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	'''Alaska''' (]: {{IPA\|}}) is a ], located on the ] of ]. It is by far the largest state in ], but one of the ]. It is the 49th state, having been admitted to the Union on ], ]. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the ] ''Alyeska'', meaning "great country", "mainland" or "great land".		'''Alaska''' (]: {{IPA\|}}) is a ], located on the ] of ]. It is by far the largest state in ], but one of the ]. It is the 49th state, having been admitted to the Union on ], ]. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the ] ''Alyeska'', meaning "great country", "mainland" or "great land".

		⚫	Alaska is one of the two U.S. states not bordered by another state,Hawaii being the other. It is the only non-contiguous state in ] and British Columbia,Canada to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north.
	==Geography==
	Alaska is one of the two U.S. states not bordered by another state, ] being the other. It is the only non-contiguous state in ]; about 500 miles (800 km) of ] territory separate Alaska from Washington. Alaska is thus an ] of the United States that is part of the ] but is not part of the contiguous U.S. (The other two exclaves of the United States are the ] of Minnesota, and ].) Alaska is also the only mainland state whose ] is accessible only via ] or ]. No ]s connect ] to the rest of the state.

			Alaska is the largest state in the United States in terms of land area at 570,380 square miles , over twice as large as Texas, the next largest state. If a map of Alaska were upon a map of the United States 48 contiguous states, Alaska would overlap Texas, Oklahoma,Kansa, New Mexico andColorado. Alask is divided into four main parts South Central Alaska is the southern coastal region and contains most of the state's population,and many growing towns.The Alaska Panhandle, also known as Southeast Alaska, is home to many of Alaska's larger towns including the state capital Juneau, tidewater glaciers and extensive forests. The Alaska Interior is home to The geography is marked by large rivers, such as the Yukon River and the Kuskokwim River, as well as Arctic tundra lands and shorelines
⚫	It is bordered by ] and ], ] to the east, the ] and the ] to the south, the ], ], and ] to the west, and the ] and the ] to the north.
			The Alaskan Bush is the remote, less crowded part of the state, encompassing 380 native villages and small towns.

	Alaska is the largest state in the United States in terms of land area (it is larger in area than all but 18 of the world's nations) at 570,380 square miles (1,477,261 km²), over twice as large as ], the next largest state. If a map of Alaska were upon a map of the ], Alaska would overlap ], ], ], ] and ], and if the state's westernmost point were superimposed on ], its easternmost point would be in ]. Alaska also has more ] than all of the contiguous U.S. combined.
	]
	One scheme for describing the state's geography is by labeling the regions:
	*] is the southern coastal region and contains most of the state's population. ] and many growing towns, such as ], and ], lie within this area. ] industrial plants, transportation, ], and two ]s form the core of the economy here.
	*The ], also known as Southeast Alaska, is home to many of Alaska's larger towns including the state capital Juneau, tidewater ]s and extensive forests. Tourism, fishing, forestry and state government anchor the economy.
	*The ] is home to ]. The geography is marked by large ]s, such as the ] and the ], as well as ] ] lands and shorelines.
	*The ] is the remote, less crowded part of the state, encompassing 380 native villages and small towns such as ], ], ] and, most famously, ], the northernmost town in the United States.

	The northeast corner of Alaska is covered by the ], which covers 19,049,236 acres (79,318 km²). Much of the northwest is covered by the larger ], which covers around 23 million acres.

	With its numerous islands, Alaska has nearly 34,000 miles (54,700 km) of tidal shoreline. The island chain extending west from the southern tip of the ] is called the ]. Many active ]es are found in the Aleutians. For example, ] is home to ], a moderately active volcano that rises to 9,980 ft (3,042 m) above ]. The chain of volcanoes extends to ], west of Anchorage on the mainland.

	One of North America's largest tides occurs in ] just south of Anchorage. Tidal differences can be more than 35 feet (10.7 m). (Many sources say Turnagain has the second-greatest tides in North America, but it has since been shown that several areas in Canada have larger tides, according to an ] article dated 6/23/03.<ref>{{cite journal \| author = Porco, Peter \| date = ], ] \| title = Long said to be second to Fundy, city tides aren't even close \| journal = Anchorage Daily News \| pages = A1}}</ref>)

	Alaska is home to 3.5 million ]s of 20 acres (8 ha) or larger. ]s and wetland ] cover 188,320 square miles (487,747 km², mostly in northern, western and southwest flatlands. Frozen water, in the form of ] ice, covers some 16,000 square miles (41,440 km²) of land and 1,200 square miles (3,108 km²) of tidal zone. The Bering Glacier complex near the southeastern border with ], ], covers 2,250 square miles (5,827 km²) alone.

