Celebrating 60 Years of Alaska Statehood

Alaska joined the union as the 49th State in January of 1959. The 50th State, Hawai'i, joined in August of the same year. In commemoration of 60 years of Alaska statehood, here are several facts celebrating the nation's northernmost and largest state.

The first European nation to colonize Alaska was Russia, beginning in the 17th Century. The colony was never fully developed, so when the United States wanted to purchase Alaska for $7.2 Million in 1867 to backstop British expansion, the deal was done. Secretary of State William H. Seward was pilloried for the expense; the purchase became known as "Seward's Folly".

Alaska is a derivation of an Aleut word describing the direction of the land across the water from the Aleutian Islands. The literal translation is "that to which the sea is directed," which Russian explorers took to mean the name of the place. Other translations include "Great Land," which is a common nickname for Alaska today.

Alaska is known by many to be the northernmost state in the union, but it's also the farthest west and east. Several of the Aleutian Islands are more than 180 degrees from the Prime Meridian, putting them in the Eastern Hemisphere. The International Date Line, however, is adjusted further west, keeping the entire state on the same calendar day.

Spanning as much longitude as the continental United States, Alaska would naturally require four time zones to match solar time. The state used three until 1983 when Southeast Alaska left the Pacific Time Zone for the new Alaska Time Zone. The Western Aleutian Islands are in the same time zone as Hawai'i.

Alaska's largest city was not settled by Americans until the early 20th Century. Located on a natural anchorage in Cook Inlet, the settlement was called "Anchorage." Residents selected the permanent name "Alaska City" in a 1915 election, but the territorial government ultimately declined to adopt the name and the city incorporated as Anchorage in 1920.

Anchorage's growth was driven primarily by transportation. The Alaska Railroad, from the deepwater port at Seward to the interior city of Fairbanks, was built in the early 1920s, and the final spike was struck by President Warren G. Harding at Nenana in 1923. Headquartered in Anchorage from the outset, the railroad still carries passengers and cargo.

Rich in oil revenues in the 1980s, the State embarked on a series of ambitious art projects, one of which was the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts in Anchorage. Today, the center welcomes national touring productions in addition to several resident companies, including Anchorage Opera, Anchorage Symphony and Anchorage Concert Association.

The Iditarod sled dog race takes place each March in commemoration of a 1920s dog team relay to bring diphtheria serum to Nome when winter sea ice made the town inaccessible by ship. Although the actual mileage varies based on route, which alternates each year, the "official" mileage is 1049, a reference to the 49th State.

Alaska has eight national parks, tied with California for the most within a single state. Alaska's national parks include Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark and Wrangell-St. Elias, which is the country's largest national park. Alaska has four of the top five and seven of the ten largest national parks by area.

Long a crossroads for commercial passenger aviation, Anchorage is now a large air cargo hub. Nearby Lake Hood is also the world's busiest seaplane base, averaging 190 departures per day. Aircraft land on the lake during the summer months, while ski-equipped landings on frozen lake ice are undertaken during the winter.

Alaska is the only state where temperatures vary over a hundred degrees on the same day. Temperatures in Interior Alaska have been reported as low as -50 Fahrenheit, while on the same day temperatures of +50 Fahrenheit are observed in Southeast Alaska. The state's record high is 100 Fahrenheit; the record low is -80 Fahrenheit-both recorded in Interior Alaska.

A third of the state lies above the Arctic Circle, at 66.5 degrees north latitude. Above the Arctic Circle, the sun is above or below the horizon at least 24 hours near the Summer or Winter Solstice. In Utqiagvik, Alaska's northernmost settlement, the sun stays below the horizon each winter for 65 days.

The territorial (later state) capital was moved to Juneau from Sitka in the early 20th Century. Juneau is not connected to the state's transportation grid by road and is accessible only by air or by boat. Whether to move the capital is often discussed, although state law prohibits selecting a site within 50 miles of either Anchorage or Fairbanks.

The ten highest mountain peaks in the United States are all in Alaska. The highest, Denali, is also North America's most prominent, and third in the world, behind Everest and Aconcagua. One of the Seven Summits, or the highest peak on each continent, it is a challenge for mountain climbers.

The Russian mainland is not visible from mainland Alaska. However, the Alaskan island of Little Diomede in the Bering Strait has a view of the Russian island of Big Diomede. Little Diomede has just over a hundred mostly Alaska Native residents, while Big Diomede is uninhabited.

