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INFORMATION
ON ANCHORAGE
 Anchorage
is a modern city, complete with skyscrapers, a thriving
business district, and bustling international airport.
The Municipality has 1,955 square miles, including the
smaller communities of Eagle River to the north and
Girdwood to the south.
As Alaska’s largest city and the
68th city of its size among U.S. cities,
Anchorage is the hub of the state’s communication,
transportation, health care, finance, and trade
industries, supporting a vital business sector. Ted
Stevens Anchorage International Airport is the air
crossroads for transporting goods and services on many
east-west routes between the United States, Pacific Rim
countries, and the Russian market. There are two
military bases: Elmendorf Air Force Base and Fort
Richardson, both located at the northeast end of town.
The Alaska National Guard is also a strong presence in
Anchorage at Kulis Air National Guard Base with its
acclaimed Search and Rescue Unit, and at the Army
National Guard Base.
Anchorage is also an education
center with two universities and many technical,
vocational, and private schools.
An urban metropolis surrounded by
wilderness, Anchorage provides all the amenities and
conveniences of a large city, but leaves behind the
normal congestion and hectic pace of cities outside of
Alaska. There are several shopping malls, specialty
shops, gourmet coffee houses, and fine restaurants.
Anchorage has a large and active arts community, and is
included on many U.S. tours of major theatrical
productions. The latest movies play on several
multi-screen theaters, and Anchorage is home to several
retail giants including J.C. Penney, The Body Shop,
Wal Mart, Nordstrom, SAM’s Club, Costco Wholesale,
Home Depot, Office Depot, Lowes Home Improvement
Warehouse, The Gap, and CompUSA.
A city which boasts an extensive
beautification program, Anchorage is called "The
City of Lights and Flowers." The summer brings
almost continuous sunlight. The landscape is rich with
green grass and vibrant colors of summer flowers, which
are planted throughout the Municipality in public parks
and along well-traveled roads. Anchorage businesses and
residents try to out-do each other by planting
magnificent gardens, displaying window boxes, and
landscaping walkways, lobbies, and grounds.
The spring and fall are subtle,
relatively brief, yet beautiful seasons. Winter, because
of Anchorage’s location along the coast, remains mild
relative to the rest of the state, with temperatures
ranging from 10-25 degrees Fahrenheit. The annual
snowfall in Anchorage usually averages less than six
feet. Streets, highways, and cross-country ski trails
are maintained during the winter.
In keeping with the theme of
"Lights and Flowers," Anchorage residents and
businesses throughout the city decorate with miniature
white lights, creating a warm and welcoming
"lightscape" in the wintertime.
Residents and visitors alike enjoy
the quiet beauty of Anchorage and the splendor of Alaska’s
great outdoors including glaciers, mountains, wildlife,
and winter’s glorious northern lights, which bathe the
sky with colors and light in an indescribable display of
nature. |
