Locations

The Last Frontier. America's largest state spanning 663,000 square miles of Arctic tundra, temperate rainforest, volcanic islands, and glaciated mountains.

Alaska's largest city, home to 40% of the state's population. Urban center nestled between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet, with world-class trails, dining, and arts.

Alaska's capital city, accessible only by air or sea. Nestled between mountains and the Gastineau Channel, home to Mendenhall Glacier and the state legislature.

Alaska's Golden Heart City in the Interior. University town, military hub, and gateway to the Arctic. Famous for northern lights, ice art championships, and midnight sun.

The Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Alaska's fastest-growing region. Agricultural heartland known for giant vegetables, Hatcher Pass, and the Iditarod.

Interior Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Range to the Brooks Range. Home to Fairbanks, Denali, and extreme continental climate with 100-degree temperature swings.

The Kenai Peninsula, Alaska's playground. World-famous salmon fishing on the Kenai and Russian rivers, Kenai Fjords National Park, and the towns of Soldotna, Homer, and Seward.

Northwest Arctic Inupiaq village, Ambler Road mining access fight.

Alaska's Emerald Isle, home to the famous Kodiak brown bear and one of the largest commercial fishing fleets in the nation. Coast Guard base and gateway to Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge.

Southwest Alaska, from the Alaska Peninsula to the Aleutian Islands. Home to Bristol Bay's world-class salmon runs, Katmai's brown bears, and the Ring of Fire.

Cook Inlet estuary on Alaska's south-central coast. Offshore oil and gas, salmon fisheries, beluga habitat, Port of Alaska.

Alaska's Arctic North Slope, from the Brooks Range to the Beaufort Sea. Oil production hub at Prudhoe Bay and home to Inupiaq communities including Utqiagvik, the northernmost U.S. city.

Hub city of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska. Regional center for 56 Yup'ik villages and gateway to one of the largest roadless regions in the country.

Southeast Alaska's panhandle, a 500-mile archipelago of islands, fjords, and temperate rainforest. Connected by the Alaska Marine Highway, not roads.

City on the Kenai River at Cook Inlet; commercial salmon fishing and oil-and-gas industry base; population ~7,500

Mat-Su Borough seat; New Deal Matanuska Colony agricultural community; Alaska State Fair; population ~5,900

Anchorage-adjacent state park, Flattop, Eklutna, Glen Alps, backcountry terrain.

Homer-area bay, state park, oyster farms, halibut charters.

Southcentral Alaska, home to Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, and Prince William Sound. The state's population center and transportation hub.

Bristol Bay hub community at the head of Nushagak Bay. Administrative center for 32 villages across the Bristol Bay region. Gateway to the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery.

Prince William Sound port city at the terminus of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Gateway to some of Alaska's best heli-skiing, kayaking, and salmon fishing.

Gold Rush city on the Bering Sea coast, terminus of the Iditarod Trail. A resilient Arctic community with deep mining history and proximity to Russia across the Strait.

Northwest Arctic regional hub on Kotzebue Sound above the Arctic Circle. Inupiaq community and headquarters of NANA Regional Corporation. Gateway to Kobuk Valley National Park.

Interior Alaska community on the Yukon River; Iditarod checkpoint; GILA regional boarding school; population ~470

Bristol Bay region: Dillingham, Naknek, King Salmon, Iliamna. Home to the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery. Distinct from the broader Southwest region.

Lower Kenai Peninsula port on Kachemak Bay, end of the Sterling Highway. Halibut charter capital, home to the Homer Spit and a thriving arts community.

Kenai Peninsula port at the head of Resurrection Bay; terminus of the Alaska Railroad. Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. Hosts the Mount Marathon race every July 4.

Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta: Bethel, Aniak, Akiak, Kwethluk, Tuluksak, Emmonak, Mountain Village. 56 villages on one of the largest roadless regions in the United States.

Content that is primarily about places or institutions outside Alaska — national politics, international events, federal-government action without direct Alaska delegation involvement.

Juneau-Douglas waterway, capital waterfront, cruise ship docks.

Mat-Su state game range, moose habitat, public land, Palmer-Sutton.

Interior state forest around Fairbanks, timber, firewood, advisory committee.

Gulf-coast Tlingit community, Hubbard Glacier access, salmon fishing, surf.

Bristol Bay fishing community near the mouth of the Naknek River; processing plants for the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery; population ~500 year-round, doubles during fishing season

Small city near Fairbanks, famous for its year-round Christmas theme. Home to military families from nearby Eielson Air Force Base and a growing residential community.

Aleutian Islands port on Unalaska Island, commonly called Dutch Harbor. Top US commercial fishing port by volume for decades; base for Bering Sea pollock, crab, and cod fleets.

Alaska's First City, first port of call for Inside Passage cruise ships. Known for totem poles, Creek Street, commercial fishing, and 160+ inches of annual rainfall.

Southeast Alaska fishing town on Mitkof Island with Norwegian heritage dating to 1897. Shrimp, salmon, and halibut fleets. Known as "Little Norway."

Northwest Arctic Alaska, the Inupiaq homeland centered on Kotzebue Sound. Home to the Red Dog Mine, Kobuk Valley National Park, and traditional subsistence ways of life.

Southeast Alaska island community at the mouth of the Stikine River; former Russian America fort; population ~2,100

Mat-Su community at the confluence of three rivers; Denali climbing gateway; historic railroad town; population ~1,000

Commercial hub of the central Kenai Peninsula at the junction of the Sterling and Kenai Spur highways; Kenai Peninsula Borough seat; population ~4,400