Alaska has a handful of ski resorts and they each come without the effects of elevation. Alyeska Resort near Anchorage, the most popular of these, has a lift base virtually at sea level, allowing for altitude-sickness-free skiing throughout the winter months.

Roughly a fifth of Alaska is accessible by road; the rest must be reached by air, sea, or in the case of Hurricane Gulch, rail. This central Alaskan community is accessible only via the Alaska Railroad and is one of the last places in the country where the train can be flagged to stop by those wishing to board.

While whales aren't only found in Alaska, their migratory patterns mean that summer visitors will have plenty of opportunities to see the marine mammals in Alaskan coastal waters, where they come to feed after a winter spent calving in the warm Hawaiian marine channels.

The popular 1990s television series Northern Exposure was modeled in part on Talkeetna, Alaska. Nestled in the foothills of Denali, the town is famous for colorful local culture and for local residents once electing a cat named Stubbs as the town mayor.

Cheechakos (newcomers) to the state from Outside (everywhere else) will learn a variety of terms from Sourdoughs (longtime Alaskans) covering all manner of ideas, from termination dust (first mountain snowfall after summer) to snowmachines (call them snowmobiles at your own risk). Visitors will be grateful for homes with arctic entry (mudrooms) during breakup (spring thaw).

During the Depression, the federal government moved a number of farmers from the Dust Bowl to a colony in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, where glacial silt and long growing days proved to make up for a protracted growing season. Each year, the Alaska State Fair in Palmer produces some of the country's largest produce, including cabbages weighing in at well over a thousand pounds.

Each spring, the Copper River near Cordova produces the world-famous Copper River Salmon, flown to the Lower 48 onboard dedicated air cargo flights with much fanfare. The rushing rapids and elevation climb of the river produce a breed of salmon with higher fat and oil content for superior flavor.

Every 4th of July since 1915, mountain runners in Alaska run the annual Mount Marathon Race near Seward, Alaska. The race is roughly a 5K to the peak of Mount Marathon, an elevation gain of just over 3000 feet. Runners in all age groups from teens on up participate; the oldest runner to finish the race was 82 years old.

Alaska has wide diversity among its native groups, with no less than 20 distinctive languages spoken by Native Alaskans at the time of statehood. Some of the language groups are so isolated they're mutually unintelligible with other language groups elsewhere in the state. The most widely spoken native language is Yup'ik, with around 10,000 speakers.

Gold figures heavily in the heritage of cities and towns throughout Alaska. In addition to the famous 1898 Yukon Gold Rush, where Skagway was the primary entry point for the Canadian gold fields, the cities of Fairbanks, Nome and Juneau have historical connections with gold. Today, Alaska produces more gold than any other state except Nevada.

Many Alaska visitors come to see the atmospheric phenomenon known as the Aurora Borealis or the "Northern Lights." Although the phenomenon occurs virtually year round, it is best visible on very dark, cold nights when the sky is crystal clear and not hampered by light pollution. Interior Alaska during the middle of winter often offers the best viewing opportunities.

Alaska is the nation's 48th most populous state with 737,000 residents, besting only Wyoming and Vermont. With roughly one resident per square mile, it's the least densely populated state. Roughly half of the state's residents live within the greater Anchorage Area.

Oil flows from the Prudhoe Bay oil fields at the north of the state to Valdez on the southern coast via the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Crude oil comes out of the ground at over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit and travels around three miles per hour through the pipeline, taking on average 11 days to cover the 800-mile length.

Kenai Fjords National Park is popular with day boat visitors from throughout Southcentral Alaska departing from Seward. Visitors can see sea otters, sea lions, bald eagles, seals and puffins in the fjords, carved by glacial activity eons ago.

While the vast majority of visitors to Alaska are from North America, the state is popular with international visitors. The largest international visitor contingent is from Germany and German-speaking Europe, primarily visiting during the summer months. Japan also contributes significantly to winter tourism, with Japanese visitors showing great interest in viewing the northern lights.

Alaska has more coastline than any other state in the union: over 6,600 miles of it, nearly five times the coastline of second place Florida.

College Fjord, in Prince William Sound near the deepwater port of Whittier, has a number of glaciers named after elite universities. Named by a pair of expedition professors from Harvard and Amherst, as are Vassar, Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, Williams and Yale, but notably not Princeton.

