Education
Public education in Anchorage is administered by the Anchorage School District, with nearly 50,000 students attending 98 schools. Anchorage has four higher education facilities: the University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Pacific University, Charter College, and a campus of Texas-based Wayland Baptist University. Additionally, the University of Alaska Fairbanks has a small distance learning center in downtown Anchorage. 90% of Anchorage adults have high school diplomas, 65% have attended one to three years of college, and 17% have advanced degrees.
Transport
White Pass Railroad from Seward. There is a numbered state highway in Anchorage, Alaska Route 1. Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, which is 10 miles from downtown Anchorage, is the state’s main airport. It is served by many national and international airlines, including Alaska Airlines. Next to this airport is the Lake Hood seaplane base, the largest in the world. Merrill Field, a general aviation airport just outside of downtown, was the 86th busiest airport in the country in 2006. In addition, there are ten small airports (most of the Department of Transportation) within the city limits.2
Economy
According to 800zipcodes, Anchorage’s most important economic sectors include transportation, military, municipal, state and federal governments, tourism, corporate headquarters (both regionally and multinational corporations), and resource extraction. Much of the local economy depends on the geographic location of Anchorage and the surrounding natural resources. Traditionally, the city has had a steady growth in its economy, although not as fast as in many other places outside of Alaska. With the notable exception of a real estate crisis in the late 1980s, which caused numerous financial institutions to fail, the city is not nearly as resilient to economic shocks. Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport (AIATS) is the third busiest airport in the transport of goods worldwide, surpassed only by the airports of Memphis and Hong Kong. This traffic is closely related to Anchorage’s location along the “Great Circle” routes between Asia and the continental United States. In addition, the airport has an abundant supply of jet fuel from state refineries located at the North Pole and in Kenai. The fuel is transported to the airport through the port, and from there by rail or pipeline. between Asia and the continental United States. In addition, the airport has an abundant supply of jet fuel from state refineries located at the North Pole and in Kenai. The fuel is transported to the airport through the port, and from there by rail or pipeline. between Asia and the continental United States. In addition, the airport has an abundant supply of jet fuel from state refineries located at the North Pole and in Kenai. The fuel is transported to the airport through the port, and from there by rail or pipeline.
Aerial view of the port of Anchorage.
The Port of Anchorage receives 95% of all goods destined for Alaska. Ships from the Totem Ocean Trailer Express and Horizon Lines companies arrive twice a week from the port of Tacoma, in Washington. Along with these activities, the port is a storage facility for jet fuel from the Alaska refineries; which is used by both the Elmendorf-Richardson Deputy Base (BAER) and the AIATS. The United States military used to have two large installations; Richardson Air Force Base and Fort Richardson; which had been created by the ramification between the Air Force and the Army after World War II. In an effort to reduce costs, the Base Re-alignment and Closure Commission in 2005 ordered the bases to be combined. Thus the JBER was created, including also the Kulis National Guard Air Base, near the AIATS. The combination of these three bases employs a staff of 8,500 military and civilian officials. These people, together with their relatives, represent 10% of the local population. During the Cold War, Elmendorf became an important base due to its proximity to the Soviet Union, in particular as the control center for numerous and consequential air bases established throughout western Alaska (most of which already They have closed). While Juneau is the state capital, there are more public servants residing in the Anchorage area. About 6,800 public servants work in the city compared to 3,800 in Juneau. The state of Alaska, acquired a building that was owned by the Bank of America (which they renamed the Robert B. Atwood Building) to house most of its offices; after decades of renting spaces in the McKay Building (now McKinley Tower) and then in the Frontier Building. Tourists are drawn to Alaska each year and Anchorage is commonly the first stop for most. From here, tourists can head south to popular fishing spots on the Kenai Peninsula or north to places like Denali National Park and Fairbanks. Tourists are drawn to Alaska each year and Anchorage is commonly the first stop for most. From here, tourists can head south to popular fishing spots on the Kenai Peninsula or north to places like Denali National Park and Fairbanks.
At 90 m and 22 stories, the ConocoPhillips Alaska company headquarters is the tallest building in Alaska. The resource-based, primarily oil-based sector is undoubtedly Anchorage’s most visible industry, with many skyscrapers displaying the logos of big multinationals like BP and ConocoPhillips. Although field operations are conducted primarily on the Alaska North Slope and to the south in Cook Inlet, most administrative offices are located in the city. The headquarters building of the company “ConocoPhillips Alaska”, a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips; located in the center of the city it is the tallest building in the state. Many companies that provide oilfield services maintain their headquarters outside of Anchorage, although they maintain a great presence in the city; most notably Arctic Slope Regional Corporation and CH2M HILL. Four small airlines; Alaska Central Express, Era Aviation, Hageland Aviation Services, and PenAir maintain their headquarters in Anchorage. Alaska Airlines, at some point based in the city, maintains major offices and facilities at AIATS; including the offices of the Alaska Airlines Foundation. Before their respective dissolutions, the airlines MarkAir, Reeve Aleutian Airways and Wien Air Alaska also maintained their offices in the city. The Reeve Building, at the corner of West Sixth Avenue and D Street, was saved from demolition when the block it sits on was cleared to make way for the 5th Avenue Mall, later joining the structure of the shopping center. Anchorage does not collect a sales tax. However, it charges a 12% bed tax and 8% tax on car rentals.
