovered in Nome, Alaska. Everyone in the Yukon who didn't make it rich (which was mostly everyone, including such notables as Wyatt Earp), and everyone in the US who thought about going to Canada for the Klondike Gold Rush but didn't, and a few thousand more from all over the place, head to Nome. Various other gold rushes occur over the next decade or two.
1912 – Alaska is reorganized and becomes the Territory of Alaska.
1920 – Even in 1920, there were special interest groups. These groups pass the Jones Act, which required all goods entering or leaving Alaska to be transported by American carriers and shipped via Seattle. Things in Alaska become very expensive; lots of rich shippers in Seattle get even richer.
1925 – The Serum run to Nome, also known as the “Great Race of Mercy”, starts on January 27th, 1925. A diphtheria epidemic threatened Nome, especially the Alaska Native children who had no immunity to the “white man's disease”. The Nome port was iced in and the nearest antitoxin was in Anchorage. Enter the dogs. Over 100 dogs and twenty mushers relayed the 20 pound cylinder of serum 675 miles in 5 and a half days via the Iditarod Trail. The Norwegian Gunnar Kaasen and his lead dog Balto arrived on Front Street in Nome on February 2 at 5:30am. The two become media celebrities and a statue of Balto was erected in Central Park in New York City in 1925, where it still exists as a popular tourist attractions. However, most mushers consider Leonhard Seppala and his lead dog Togo to be the true heros of the run, covering the most hazardous and longest stretch. In modern times, the Serum run is celebrated each year via the running of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
1942 – During World War II, Japan invades the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. The US Army, utilizing the freshly built Alaska Highway, launches a counterattack and regains the islands after heavy fighting. The Aleutian islands remain the only place in the United States ever controlled by a foreign entity.
January 3, 1959 – Alaska becomes a state!
March 27, 1964 – The Good Friday Earthquake, the second largest earthquake in recorded history, strikes southcentral Alaska and shakes the earth for over four minutes. Many towns, including Girdwood, are destroyed. The town of Girdwood is relocated to its present location, approximately 2.5 miles from the coast.
1968 – Black gold is discovered on the North Slope of Alaska in Prudhoe Bay. Building of the Trans-Alaskan pipeline starts so that the oil can be moved from the Bay to the ice free port of Valdez, more than 800 miles south of Prudhoe Bay. The project was finished in 1977, at a total cost of $8 billion dollars.
1971 – Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act is signed into law by Richard Nixon, in which Native Alaskans relinquish all aboriginal claims in exchange for 44 million acres of land and a payment of $963 million. The land settlement was divided into regional and village corporations who still exist today and control businesses in Alaska and throughout the US, as well as land throughout the state. The Alaska Act was a different approach than other laws related to Native Americans. Previously, laws focused on setting up reservations for natives; Alaska's settlement act changed that approach and set up corporations instead.
July 20, 2012 – Ryan and Emily arrive in Alaska.
November 3, 2012 -- Trooper Storm Trooper Salander Wiswesser (a.k.a., Storm, Stormer, Stormy, Storm Storm), an Alaskan Husky of unknown origins, joins Ryan and Emily's family.

Geography

Alaska is a very diverse place. You'll find all of the following landscapes, some of which may surprise you : mountains, forests, deserts, sand dunes, rainforests, oceans, rivers, lakes, glaciers, marshes, rolling hills, tundra. It's a vast land with harsh, extreme landscapes, all of which are beautiful in their own way. Since you'll probably be doing a bit of driving if you come to the wedding, we'll focus on the two main things you'll see while you're visiting: mountains and towns.

Mountain Ranges

Alaska is a land of mountains. The following are the most well known of the Alaskan mountain ranges (in order of proximity to Girdwood).