	The Aleutian Islands cross longitude 180°, so Alaska can be considered the easternmost state as well as the westernmost. Alaska and, especially, the Aleutians are one of the ]. The ] jogs west of 180° to keep the whole state, and thus the entire continental United States, within the same legal day.

	According to an October 1998 report by the ], approximately 65% of Alaska is owned and managed by the ] as ]s, ]s, and ]s. Of these, the ] manages 87 million acres (350,000 km²), or 23.8% of the state. The ] is managed by the ].

	Of the remaining land area, the State of Alaska owns 24.5%; another 10% is managed by thirteen regional and dozens of local Native corporations created under the ]. Various private interests own the remaining land, totaling less than 1%.
	{{ussm\|alaska.png\|ak}}
	Alaska is administratively divided into "]," as opposed to "counties." The function is the same, but whereas some states use a three-tiered system of decentralisation — state/county/township — most of Alaska only uses two tiers — state/borough. Owing to the state's low population density, most of the land is located in the ] which, as the name implies, has no intermediate borough government of its own, but is administered directly by the state government. Anchorage, uniquely, merged the city government with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough in 1971 to form the Municipality of Anchorage, containing the city proper, and the bedroom communities of Eagle River, Chugiak, Peters Creek, Girdwood, Bird, and Indian. Fairbanks, on the other hand, has a separate borough (the ]) and municipality (the City of Fairbanks).

	''See also:''
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]

	===Climate===
	The climate of Alaska, as would be expected given its location, is cold compared to the climate of the other 49 states; however, there is a great variety in the climate between the various regions, which one would also expect from a state as large as Alaska. Thunderstorms are uncommon in Alaska, while ] have been a very rare event. Snow, of course, occurs everywhere in Alaska, although the amount varies considerably. The climatic areas of Alaska can best be divided into the following regions with the largest city in each region being typical of the climate expected in that region- the southeast panhandle (Juneau), the South Central (Anchorage), Western Alaska (Nome), the interior (Fairbanks), and the North Slope (Barrow).

	The climate in Juneau and the southeast panhandle is best described as a "cooler version of ]". On an annual basis, this is both the wettest and warmest part of Alaska with milder temperatures in the winter and high precipation throughout the year. Juneau averages over 50 inches of precipitation a year, while other areas receive over 275 inches.<ref name="AK-YK Precip">. Oregon Climate Service at ]. Last accessed October 23, 2006.</ref> This is also the only region in Alaska in which the average daytime high temperature is above freezing during the winter months.

	The climate in south central Alaska, with Anchorage as a typical city, is mild by Alaska standards. This is due in large part to its proximity to the coast. While it doesn't get nearly as much rain as the southeast of Alaska, it does get more snow, although days tend to be clearer here. On average, Anchorage receives 16 inches of precipitation a year, with around 75 inches of snow, although there are areas in the south central which receive far more snow.

	The climate of Western Alaska is determined in large part by the ] and the ]. The temperature is somewhat moderate considering how far north the area is. This area has a tremendous amount of variety, especially when considering precipation. The northern side of the Seward Peninsula is techincally a desert (less 10 inches of precipitation annually), while some locations between Dillingham and Bethel average around 100 inches of precipitation.<ref name="AK-YK Precip"/>

	The climate of the interior of Alaska is best described as extreme. Some of the hottest and coldest temperatures in Alaska occur around the area near Fairbanks. The summers can have temperatures reaching into the upper 80s °F, while in the winter, the high temperature can stay below 0° F for several days. Precipation isn't much in the interior, often less than 10 inches a year, but what precipation falls in the winter tends to stay the entire winter.

	The climate in the extreme north of Alaska is what would be expected for an area north of the ]: very cold in the winter and cool in the summer. Even in July, the average low temperature is barely above freezing in Barrow, at 34 °F (1 °C).<ref>. ]. Last accessed October 23, 2006.</ref> Precipation is light in this part of Alaska, with many places averaging less than 10 inches a year, mostly in the form of snow which stays on the ground almost the entire year.

