Anchorage, Alaska Geography

Anchorage is a consolidated city-county located in the south-central part of the state of Alaska, United States according to Abbreviationfinder. It is the northernmost city in the country with more than 100,000 residents and the largest community in North America located above the 60th parallel. With 291,826 residents in 2010 (and 380,821 residents in its metropolitan area which combines Anchorage and the adjoining Matanuska – Susitna Borough) makes it the most populous city in Alaska, accounting for 40% of the state’s total population; Among the nation’s 50 states, only New York has a higher percentage of residents living in the state’s most populous city. It is located on the inland coast of Cook’s Inlet. The city has been named “All-America City” four times, in 1956, 1965, 1984/1985 and in 2002 by the National Civic League.

Geography

According to CountryAAH.com, Anchorage is the capital city of Alaska and located in the south-central part of the state. At 61 degrees north, it is slightly further north than Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, and St. Petersburg, but not as far north as Reykjavik or Murmansk. It is located northeast of the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, and Cook’s Inlet; north of the Kenai Peninsula, northwest of the Prince William Strait and the south-east strait of the state and south of Mount Denali. The city seen from a satellite, with the Knit Arm (top) and Turnagain Arm (left and bottom) The city sits on a strip of coastal lowlands that extends to the low alpine slopes of the Chugach Mountains. Point Campbell, the westernmost continental point of the city, juts into Cook Inlet near its northern end, where the division of the cove into two arms or fjords (arm) is created. To the south is Turnagain Arm, a fjord that has one of the highest tides in the world. Knit Arm, the other fjord in the cove is to the west and north. The Chugach Mountains to the east form a development boundary, but not the city limits, which encompass part of the wild alpine territory of Chugach State Park. The city’s coastline consists mainly of treacherous tidal flats (mudflats). Newcomers and tourists are advised not to hike in this area due to extreme tidal changes and extremely thin glacial silt. Incautious victims have walked into the seemingly solid silt when the tide was out and have been trapped in the mud. The two recorded instances of these events occurred in 1961 and 1988. According to the United States Census Bureau, the municipality has a total area of ​​1,961.1 square miles (5,079.2 km²); of which 1,697.2 square miles (4,395.8 km²) is land and the remaining 263.9 square miles (683.4 km²) is water. The total area is 13.46% water. The Boroughs and census tracts adjacent to the Municipality of Anchorage are the Matanuska – Susitna Borough to the north, the Kenai Peninsula Borough to the south, and the Valdez – Cordova Census Area to the east. The Chugach National Forest, a national protected area, lies in the southernmost part of the township, near the Girwood and Portage settlements. the Kenai Peninsula Borough to the south, and the Valdez-Cordova Census tract to the east. The Chugach National Forest, a national protected area, lies in the southernmost part of the township, near the Girwood and Portage settlements. the Kenai Peninsula Borough to the south, and the Valdez-Cordova Census tract to the east. The Chugach National Forest, a national protected area, lies in the southernmost part of the township, near the Girwood and Portage settlements.

Climate

Anchorage has a sub-arctic climate (in the Köppen Climate Classification it is Dfc), but with strong maritime influences that moderate the temperature. When it comes to precipitation, the climate has semi-arid influences. Most of the rainfall occurs in late summer. Average daytime temperatures in summer range from 55 to 78 ° F (13 to 26 ° C); and in winter they vary between 5 to 30 ° F (-15 to -1.1 ° C). The city has a frost-free season that allows plant growth; which lasts approximately 101 days.

Anchorage in Winter: Average January temperature at Anchorage International Airport (ANC) is 11 to 23 ° F (-12 to -5 ° C), with average winter snowfall of 75.5 inches (192 cm). The winter of 2011-2012 had snowfall of 134.5 inches (341.6 cm), making it the snowiest winter on record. The winter of 1954-1955 was the second, with 132.8 inches (337.3 cm) of snow. The coldest temperature recorded, at the Merril Field weather station, was -38 ° F (-38.9 ° C) on February 3, 1947. Summers are typically mild (though cold compared to the continental United States, or even the interior of the state), and it can rain frequently but not heavily. Average temperatures in July range from 52 to 66 ° F (11 to 19 ° C); the highest recorded temperature being 86 ° F (30 ° C) on June 25, 1953. Average annual rainfall at the airport is 16.63 inches (422 mm). The latitude of the city causes that the days in summer are very long and in winter very short. The city is often cloudy during the winter, which decreases the amount of sunlight that the residents receive.

Having a proximity to active volcanoes, the danger of ash is a considerable, although not frequent, occurrence. The most recent volcanic activity centered on the multiple eruptions of Mount Redoubt during March and April 2009 resulted in a 25,000-foot (7,600 m) ash column as well as ash accumulation along the Cook Inlet region. Previously, the most recent activity was, in August 1992, the eruption of Mount Spurr, which is 78 miles (126 km) west of the city. The eruption deposited approximately 3mm of volcanic ash in the city. The ash cleanup resulted in excessive water demands and caused several problems for the Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility.