Town of the Week, February 21, 1998

Take a visit to Juneau, Alaska; just listen in.

Juneau, Alaska

After the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, the first town to be established there is the state capital. An Auk Indian named Kowee led prospectors Jo Juneau and Richard Harris to the head of Gold Creek Valley where they found gold and started a rush of miners in 1880. Forested mountains of spruce and hemlock rise abruptly from the tidal flats of Gastineau Channel, forming an impressive backdrop for downtown Juneau. Stair-stepped to the sea, with colorful wooden houses niched into the hillsides, Juneau has been compared to San Francisco, but with one thing the Bay area doesn't have, a spectacular view of the Mendenhall Glacier. Juneau is accessible only by boat, ferry or plane for the 30,000 residents. Government employs half of Juneau's workers, with tourism the largest private employer. Commercial fishing and mining are also important. Juneau's cultural life includes professional theater, symphony, and annual music festivals. Museums include the Alaskan State Museum, the state's most comprehensive collection of Alaskan materials. Next month brings the Alaskan Folk Festival and in June, Gold Rush Days. It's the Brown Bear capital of the world, and our Town of the Week, Juneau, Alaska.

. . . a mapmaker, unfamiliar with the name of an Alaskan community, wrote "Name?" on the map. His draftsman misread the notation and entered the word "Nome" at that location, literally putting Nome on the map . . . Alaska is the largest of all the states, and one-fifth as large as all the other states together . . . Juneau was the first town to be established after the US purchased Alaska ("Russian America") for $7,2000,000 from Russia in 1867 . . . Juneau is accessible only by boat, plane or ferry. No roads lead into or out of town . . . 52 percent of Alaskans are male, the hightest percentage of any state . . . The Alaska Almanac asked a bookstore owner what most Alaskans are likely to read. She replied, "You mean other than Playboy?"

Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau 134 Third Street Juneau, AK 99801 Phone: 1-888-581-2201 E-mail: jcvb@ptialaska.net Website: http://www.juneau.com

Motto: "North to the Future" Statehood: January 3, 1959 Bird: willow ptarmigan Fish: king salmon Flower: forget-me-not Gem: jade Song: "Alaska's Flag" Tree: Sitka spruce Shorline: 33,904 miles (twice the length of the lower 48)

Info for "D'ja Know?" and "Fun Facts" compiled from Our Hometown by PTI Communications and The Alaska Almanac, 21st ed., by Alaska Northwest Books.