	==History==		==History==

Revision as of 16:44, 1 November 2006

State in the United States

Alaska
State

Country	United States
Admitted to the Union	January 3, 1959 (49)
Capital	Juneau
Largest city	Anchorage
Government
• Governor	Frank H. Murkowski (R)
• Upper house	{{{Upperhouse}}}
• Lower house	{{{Lowerhouse}}}
U.S. senators	Ted Stevens (R) Lisa Murkowski (R)
Population
• Total	626,932
• Density	1.09/sq mi (0.42/km)
• Median household income	$54,627
• Income rank	6
Language
• Official language	English
• Spoken language	English 85.7%, Native North American 5.2%, Spanish 2.9%
Latitude	51°20'N to 71°50'N
Longitude	130°W to 173°E

For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation).

Alaska (IPA: ) is a U.S. state, located on the northwest tier of North America. It is by far the largest state in area, but one of the least populated. It is the 49th state, having been admitted to the Union on January 3, 1959. The name "Alaska" is most likely derived from the Aleut Alyeska, meaning "great country", "mainland" or "great land".

   Alaska is one of the two U.S. states not bordered by another  state,Hawaii being the other. It is the only non-contiguous state in North America It is bordered by Yukon Territory and British Columbia,Canada to the east, the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north.

   Alaska is the largest state in the United States in terms of land area  at 570,380 square miles , over twice as large as Texas, the next largest state. If a map of Alaska were upon a map of the United States 48 contiguous states, Alaska would overlap Texas, Oklahoma,Kansa, New Mexico andColorado.                                                                                                                                           Alask is divided into four main parts South Central Alaska is the southern coastal region and contains most of the state's population,and many growing towns.The Alaska Panhandle, also known as Southeast Alaska, is home to many of Alaska's larger towns including the state capital Juneau, tidewater glaciers and extensive forests. The Alaska Interior is home to The geography is marked by large rivers, such as the Yukon River and the Kuskokwim River, as well as Arctic tundra lands and shorelines

The Alaskan Bush is the remote, less crowded part of the state, encompassing 380 native villages and small towns.

History

Main article: History of Alaska

Alaska was first inhabited by humans who came across the Bering Land Bridge. Eventually, Alaska became populated by the Inupiaq, Inuit and Yupik Eskimos, Aleuts, and a variety of Native American groups. Most, if not all, of the pre-Columbian population of the Americas probably took this route and continued further south and east.

In this 1860 map, Russian America (Alaska) was to the west of British America (Canada).

Template:Lastfrontier

The first written accounts indicate that the first Europeans to reach Alaska came from Russia. Vitus Bering sailed east and saw Mt. St. Elias. Alaska became a Russian colony in 1744, but the first Russian settlement, Nikolaevsk on Kodiak Island, was founded only in 1784 by Grigory Shelikhov. The Russian-American Company hunted sea otters for their fur. The colony was never very profitable, because of the costs of transportation. By today the only Russian settlement in Alaska is Nikolaevsk, Alaska on Kenai Peninsula, enpopulated by old believers in 1968.

Spaniards explored the coast and made some settlements during the 18th century. Remains of this early period are Spanish names such Cordova and Valdez.

The news of the British North America Act, 1867, was nervously received in Washington, DC. It would create, on July 1, 1867, "one dominion under the name of Canada", and this led to expressions of "grave misgivings on the establishment of a monarchial state to the north" in what Canadians then called "the republic to the south". (See McNaughton's Short History of Canada.) U.S. Secretary of State William Seward thus urged, and the United States Senate thus approved, the treaty authorizing the purchase of Alaska from Imperial Russia for US$7,200,000 on April 9, 1867. The United States took possession and the American flag was raised over Alaska on October 18, which is commemorated as Alaska Day.

Russia still used the Julian Calendar in 1867, and the world had not yet been divided into standard time zones; thus, there was no international date line, and the day began in the morning instead of starting at midnight. So, while the American day now ends with sunset in western Alaska, the Russian day then started with sunrise in "eastern" Alaska. Thus, Friday, October 6, 1867, the day before the physical transfer of ownership, was followed by Friday, October 18, 1867—which was Saturday, October 7, 1867 in Russia. The change in date was due to America bringing the Gregorian Calendar to Alaska, while the lack of change in day resulted from Alaska's shift from being the starting point of the Russian day to being the ending point of the American day.

