ANCHORAGE
Anchorage is situated at the head of the Cook Inlet.
It is the most populous city in Alaska at around 261 thousand which is 42 percent
of the state's population.
Anchorage was heavily damaged by the 1964 earthquake and many buildings were
rebuilt at that time. Valdez and Seward were the main ports at that time and
they were destroyed by the earthquake and never fully recovered their commercial
status. Anchorage took over this function partially because of the earthquake and
also because of the presence of the Army and Air Force bases that were established
here.
BUSH PLANE AVIATION
Bush planes and their pilots are responsible for almost all the transportation
to the remote parts of Alaska, which is almost all the state. The Alaska Aviation
Heritage Museum has a great collection of the planes that helped develop Alaska.
If you are interested in this stuff it is a good place to visit. It is located on
the south shore of Lake Hood.
Lake Hood is a huge float plane base here in Anchorage. It accounts for hundreds
of flights per day. The majority of these flights are by private planes.
DOWNTOWN ANCHORAGE
Downtown is a mix of old and new buildings because of the 1964 earthquake. There
are many displays of colorful flowers everywhere around the city. All the main
streets are lined with hanging bunches of blue and yellow flowers.
4th AVENUE THEATER
The 4th Avenue Theater survived the earthquake and is now used as a conference
center. The interior has been restored and some of the panels are real works of
art as shown in these pictures.
WILD SALMON ON PARADE
There are 26 of these salmon sculptures placed around the city, on streets and
in buildings, each with a different characterization. This is a three month event
featuring five foot statues wildly decorated by local artists.
STATEHOOD MONUMENT
This monument is in celebration of Alaska's statehood. It was signed by
President Eisenhower on Jan 3, 1959, making Alaska the 49th state.