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Alaska
Capital - Juneau
Anchorage is Alaska's largest city. It was founded in 1914 as the headquarters
of the Alaska Railroad.
Population (2010 census) - 710,231
Cities
About two thirds of Alaskans live in towns and cities. Although the larger towns are as modern as those in the other
states, they are widely separated and surrounded by sparsely populated areas. Some can be reached only by ship,
riverboat, or airplane.
Anchorage is by far the largest city in Alaska. It is situated in the south-central part of the state at the head
of Cook Inlet on a bluff overlooking Knik Arm. As Alaska's chief center for air transportation and as headquarters
for the Northern defense, Anchorage has grown rapidly, particularly during the 1970s. Its population grew
from 48,081 in 1970 to 174,431 in 1980 which was a 10 year gain of about 260 percent. In 1964 a portion of Anchorage's
downtown section was demolished by an earthquake that struck the southern part of the state.
Fairbanks is Alaska's second largest city. It is situated on the broad Interior Plateau on the Chena River
near the Tanana, the chief tributary of the Yukon. Its major importance is as the transportation hub
for the remote areas on the plateau and in the Arctic region, for example, the oil drill sites on the north
slope and the interior villages. It is the terminus of the Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Highway,
the George Parks Highway, and the Steese Highway, and it is also the beginning of the Dalton Highway
to Prudhoe Bay.
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