The purchase was unpopular in the United States, where it became known as "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox". Alaska celebrates the purchase each year on the last Monday of March, calling it Seward's Day.

Supposedly, the first American administrator of Alaska was Polish immigrant Włodzmierz Krzyżanowski. However, the Anchorage Daily News was unable to find any conclusive information to support or disprove this claim.

Upon purchase, the area was called the Department of Alaska. Between 1884 and 1912 it was called the District of Alaska. Alaska was granted territorial status in 1912.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Alaska Statehood Act on July 7, 1958, and Alaska formally became a state on January 3, 1959.

Alaska suffered one of the worst earthquakes in recorded history on Good Friday 1964 (see Good Friday Earthquake).

In 1976, the people of Alaska amended the state's constitution, establishing the Alaska Permanent Fund. The fund invests a portion of the state's mineral revenue, including revenue from the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System, "to benefit all generations of Alaskans." In March 2005, the fund's value was over $30 billion.

Prior to 1983, the state lay across four different time zones—Pacific Standard Time (UTC -8 hours) in the southeast panhandle, a small area of Yukon Standard Time (UTC -9 hours) around Yakutat, Alaska–Hawaii Standard Time (UTC -10 hours) in the Anchorage and Fairbanks vicinity, with the Nome area and most of the Aleutian Islands observing Bering Standard Time (UTC -11 hours). In 1983 the number of time zones was reduced to two, with the entire mainland plus the inner Aleutian Islands going to UTC -9 hours (and this zone then being renamed Alaska Standard Time as the Yukon Territory had several years earlier (circa 1975) adopted a single time zone identical to Pacific Standard Time), and the remaining Aleutian Islands were slotted into the UTC −10 hours zone, which was then renamed Hawaii–Aleutian Standard Time.

Over the years, various vessels have been named USS Alaska, in honor of the state.

During World War II, three of the outer Aleutian Islands—Attu, Agattu and Kiska—were occupied by Japanese troops. It was the only territory within the current borders of the United States to have land occupied during the war.

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1950	128,643	—
226,167	75.8%	—
1970	300,382	—
32.8%	1980	—
401,851	33.8%	—
1990	550,043	—
36.9%	2000	—
626,932	14.0%	—
2005 est	663,661	—
5.9%		—

As of 2005, Alaska has an estimated population of 663,661, which is an increase of 5,906, or 0.9%, from the prior year and an increase of 36,730, or 5.9%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 36,590 people (53,132 births minus 16,542 deaths), and an increase due to net migration of 1,181 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 5,800 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 4,619 people.

With a population of 626,932, according to the 2000 U.S. census, Alaska is ranked 48th out of the 50 States. But ranked by population density, Alaska is the least densely populated at 1.1 people per square mile (List of U.S. states by population density), with the next nearest ranking state, Wyoming, at 5.1 per square mile, and the most densely populated, New Jersey, at 1,134.4 per square mile.

For purposes of the federal census, the state is divided into artificial divisions defined geographically by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.

Race and ancestry

Demographics of Alaska (csv)
By race	White	Black	AIAN*	Asian	NHPI*
2000 (total population)	75.43%	4.46%	19.06%	5.24%	0.88%
2000 (Hispanic only)	3.42%	0.33%	0.45%	0.16%	0.06%
2005 (total population)	74.71%	4.72%	18.77%	5.90%	0.88%
2005 (Hispanic only)	4.32%	0.38%	0.48%	0.19%	0.05%
Growth 2000–05 (total population)	4.85%	12.03%	4.27%	19.23%	5.35%
Growth 2000–05 (non-Hispanic only)	3.49%	11.30%	4.02%	18.96%	5.86%
Growth 2000–05 (Hispanic only)	33.56%	21.02%	14.52%	27.89%	-1.95%
* AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native; NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

The largest ancestry groups in the state are: German (16.6%), Alaska Native or American Indian (15.6%), Irish (10.8%), British (9.6%), American (5.7%), and Norwegian (4.2%). Alaska has the largest percentage of American Indians of any state.