Chugach Mountains – The Chugach mountain range follows the Gulf of Alaska (the southern coast of the main Alaskan peninsula). It is about 250 miles long and 60 miles wide and extends from the Kenai Peninsula (just south of Girdwood) through Girdwood and past Valdez to the Copper River. Given its position along the Gulf of Alaska, the Chugach are rumored to get more snowfall than anywhere else in the world, with an average of over 600 inches per year. The highest peak in the Chugach is Mount Markus Baker at 12,884 feet. There are many peaks over 10,000 feet, and even more over 8,000 feet (and considering the range is next to the ocean, at 0 feet, there's a lot of vertical if anyone wants some challenging skiing or snowboarding).
Kenai Mountains – The Kenai mountains extend 120 miles from the northern end of the Kenai Peninsula (which starts about 20 miles south of Girdwood) south to the southern end of the peninsula. We really just think of it as an extension of the Chugach Mountain Range, but it does have a separate name (perhaps to distinguish it as being in the Kenai Peninsula? Or perhaps because there is a geological difference to the Chugach? We don't know for sure, but if anyone does let us know!).
Talkeetna Mountains – The Talkeetna Mountains extend approximately 100 miles wide to 100 miles long. The Matanuska-Susitna Valley (where Wasilla and Palmer are located) is on the southwest part of the Talkeetna Mountains, and therefore the mountains extend north and west from Wasilla/Palmer by approximately 100 miles.
Alaska Range – The Alaska range is a relatively narrow 400 mile long range that extends from the Cook Inlet (on the other side of the Cook inlet from Anchorage) in the southwest, and follows a generally southwest to northeast arc, ending in the Yukon Territory of Canada. The range arcs north of the Talkeetna Mountains. Denali (“The High One” in Koyukon Athabascan), at 20,237 feet, is in the Alaska Range and is the highest mountain in North America (Denali is also know as Mt. McKinley, though most Alaskans call it Denali to honor the Native Alaskan name). For comparison, Mt Everest, the highest mountain in the world (above sea level), is 29,020 feet high. Also for comparisons, base to summit elevations for Everest range from 13,800 feet to 17,100 feet (on the north side). Base to summit elevations for Denali range from 17,400 feet to 18,400 feet, with a commonly quoted figure of 18,400 feet. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, says Denali to Everest. The Alaska range can have some of the harshest and most unpredictable weather in the world as the south side of the range acts as a high barrier to moist air from the Gulf of Alaska (i.e., the relatively warm, moist air from the Gulf of Alaska that is higher than the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains will hit the Alaska range and create precipitation) and the north side acts as a barrier to airflow from the arctic (i.e., cold and dry air from the arctic moves south and hits the Alaska Range). In other words, one side is warm and wet, the other side is cold and dry, generally speaking.
Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains – Technically there are the Wrangell Mountains and the St. Elias Mountains, but since they're right next to each other, and there is a national park named Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, we combined them for simplicity's sake. Combined, the Wrangell-St.Elias mountains are approximately 400 miles long by 90 miles wide. They extend from the Glennallen and Tok areas of Alaska (approximately 400 miles northeast from Anchorage and at the eastern border of the Talkeetna Mountains and south of the eastern border of the Alaska Range) south east through the Canadian/Alaskan border. The Wrangells are the western side of the range, the St. Elias on the eastern side. Mount Logan, just on the Canadian side of the border, is the highest mountain at 19,551 feet, with more than a dozen mountain peaks over 15,000 feet. The St. Alias range has many high peaks, and yet is within 10 miles of tidewater (i.e., the elevation goes from 0 feet to the top of the various mountains in a short distance), making it one of the highest reliefs in the world (you can probably guess what Mt Logan has to say about that...ok, just in case.... Mt Logan says put that in your pipe and smoke it).
Aleutian Range – The Aleutian Range extends from the southern end of the Alaskan Range (on the other side of the Cook Inlet from Alaska) and out to the Aleutian islands. The main part of the range is about 600 miles long, and relatively narrow. Geographically, the Aleutian Islands are a partially submerged western extension of the range that extends another 1,000 miles. Put that in your pi..... ok, enough already!
Brooks Range – The Brooks range is in northern Alaska (north of the Alaska Range) and stretches from west to east across Northern Alaska and into Canada's Yukon Territory. It is approximately 700 miles long and 150 miles wide.

