|
 Forklift Masts Anchorage - Anchorage City is located within Alaska's south central area. The city of Anchorage is the United States northernmost major city and was officially called the Municipality of Anchorage. The number of people, according to 2010 census numbers, totals approximately 292,000. When combining Anchorage with its neighboring community of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, there were 374,553 inhabitants in this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Over 40 percent of the total population of Alaska resides in Anchorage, making it the largest city in the state. Only New York has a higher percentage of residents who reside within the state's largest city amongst the 50 states in America.
There was a large Russian presence in south central Alaska throughout the 19th century. The US brokered a deal to buy the land of Alaska from the debt-ridden Imperial Russia. The price of $7.2 million, which worked out to roughly 2 cents an acre, was secured by the US Secretary of State, William H. Seward. Political rivals lampooned the idea and called it "Seward's Icebox, Seward's Folly and Walrussia." Gold was discovered along the Turnagain Arm during the year 1888.
With the construction of a railroad port for the Alaska Engineering Commission, the city grew immensely in the year 1914. The Alaska Railroad as it was known continued to be built until it was finished during 1923. A tent city emerged at the region nearby Ship Creek's mouth where the railroad headquarters were located.
Within Anchorage, the biggest economic sectors comprise tourism, transportation, state, municipal and federal government, resource extraction, military, several corporate head offices and several regional headquarters for multinational businesses. Anchorage's surrounding natural resources and geographic site account for a huge part of the local economy.
Traditionally, the city has enjoyed steady growth, although, not necessarily as fast as several cities within the lower 48 states. The city does not experience as much disaster during economic downturns, with the exception of a real estate related crash during the mid to late 1980s.
The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport or likewise known as TSAIA is the third busiest cargo airport, surpassed by the airports within Memphis and Hong Kong. This abundance in traffic is linked to the city's location along the "great circle," referring to routes between Asia and between the lower 48 states. As well, the airport has a huge source of jet fuel from the Alaskan refineries situated within the North Pole and Kenai. There is pipeline and rail service to transport the jet fuel to the Port of Anchorage.
The most visible business within Anchorage is the resource sector, mostly petroleum. There are numerous high rise buildings in the city that bear the logos of huge multi-national businesses like ConocoPhillips and BP. Most administration and offices are situated in Anchorage City. Field operations are centered on the South Slope of Anchorage around the Alaska North Slope and around the Cook Inlet.
The tallest building in Alaska is the headquarters building of ConocoPhillips Alaska, a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips. It is situated within the downtown core of the city of Anchorage. Other companies like for example CH2M HILL and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation provide oilfield support services and are also headquartered outside of Anchorage but maintain a substantial presence within Anchorage City.
| |
