AK · Municipality of Anchorage · 291,247 (2020) · largest city in Alaska · Alaska time
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage lies at the head of Cook Inlet in south-central Alaska, between the Chugach Mountains and the sea. It is home to about two-fifths of all Alaskans and is by far the largest city in the state.
- State
- Alaska
- County
- Municipality of Anchorage (consolidated borough)
- Population (2020)
- 291,247
- Rank
- 48th of the 50 cities mapped here; outside the national top 50
- Coordinates
- 61.22°N, 149.90°W
- Time zone
- Alaska
- Metro area
- about 400,000
- State capital
- No – Juneau
Where Anchorage is
Anchorage is at 61.22°N, 149.90°W, further north than any other large US city — roughly the latitude of Oslo or Helsinki. Alaska has boroughs rather than counties, and the Municipality of Anchorage is a consolidated city-borough of about 1,700 square miles of land, most of it mountain wilderness; the urban area occupies the flat bowl between Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet at about 100 feet above sea level. The Chugach Mountains rise directly east of the city to over 5,000 feet, with Chugach State Park inside the municipal boundary. Juneau, the state capital, is 570 air miles southeast and unreachable by road; Fairbanks is 360 road miles north. Seattle is 1,450 air miles away.
Population and rank
The 2020 Census counted 291,247 residents, 48th among the 50 cities on this site and outside the national top 50, but Anchorage holds about 40 percent of Alaska's population of 733,391 — a higher share of its state than any other US city. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which adds the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to the north, has about 400,000 people, well over half the state. The city's population fell slightly between 2010 and 2020, the first decade of decline in its history. Fairbanks, the second city, has about 32,000; Juneau about 32,000 as well.
Geography
- Cook Inlet — the 180-mile arm of the Gulf of Alaska whose Knik and Turnagain arms enclose the city; the tides in Turnagain Arm are among the largest in the world, with a bore tide.
- Chugach Mountains — the range along the whole eastern edge of the city; Flattop Mountain is the most-climbed peak in Alaska.
- Alaska Range and Denali — Denali (20,310 ft), the highest peak in North America, is 130 miles north and visible from Anchorage on clear days. See highest points and national parks.
- Earthquakes — the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, magnitude 9.2, the strongest ever recorded in North America, destroyed parts of downtown.
Nearest large cities
No city on this list is within a day's drive; the road to the Lower 48 runs 2,200 miles through Canada. Distances below are approximate road miles except where marked.
| City | State | Road distance (mi) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | WA | 2,260 | SE |
| Portland | OR | 2,430 | SE |
| Boise | ID | 2,600 | SE |
| Honolulu | HI | 2,780 (air) | S |
| Salt Lake City | UT | 2,900 | SE |
Is Anchorage the state capital?
No. Alaska's capital is Juneau, a town of about 32,000 in the southeast Panhandle that can be reached only by air or sea. Voters approved moving the capital nearer Anchorage in 1974 and chose the site of Willow, but rejected funding for the move in 1982, so Juneau remains. Anchorage is the largest city in the state by a factor of nine. It is on Alaska time, one hour behind Pacific.
Related maps
- Alaska map — the state with its 30 boroughs and census areas.
- Juneau — the state capital, 570 miles away with no road.
- US cities map.
- Highest points and national parks maps.
- Nearest large cities: Seattle, Honolulu.
- Pacific division · Alaska Time Zone.