The vast, sparsely populated regions of northern and western Alaska are primarily inhabited by Alaska Natives, who are also numerous in the southeast. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and other parts of south-central and southeast Alaska have many whites of northern and western European ancestry. The Wrangell-Petersburg area has many residents of Scandinavian ancestry and the Aleutians contain a large Filipino population. Most of the state's black population lives in Anchorage. Fairbanks also has a sizeable black population as well.

As of 2000, 85.7% of Alaska residents age 5 and older speak only English at home and 5.2% speak Native American languages. Spanish speakers make up 2.9% of the population, followed by Tagalog speakers at 1.5% and Korean at 0.8%.

Languages

More than 90 languages are spoken in Alaska, including 20 which are indigenous to Alaska. The indigenous languages, known locally as Native languages, belong to two major language families.

Aleut
Eskimo family
- Central Alaskan Yup'ik
- Siberian Yupik
- Alutiiq (Pacific Yupik)
- Sirenikski
- Naukan
- Inupiaq
Athabaksan-Eyak-Tlingit family
- Tlingit
- Eyak
- Ahtna Athabascan
- Dena'ina Athabascan
- Deg Xinag Athabascan
- Upper Kuskokwim Athabascan
- Holikachuk Athabascan
- Koyukon Athabascan
- Gwich’in Athabascan
- Lower Tanana Athabascan
- Tanacross Athabascan
- Upper Tanana Athabascan
Haida
Tsimshian

As the homeland of two of North America's major language families, Eskimo-Aleut and Athabaskan, Alaska has been described as the crossroads of the continents, providing evidence for the recent settlement of North America via the Bering land bridge.

Religion

Interior of a typical Orthodox church in Alaska

Christian – 82%
- Protestant – 68%
  - Baptist – 11%
  - Lutheran – 8%
  - Methodist – 6%
  - Pentecostal – 2%
  - Quaker – 1%
- Orthodox – 8%
- Catholic – 7%
- Episcopal – 1%
- LDS (Mormon) – 1%
Other religions – 1%
Not religious/agnostic – 17%

Notable is Alaska's relatively large Eastern Orthodox Christian population, a result of early Russian colonization and missionary work among indigenous Alaskans.

Economy

The state's 2005 total gross state product was $39.9 billion. Its per-capita GSP for 2005 was $60,079, 3rd in the nation. Alaska's main export is seafood. Agriculture represents only a fraction of the Alaska economy. Agricultural production is primarily for consumption within the state and includes nursery stock, dairy products, vegetables, and livestock. Manufacturing is limited, with most foodstuffs and general goods imported from elsewhere. Employment is primarily in government and industries such as natural resource extraction, shipping, and transportation. Military bases are a significant component of the economy in both Fairbanks and Anchorage. Its industrial outputs are crude petroleum, natural gas, coal, gold, precious metals, zinc and other mining, seafood processing, timber and wood products. There is also a growing service and tourism sector. Tourists have contributed to the economy by supporting local lodging.

Alaska's economy is heavily dependent on increasingly expensive diesel fuel for heating, transportation, electric power and light. Though wind and hydroelectric power are abundant and underutilized, proposals for state-wide energy systems (e.g. with special low-cost electric interties) were judged uneconomical (at the time of the report, 2001) due to low (<$0.50/Gal) fuel prices, long distances and low population. The cost of a gallon of gas in Alaska today is usually $0.30-$0.60 higher than the national average.

The cost of goods in Alaska has long been higher than in the contiguous 48 states. This has changed for the most part in Anchorage and to a lesser extent in Fairbanks, where the cost of living has dropped somewhat in the past five years. Housing costs within the city of Fairbanks have remained almost unchanged (Example: one room, one bath apartment for $600-$700 a month). Outside the city limits, they are significantly lower (Example: 12x16 cabin $200-$400 a month).

Federal Government employees, namely United States Postal Service (USPS) workers, receive a Cost Of Living Allowance usually set at 25% of base pay because, while the cost of living has gone down, it is still one of the highest in the country.

The introduction of big-box stores in Anchorage, Fairbanks (Wal-Mart in March of 2004), and Juneau also did much to lower prices. However, rural Alaska suffers from extremely high prices for food and consumer goods, compared to the rest of the country due to the relatively limited transportation infrastructure. Many rural residents come in to these cities and purchase food and goods in bulk from warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam's Club. Some have embraced the free shipping offers of some online retailers to purchase items much more cheaply than they could in their own communities, if they are available at all.

