The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 PM AKST on Good Friday, March 27. Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing structures, and tsunamis resulting from the earthquake caused about 131 deaths.
The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad that operates freight and passenger trains in the state of Alaska. The railroad's mainline is over 470 miles (760 km) long and runs between Seward on the southern coast and Fairbanks, near the center of the state and the Arctic Circle, passing through Anchorage and Denali National Park where 17% of visitors arrive by train. The railroad has about 656 miles (1,056 km) of track, including sidings, rail yards and branch lines, including the branch to Whittier, where the railroad interchanges freight railcars with the contiguous United States via rail barges that sail between the Port of Whittier and Harbor Island in Seattle.
Girdwood is a resort town within the southern extent of the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, Girdwood lies in a valley in the southwestern Chugach Mountains, surrounded by seven glaciers feeding into a number of creeks, which either converge within the valley or empty directly into the arm. Girdwood is typically accessed by the Seward Highway, with the main line of the Alaska Railroad paralleling the highway. By road distance, most of the community lies within 35 to 40 miles of Downtown Anchorage. The 2019 American Community Survey estimates a population of 1,742 in the valley.
Alyeska Resort is a ski resort in the Girdwood area of Anchorage, Alaska, approximately 30 miles (44 km) from downtown Anchorage. Mount Alyeska is part of the Chugach mountain range and the Alyeska Resort is the largest ski area in the state. It includes the mountaintop Mt. Alyeska Roundhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Anchorage is a unified municipal consolidated city-borough in the U.S. state of Alaska, on the West Coast of the United States. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it is Alaska's most populous city and contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 398,328 in 2020, accounting for more than half the state's population. At 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km2) of land area, the city is the fourth-largest by area in the United States and larger than the smallest state, Rhode Island, which has 1,212 sq mi (3,140 km2).
Alaska occupies the northwestern portion of the North American continent and is bordered only by Canada on the east. It is one of two U.S. states not bordered by another state; Hawaii is the other. Alaska has more ocean coastline than all of the other U.S. states combined. About 500 miles (800 km) of Canadian territory separate Alaska from Washington state. Alaska is thus an exclave of the United States that is part of the continental U.S. and the U.S. West Coast, but is not part of the contiguous U.S. Alaska is also the only state, other than Hawaii, whose capital city is accessible only via ship or air, because no roads connect Juneau to the rest of the continent.
Girdwood Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three miles (5 km) northeast of the central business district of Girdwood, in Anchorage Borough, Alaska, United States.
The Coastal Classic is a passenger and semi-luxury train operated by the Alaska Railroad between the cities of Anchorage and Seward, Alaska. It is a seasonal train, only operating between the months of May and September. Despite its seasonality, the Coastal Classic was the Alaska Railroad's most popular route in 2019.
The Glacier Discovery is a passenger train operated by the Alaska Railroad between the towns of Anchorage, Whittier Alaska and south on the Seward rail line as far as Grandview whistle stop; then back again. It is a seasonal train, only operating between the months of May and September.
Anchorage Depot, also known as Alaska Railroad Depot, is the railroad station at the center of the Alaska Railroad system at the junction of the two main lines their trains run on. It serves as the starting point for many tourists traveling on the luxury trains such as the Denali Star. The station is a Moderne-style three story concrete building, built in 1942 and enlarged in 1948.
The Portage Glacier Highway, or Portage Glacier Road, is a highway located in the U.S. state of Alaska. The highway is made up of a series of roads, bridges, and tunnels that connect the Portage Glacier area of the Chugach National Forest and the city of Whittier to the Seward Highway. Most of the highway travels through mainly rural areas just north of the Kenai Peninsula, with the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel passing under Maynard Mountain, part of the Chugach Mountain Range. Parts of the route were first constructed in the early 1900s, and the entire highway was completed on June 7, 2000, as part of the Whittier Access Project. The main portion of the highway traveling from the western terminus to the Begich, Boggs visitors center is designated as National Forest Highway 35 by the United States Forest Service (USFS).
The Nenana Depot, located at 900 A Street in Nenana, Alaska, is an Alaska Railroad depot built in 1922. The station served an extension of the railroad which was laid in 1916. An addition was placed on the station in 1937 to house the station agent. The station has served both as an important part of the railroad's northern operations and as a terminal for its riverboat service on the Yukon River. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Talkeetna Depot is a freight and passenger railroad station in Talkeetna, Alaska. The station offers service for the Alaska Railroad's Denali Star and Aurora Winter Train routes.
Denali Park Depot is a seasonal passenger railroad station located within Denali National Park. It is adjacent to the visitor center located in Denali Park. The station offers service for the Alaska Railroad's Denali Star route between mid-May and Mid-September.
Fairbanks Depot is a freight and passenger railroad station in Fairbanks, Alaska. The station is the northern terminus for Alaska Railroad's Denali Star and Aurora Winter Train routes.
Chase Depot is a passenger train station in Chase, Alaska. The area offers service for the Alaska Railroad's Aurora Winter Train. The station is primarily used for hikers and backpackers traveling through the remote area of Chase. The station opened in 1922.
Indian is a community in the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It lies in a valley in the Chugach Mountains near the middle of the north shore of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. It is about 24 miles (39 km) southeast of downtown Anchorage and about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Bird, and about 13 miles (21 km) west-northwest of Girdwood.
The Whittier Terminal Depot is an Alaska Railroad halt in Whittier, Alaska. Although the railroad does not have an official station in Whittier, Glacier Discovery trains stop at this point across the street from the cruise-ship terminal in the town.
Portage Peak is a 4,347-foot (1,325 m) elevation mountain summit located in the Chugach Mountains, in Anchorage Municipality in the U.S. state of Alaska. The peak is situated in Chugach National Forest, immediately east of Twentymile River valley, and 1.8 mi (3 km) west of Begich Peak. It is set midway between Girdwood and Whittier, with the Portage Glacier Highway and Alaska Railroad traversing the southern base of the mountain. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into Turnagain Arm via Portage Creek and Twentymile River. This mountain is unofficially named in association with the creek and nearby Portage Lake, Portage Glacier, and Portage ghost town.
