Anchorage, Alaska (AK)

Anchorage is a Unified Home Rule Municipality (officially called the Municipality of Anchorage) in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is also a census area. With 260,283 residents according to the 2000 census, Anchorage is the largest city in the state of Alaska, composing more than two-fifths of the state's population. A State of Alaska Demographer in 2004 estimates the population at 277,498. Anchorage was founded in 1915 and named after a place where a ship lies at anchor. Its official nickname is "The City of Lights and Flowers". Garden writers call Anchorage the "Hanging Basket Capital of the World" when it comes to the city's 100,000 hanging baskets, and aviation buffs refer to the city as the "Air Crossroads of the World" because of its geographical location between the two northern continents.

In downtown Anchorage along the streets and sidewalks are 425 baskets of bright gold triploid marigold drenched with trailing sapphire lobelia. The blue and gold flowers represent the colors of the Municipality of Anchorage flag and the Alaska state flag. The city of Anchorage blooms with vibrant color during the late spring and summer when it comes to flowers.

Today Anchorage has many features of a modern urban area, such as parks and forests, bike and city trails, skiing and cross-country ski trails, business and commerce, theaters and other entertainments. The tourist industry is strong and offers many activities and attractions.

During the 1980s, the Alaska Legislature passed a law to move the state capital out of Juneau and closer to Anchorage, actually to the new town of Willow in the Anchorage. However, that notion fell through, and the capital city remains at Juneau.