Alaska is one of only six states with no state sales tax and one of seven states that do not levy an individual income tax. To finance state government operations, Alaska depends primarily on petroleum revenues. The Department of Revenue Tax Division reports regularly on the state's revenue sources. The Department also issues an annual overview of its operations, including new state laws that directly affect the tax division.

While Alaska has no state sales tax, 89 municipalities collect a local sales tax, with a range of between 1 percent and 7 percent. Typical sales tax rates are 3 to 5 percent. Other types of local taxes levied include raw fish taxes, hotel, motel, and B'n'B "bed" taxes, severance taxes, liquor and tobacco taxes, gaming (pull tabs) taxes, tire taxes and fuel transfer taxes. A percentage of revenue collected from certain state taxes and license fees (such as petroleum, aviation motor fuel, telephone cooperative) is shared with municipalities in Alaska.

Property taxes are relatively low, with only 25 of 161 incorporated municipalities or boroughs in the state assessing property taxes. Fairbanks has one of the highest property taxes in the state as no sales or income taxes are assessed in the Fairbanks North Star Borough (FNSB). A sales tax for the FNSB has been voted on many times, but has yet to be approved, leading law makers to increase taxes dramatically on other goods such as liquor and tobacco. The average per capita property tax paid in all municipalities, excluding oil and gas properties, was US$999 (2003 data).

Transportation

Law and government

**Presidential elections results**
Year	Republican	Democratic
2004	61.07% 190,889	35.52% 111,025
2000	58.62% 167,398	27.67% 79,004
1996	50.80% 122,746	33.27% 80,380
1992	39.46% 102,000	30.29% 78,294
1988	59.59% 119,251	36.27% 72,584
1984	66.65% 138,377	29.87% 62,007
1980	54.35% 86,112	26.41% 41,842
1976	57.90% 71,555	35.65% 44,058
1972	58.13% 55,349	34.62% 32,967
1968	45.28% 37,600	42.65% 35,411
1964	34.09% 22,930	65.91% 44,329
1960	50.94% 30,953	49.06% 29,809

Main article: Government of Alaska

Alaska is often characterized as a Republican-leaning state with strong Libertarian tendencies. Local political communities often work on issues related to land use development, fishing, tourism, and individual rights as many residents are proud of their rough Alaskan heritage. It is very important to note that, as of 9/2004, well over half of all registered voters choose "Non-Partisan" or "Undeclared" as their affiliation (source: Alaska Department of Elections http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elections/regbypty.htm), despite recent attempts to close primaries.

Alaska Natives, while organized in and around their communities, are often active within the Native corporations which have been given ownership over large tracts of land, and thus need to deliberate resource conservation and development issues.

In presidential elections, the state's Electoral College votes have been most often won by a Republican nominee. Only once has Alaska supported a Democratic nominee, when it supported Lyndon B. Johnson in the landslide year of 1964, although the 1960 and 1968 elections were close. No state has voted for a Democratic presidential candidate fewer times. President George W. Bush won the state's electoral votes in 2004 by a margin of 25 percentage points with 61.1% of the vote. Juneau stands out as an area that supports Democratic candidates.

When the United States Congress, in 1957 and 1958, debated the wisdom of admitting it as the 49th state, much of the political debate centered on whether Alaska would become a Democratic or Republican-leaning state. Conventional wisdom had it that, with its penchant for new ideas and dependence on the Federal Government largess for basic needs, it would become a Democratic stronghold, about which Republicans, and the Republican Administration of Dwight Eisenhower had reservations. Given time, those fears proved unfounded. After an early flirtatious period with liberal politics, the political climate of Alaska changed quickly once petroleum was discovered and the federal government came to be seen as 'meddling' in local affairs. Still, despite its libertarian leanings, the state regularly takes in more federal money than it gives out, a fact that can be attributed at least partially to its equal representation in the United States Senate.

In recent years, the Alaska Legislature is a 20-member Senate serving 4-year terms and 40-member House serving 2-year terms. It has been dominated by conservatives, generally Republicans. Likewise, recent state governors have been mostly conservatives, although not always elected under the official 'Party' banner. Republican Wally Hickel was elected to the office for a second term in 1990 after jumping the Republican ship and briefly joining the Alaskan Independence Party ticket just long enough to be reelected. He subsequently officially 'rejoined' the Republican fold in 1994.