Cities and towns

Listed in order of proximity to Girdwood

Girdwood – Girdwood is an unincorporated community within the Municipality of Anchorage. It lies in a valley in the Chugach Mountains near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, 36 miles southeast of Anchorage proper. Originally called “Glacier City”, it was founded as a supply camp for placer gold miners. It was renamed for Colonel James Girdwood, a Scots-Irish entrepreneur and linen merchant who staked the first four gold claims along Crow Creek in 1896. The town was moved 2.5 miles up the valley after the 1964 earthquake, when the land under the original townsite subsided into Turnagain Arm, putting much of the town below high tide.
Anchorage – Anchorage is just north of Girdwood and has an estimated 298,610 residents in 2012 (380,821 if neighboring towns of Wasilla and Palmer are included).
Wasilla/Palmer – North of Anchorage by approximately 40 miles, Wasilla and Palmer are the two primary towns in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley (the Matanuska and the Susitna are rivers that border the sides of the valley) and is considered a “suburb” of Anchorage by some. Commonly referred to as either "The Mat-Su" or "The Valley", the towns have the Chugach Range to the east/southeast, the Talkeetna Mountains just to the north and the Alaska Range to the west.
Juneau – Juneau is in southeast Alaska, has a population of 31,275 as of 2010, and is the state capitol. It's surrounded by water, mountains and glaciers; therefore there are no roads (from the main road system) that go into Juneau. A ferry car system connects it to Haines and Skagway in approximately 5 hours.
Fairbanks – Fairbanks is in interior Alaska and has a population of 32,036 as of 2011. Founded in 1901, it's the home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the oldest of Alaska's colleges.
Nome – Nome is located in northwest Alaska on the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,598 as of 2010 and was founded in 1901 (the same year as Fairbanks). Nome gained significant notoriety in 1898 when “Three Lucky Swedes” and two Americans discovered gold, starting the Nome gold rush. The end of the serum run was also in Nome, and today it hosts the finish line for the annual Iditarod dog sled race.
Barrow – Barrow is the northernmost city in the United States and the 9th northernmost in the world. It had a population of 4,212 as of 2010 and was incorporated as a city in 1958. The United States Army established a meteorological station in Barrow in 1881, followed soon by a church and post office.

Climate

[Specific facts listed here are adapted from one of our favorite reads - we know, we're dorks - The Climate of Alaska, by Martha Shulski and Gerd Wendler]

So, what's the weather going to be like in Alaska in April?

Well, if you want a weather prediction, you're asking the wrong Phil! Oh, wait! No! Sorry! That's a line from our favorite movie! We got a little sidetracked on the question there for a second! (Can you name the move?) Ok, focus, focus – we're going to focus. What's the weather going to be like? Ok, well, we promise to answer your question as best (and as round about:)) as we can. But, first, a quick clarification. “Weather” refers to the state of the atmosphere on a defined time scale – e.g., “to the best of our knowledge, tomorrow is going to be sunny and 70 degrees.”. “Climate” is the pattern of variation in temperature, precipitation, and wind that characteristically prevail in a particular region – e.g., “based on a scientific observation and testing over the past 100 years, in July in Juneau, the average high is 64 degrees and the average low is 50”). So, if you want to know what the weather will be like in April of 2014 in Girdwood, AK, well, it probably best to check the NOAA weather forecast.

Ok, great. Thanks a bunch for that last answer. So, what is the typical climate in Alaska in April?

Ok, sorry for the technicality in the last question, we promise to a little better at answering this one. It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey.... oh, shoot! Sorry again! That's not correct (the movie, again). Right, climate. Ok, got it. Well, Alaska is large and geographically diverse so the climate can be totally different in Alaska depending on where you are located. The southern part of Alaska that borders the Gulf of Alaska/Pacific Ocean (which includes Girdwood) is considered a maritime climate, which means the climate is heavily influenced by the ocean. See, the ocean warms and cools much more slowly than land, and a large amount of heat can be stored in water. Therefore, the ocean has a moderating effect on coastal regions. Conversely, a continental climate (like the interior of Alaska) is not moderated by the ocean, so the temperatures will fluctuate much more. For example, in winter the interior of Alaska is much colder than Anchorage/Girdwood, and in the summer, the interior is much warmer (the high temperature in the interior can be in the 90s in the summer).

