|
Anchorage Hotels and Visitor Information
Region: Pacific Northwest
State: Pacific Northwest
Population: 260,283
Elevation: 115 m
Area Code(s): 907
Information: Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau: 524 W. Fourth Ave., Anchorage, AK 99501-2212; phone (907) 276-4118, or (800) 478-1255 to request a visitors guide.
Email: info@anchorage.net Web: www.anchorage.net
Area Description:
Anchorage is a Unified Home Rule Municipality (officially called the Municipality of Anchorage) in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is also a census area. With 260,283 residents according to the 2000 census, Anchorage is the largest city in the state of Alaska, comprising more than two-fifths of the state's population. A State of Alaska Demographer in 2004 estimates the population at 277,498. Anchorage was founded in 1915 and named after a place where a ship lies at anchor. Its unofficial nickname is "The City of Lights and Flowers," referring to its thousands of buildings outlined and adorned by tiny white lights throughout winter and its spectacular displays of flowers in the summer.
Anchorage, on a high bluff enfolded by the two branches of Cook Inlet, lies as far west as the Hawaiian Islands and as far north as Helsinki, Finland. The tides in the inlet rise from 30 to 33 feet, and the surrounding mountains loom several thousand feet overhead. The protective mountain barrier and the proximity of the ocean afford Anchorage a surprisingly moderate climate, relative to most of Alaska.
Anchorage is Alaska's largest city and is home to almost half of the state's residents. While not a dazzling metropolis, each summer the city is beautifully decorated with almost 100,000 hanging flower baskets brimming with brightly-colored blooms.
|
|