Alaska's members of the U.S. Congress are all Republican. U.S. Senator Ted Stevens was appointed to the position following the death of U.S. Senator Bob Bartlett in December of 1968, and has never lost a re-election campaign since. As the longest-serving Republican in the Senate (sometimes nicknamed "Senator-For-Life"), Stevens has been a crucial force in gaining Federal money for his state.

Until his resignation from the U.S. Senate after being elected governor, Republican Frank Murkowski held the state's other senatorial position and, as governor, was allowed to appoint his daughter, Lisa Murkowski as his successor (under massive public pressure, the State legislature amended the constitution to eliminate gubernatorial appointments in the future). She won a full six-year term on her own in 2004.

Alaska's sole U.S. Representative, Don Young, was re-elected to his 17th consecutive term, also in 2004. His seniority in House makes him one of the most influential Republican House members. His position on the House Transportation Committee allowed him to parlay some $450 million to the Gravina Island Bridge and the Knik Arm Bridge, both derided as "bridges to nowhere". Young gained national publicity for his insistence that this money not be reallocated to rebuilding the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

Important cities and towns

Alaska's most populous city is Anchorage, home of 260,283 people, 225,744 of whom live in the urbanized area. It ranks third in the List of U.S. cities by area, behind two other Alaskan cities. Sitka ranks as America's largest city by area, followed closely by Juneau.

File:SitkaNOAA.jpg

The fishing town of Sitka.

Cities of 100,000 or more people Anchorage
Towns of 10,000-100,000 people Fairbanks Juneau College
Towns of fewer than 10,000 people
Ketchikan Sitka Wasilla Kenai Kodiak Palmer Bethel	Barrow Unalaska Valdez Soldotna Homer Nome Petersburg Kotzebue	Seward Dillingham Cordova Haines North Pole Ester Delta Junction Glennallen

25 richest places in Alaska

Further information: Alaska locations by per capita income

Ranked by per capita income:

1. Halibut Cove, Alaska $89,895
2. Chicken, Alaska $65,400
3. Edna Bay, Alaska $58,967
4. Sunrise, Alaska $56,000
5. Lowell Point, Alaska $45,790
6. Petersville, Alaska $43,200
7. Coldfoot, Alaska $42,620
8. Port Clarence, Alaska $35,286
9. Hobart Bay, Alaska $34,900

10. Red Dog Mine, Alaska $34,348
11. Adak, Alaska $31,747
12. Meyers Chuck, Alaska $31,660
13. Pelican, Alaska $29,347
14. Ester, Alaska $29,155
15. Chignik Lagoon, Alaska $28,941
16. Four Mile Road, Alaska $28,465
17. Healy, Alaska $28,225
18. Moose Pass, Alaska $28,147

19. Cube Cove, Alaska $27,920
20. Womens Bay, Alaska $27,746
21. Skagway, Alaska $27,700
22. Nelson Lagoon, Alaska $27,596
23. Valdez, Alaska $27,341
24. McKinley Park, Alaska $27,255
25. Attu Station, Alaska $26,964

Education

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development administers many school districts in Alaska.

In addition, the state operates a boarding school called Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka.

43% of the population attends college.

Colleges and universities

Miscellaneous topics

Social issues

Alaska has long had a problem with alcohol use and abuse. Many rural communities in Alaska have outlawed its import. "Dry", "wet", and "damp" are terms describing a community's laws on liquor consumption. This problem directly relates to Alaska's high rate of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) as well as contributing to the high rate of suicides. This is a controversial topic for many residents.

Alaska has also had a problem with "brain drain" as many of its young people, including most of the highest academic achievers, leave the state upon graduating high school. While for many this functions as a sort of walkabout, many do not return to the state. The University of Alaska has been successfully combating this by offering four-year scholarships to the top 10 percent of Alaska high school graduates, the Alaska Scholars Program.

Domestic abuse and other violent crimes are also at notoriously high levels in the state; this is in part linked to alcohol abuse.