Alaska's Katmai National Park is noted for volcanoes and brown bears. One of the world's largest protected populations of brown bears (around 2,200 bears) resides in the park; aggressive management has kept the bears uniquely unafraid of human contact.

Girdwood, Alaska, 40 miles from Anchorage, began life as a supply stop during the 1890s gold rushes in the area. By the end of the 20th Century, the town had become a ski resort, complete with a luxury hotel and tramway to the top of Mount Alyeska, where diners can view seven valley glaciers from the aptly named Seven Glaciers Restaurant.

Alaska is over twice the size of Texas, the second largest state. Counting territorial waters, it's larger than the combined area of the next three largest states: Texas, California and Montana. It's also larger than the combined area of the 22 smallest states. Alaska is also larger than all but 18 of the globe's sovereign nations.

Without a significant road network, the state government funds the Alaska Marine Highway System, a series of public car ferries that replace highways for isolated coastal communities from Southeast Alaska to the Aleutian Islands.

Mt. Edgecumbe, near Sitka, Alaska, is often called "Alaska's Mount Fuji" for it's striking resemblance to the famous Japanese volcanic peak. Sitka is a community of around 8,000 year-round residents on Baranof Island in the Southeast Panhandle and was once the largest non-native settlement on the West Coast of North America.

In addition to the state's wealth of National Parks, there are a significant number of State Parks, including the Chugach State Park near Anchorage, where visitors can park at the Glenn Alps Trailhead and take a day hike to the summit of Flattop Mountain.

While over half the state's population lives in the greater Anchorage Area, a significant number of Native Alaskans continue to maintain a subsistence lifestyle in centuries-old rural communities. After struggling for years with rural school attendance, the state has successfully experimented with maintaining relevance by teaching subsistence topics in addition to academics.

Although Anchorage is a city of over a quarter-million residents, wildlife abounds in the city. Most residents are accustomed to seeing moose in various parts of the city regardless of season. Moose fences constructed around the city's busier roads have been successful in reducing moose vs. vehicle accidents.

Mendenhall Glacier, near Juneau, is one of the closest glaciers in the country to a city of significant size. The Tlingit name Sitaantaago literally translates to "The Glacier Behind The Town."

Cook Inlet, near Anchorage, was so named by English navigator Captain James Cook, who mapped much of the area during his 18th Century voyages, which also included the first recorded Western contact with Hawai'i. Cook Inlet was lined with native settlements, but the site of modern-day Anchorage was uninhabited except for seasonal hunting camps.

Nearly a century passed between Alaska's acquisition from Russia and statehood. For the first 45 years, Alaska was administered as a federal district, becoming a territory in 1912. Alaska was a territory for another 47 years before becoming a state in January of 1959. Hawai'i, by comparison, was annexed in 1898 and achieved statehood in a comparatively short 61 years.

The 1898 Yukon gold rush drove an influx of prospectors to Canada's Yukon, many of whom hiked the treacherous White Pass from Skagway. The Yukon & White Pass Railroad was completed in 1900, just as the gold rush was winding down, but continued to provide freight and passenger service for decades. It now operates as a heritage train for tourists.

Nearly half of all visitors to Alaska arrive on a cruise ship. The largest operators are Carnival Corporation sister companies Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, which both have significant land tour and hotel operations throughout Southcentral, Southeast and Interior Alaska and the Yukon.

Anchorage is one of the country's most diverse communities. Based on a diversity index built on the number of different races, ethnicities, and national origins, 25 of the 30 most diverse public schools in the country are located in the city.

Chena Hot Springs, north of Fairbanks, is famous for good views of the Aurora Borealis in subzero temperatures, all viewed from a natural hot spring in an outdoor rock lake. The resort itself is powered by a geothermal plant, a renewable energy source.

Every February, Anchorage celebrates the Fur Rendezvous. Originally a fur-trading event, the modern "Fur Rondy" is a series of community competitions and events like the Running of the Reindeer, Outhouse Races and the Miners & Trappers Ball to help combat winter cabin fever.

Glacier Bay National Park in Southeast Alaska is a popular location for scenic cruising. Although limited to two large cruise ships per day, nearly half a million visitors enter the park, almost all of them onboard large cruise vessels. Private boats, tour boats, and charter boats also have permit access to the park.

With oil production in decline and tourism growing, Alaska's economy may undergo significant change in the coming decades. However, Alaskan tenacity is unlikely to change as the state's residents strive toward the state motto, adopted at statehood: "North To The Future."