Holy Moley, Batman. This is like a conversation with Alex Trebec. You tell me all these answers but you keep reprimanding me for not having the correct question! How bout you just tell us specifically what the climate is in Girdwood, AK in April?!

Ok, ok! We are sooooo chatty these days, we know. Hopefully you can forgive us. Please, just don't call us Alex! Ok, right to the point.

The mean monthly maximum daily temperature is 44.1 F (March is 36.0 F)
The mean monthly minimum temperature is 27.4 F (March is 19.4 F).
The mean number of days with the daily minimum temperature at or below 32 F is 23 days (29 in March).
The number of days on average with measurable precipitation is 14 days per month (14 in March too).
The mean monthly average snowfall is 12.4 inches (32.1 in March). This is measured at the base of the mountain. The elevation can have a significant effect on snowfall amounts in the Chugach Mountains. So, if we get 6 inches of snow at the base by our house, there would be multiple feet of new snow at the top of the mountain.
The mean monthly snow depth is 25 inches (35 in March)
The mean number of days with clear skies is 6 (8 in March). Please note, this statistic and the ones below are for Anchorage – we couldn't find climate data specific to Girdwood except for the above.
The mean number of days with partly cloudy skies is 6 (5 in March).
The mean number of days with cloudy skies is 18 (18 in March).

In other words, in a typical day in Girdwood in April, the high is 44 and the low is 27. There is a 50% chance of at least a measurable amount of precipitation (and about a 50/50 chance that it's snow or rain – but if its raining at the base, good chance it's still snowing at the top) and (in Anchorage) there is a 60% chance of it being cloudy (in our very limited experience in Girdwood in the spring, its not uncommon for it to be cloudy in the morning, and clear in the afternoon/evening... but, hey, we definitely can't be guaranteeing anything!).

How much daylight will there be? Will it be, like, totally dark?

Holy moley you anti-Batman! Didn't you read the FAQs page? Darn-it, if you ask questions like that, or make any stupid Alaskan jokes, we'll have to start treating you like one of those annoying tourists, in which case we're going to make up a whole bunch of silly facts and laugh at you behind your back when you believe them! They say the Iditarod is Alaska's favorite sport? Nah! But, the short answer is that there will be about 13.5 hours per day of daylight, with the sun rising around 7am and setting around 9pm. If you get here and you decide you want to stay until the end of April? Well, in that case the sun will rise at about 6am and won't set until 10pm! I you're curious for more, here's a link to a website that we use often to see how much daylight we have on a given day (and you can scroll through and see how it changes each month).

I still haven't heard enough about the climate of Alaska. Could you tell me more?

Sure!!

As we mentioned above, the ocean can have a significantly moderating effect on coastal climates. What we failed to mention, is that this effect is significantly limited if the ocean is frozen. Which it is, in Alaska, in the winter on the western and northern sides (in other words, everywhere but the Pacific coast of Alaska – though that Pacific coast is pretty big).

The other significant geographical feature that can effect climate is elevation. So, all those Mountain Ranges that we listed above, well, each mountain in those mountain ranges will have an effect on the area around it. The windward side of the mountain, which is the side that faces the direction that the wind (and precipitation) comes from may have lush vegetation, while the leeward side (the side the opposite of the wind) has only some short brush. And, sometimes there are continual effects – when we were scouting wedding venues near McCarthy, Alaska (in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains), our flight tour started with a lush river valley filled with moose, bears, swans, and bald eagles, and over the next mountain peak was an oasis with small natural pools of 80 degree water in between sand dunes (we stopped and went swimming), and over the next mountain peak was a huge glacier, and over the next, another lush valley, and over the last – a total desert. In other words, if your in the mountains of Alaska, there could be an insane amount of snow, or a more insane desert.

I still haven't heard enough! Tell me more, tell me more!

Ok, you passed the test and you sure are interested in the climate up here! Good for you for having a strong interest in something! We recommend you buy the book The Climate of Alaska. It'll give you so much more info!

Ryan and Emily are getting married!