Notable Alaskans

Tom Bodett: radio personality and Motel 6 spokesman.
Ray Mala (1906-1952) is the first Native American movie star and the only film star the State of Alaska has yet to produce. He starred in MGM's Oscar-winning classic "Eskimo/Mala the Magnificent" filmed entirely on location in Alaska.
Edward Lewis "Bob" Bartlett (1904–1968) was the territorial delegate to the US Congress from 1944 to 1958, and was elected as the first senior U.S. Senator in 1958 and re-elected to a full 6-year term in 1960 and again in 1966. There are streets, buildings, and even the first state ferry, named for him.
Scott Gomez, (b. 1979) a professional ice hockey player who was the first Latino player in the NHL.
Ernest Gruening (1886–1974) was appointed Governor of the Territory of Alaska in 1939, and served in that position for fourteen years. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1958 and re-elected in 1962 and served until 1969.
Jay Hammond (1922–2005) was Governor during the building of the Alaska Pipeline and established the Alaska Permanent Fund, providing Alaskans with essentially free money. He is regarded as somewhat of a hero because of this. He was also governor during passage of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and effectively served to moderate associated issues within the state among disparate interest groups ranging from conservationists to natives to pro-development interests.
George Sharrock (1910–2005) moved to the territory before statehood, eventually elected as the mayor of Anchorage and served during the Good Friday Earthquake in March 1964. This was the most devastating earthquake to hit Alaska and it sunk beach property, damaged roads and destroyed buildings all over the south central area. Sharrock, sometimes called the "earthquake mayor," led the city's rebuilding effort over six months.
Carlos Boozer, (b. 1982) of Juneau, is the most successful professional basketball player in the history of the state. Carlos attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. While at Duke, Carlos played a pivotal starring role in Duke University's national championship run in 2001. Drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers and currently a star power-forward for the Utah Jazz, Carlos has garnered attention as the replacement for former Jazz great, Karl Malone.
Soapy Smith, Jefferson Randolph Smith, "Alaska's Outlaw." The infamous confidence man and early settler, who ran the goldrush town of Skagway, Alaska, 1897-98.
Fran Ulmer was the first woman elected to statewide office—she became Lieutenant Governor in 1994.
Curt Schilling and Shawn Chacon are active players in the MLB native to Alaska.
Jewel Kilcher (b. 1974) is a famous recording artist with hit singles, "Foolish Games", "You Were Meant For Me", "Who Will Save Your Soul", "Hands", "Standing Still", "Intuition", and the poetry book "A Night Without Armor". Although born in Utah, Jewel was raised in Homer, Alaska.
Dominic S. F. Lee (b. 1943), the writer of "The American Missionaries, the Mandarins, and the Opium War: Circa 1839 to 1911", being a Hong Kong-born Chinese, being the main actor in modernization of Arctic Alaska in construction industry.
Susan Butcher (1954-2006), dog-musher, four-time winner of the Iditarod and the second woman to win that race.
36 Crazyfists a four-piece post-hardcore/metalcore music group originating from Anchorage, Alaska

Motto

"North to the Future" is the official state motto of Alaska, adopted by the Alaska Legislature for the 1967 centennial of the Alaska Purchase. The motto, meant to portray Alaska as a land of promise, was coined by Juneau journalist Richard Peter, who called it "a reminder that beyond the horizon of urban clutter there is a Great Land beneath our flag that can provide a new tomorrow for this century's 'huddled masses yearning to be free'."

Libraries

The four main libraries in the state are the Alaska State Library in Juneau, the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library in Fairbanks, the Z. J. Loussac Library in Anchorage, and the UAA/APU Consortium Library, also in Anchorage. Alaska is one of three states (the others are Delaware and Rhode Island) that does not have a Carnegie library.

Notes

Ruskin, Liz (December 17, 2002). "Poland honors second 'ski' to lead Alaska". Anchorage Daily News. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Screening Report for Alaska Rural Energy Plan, April, 2001
State of Alaska Office of Economic Development. Alaska Visitor Arrivals and Profile-Summer 2001. November, 2002; retrieved September 11, 2006.
State of Alaska Office of Economic Development. Alaska Visitor Arrivals and Profile-Fall/Winter 2001. November, 2002; retrieved September 11, 2006.
Federal Aviation Administration. 2005 U.S. Civil Airman Statistics

External links

Alaska, an external wiki
State of Alaska website
A Review of My Cruise to Alaska - By Alan Swanson
US Census Bureau
Alaska Travel Industry Association

Alaska Travel Industry Association media center (statistics and facts about the tourism industry)

Alaska News and Weather
Alaska State Facts
Can Russia Recover Alaska? "Moscow News"

Political parties

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