Sitka, Alaska

The City and Borough of Sitka is a unified city- located on the west side of in the  of the  (part of the ), in the  of. Sitka is the state's fourth-largest city by population and the largest city in the United States by area.

The name Sitka (derived from Sheet’ká, a contraction of the name Shee At'iká) means "People on the Outside of Shee,"  Sheet’-ká X'áat'l (often expressed simply as Shee) being the Tlingit name for Baranof Island. The town is sometimes referred to as "Sitka-by-the-Sea."

History
The area was originally settled by the native Tlingit (Kolosh) Indians. Old Sitka was founded in 1799 by, the governor of. Baranov arrived under the auspices of the, a "semi-official" colonial trading company chartered by. In 1802 a group of Tlingit destroyed the original establishment known as Redoubt Saint Michael (an area today called the "Old Sitka") and massacred most of the Russian inhabitants. Baranov was forced to levy 10,000 in ransom for the safe return of the surviving settlers.



Baranov returned to Sitka in 1804 with a large contingent of Russians and aboard the Russian  Neva. The ship bombarded the natives' village, forcing the Tlingits to retreat into the surrounding forest. Following their victory at the the Russians established a permanent settlement in the form of a, named "Novoarkhangelsk" (or "New Archangel", a reference to , the largest city in the region where Baranov was born). In 1808, with Baranov still governor, Sitka was designated the capital of Russian America.

of the Church lived in Sitka after 1840. The has since been restored by the. The steady influx of American settlers eventually caused the predominant religious influence to sway from Russian to. The, built in 1840, was the first church on the. The Russian Orthodox was founded in 1848, and  was consecrated as "The Cathedral of Alaska" in 1900. There are twenty two that appear in the.

Sitka was the site of the ceremony in which the Russian flag was lowered and the United States flag raised after Alaska was purchased by the in 1867 after the   trade died out. The flag lowering and raising event is re-enacted in Sitka every. After the original ceremony, the entire U.S. government presence in Alaska until the consisted of a single customs inspector on the island. Sitka would serve as the capital of the Alaska Territory until 1906, when the seat of government was relocated north to. The state's first, The , was published by Barney O. Ragan on ,.

While  and   paved the way for the town's initial growth, it wasn't until, when the Navy constructed an  on Japonski Island,  (with its 30,000 service personnel) that Sitka finally came into its own. Today Sitka encompasses portions of Baranof Island and the smaller (across the  from the town), which is connected to Baranof Island by the O'Connell Bridge. Japonski Island is home to (IATA:SIT, ICAO:PASI), the Sitka branch campus of the, the  &mdash; a state-run boarding school for rural Alaskans, the  regional hospital SEARHC (SouthEast Alaska Regional Healthcare Center), a , and the port and facilities for the.

The  of the City and Borough of Sitka was adopted on the 2nd of December, 1971 for the region of the Greater Sitka Borough, which was incorporated on the 24th of September, 1963.

Geography


According to the, the borough is the largest incorporated area in the U.S, with a total area of 12,461.8 (4,811.5 ). 7,443.6 km² (2,874.0 mi²) of it is land and 5,018.2 km² (1,937.6 mi²) of it, or 40.27%, is water.

Sitka displaced Juneau, Alaska as the largest city upon the 2000 incorporation with 2,874 square miles of incorporated area. Juneau is 2,717 square miles and was formed through incorporation of the borough and city in 1970. , is the largest city in area in the contiguous 48 states at 758 square miles.


 * Average annual rainfall is 86 inches; annual average snowfall is 39 inches.


 * The average high temperature in August is 62 degrees, and the average low temperature in January is 30 degrees.

, a 3,200-foot-tall dormant, is located on southern. It can be seen on a clear day from Sitka.

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

 * - northeast
 * - southeast

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 8,835 people, 3,278 households, and 2,219 families residing in the borough. The was 1.2/km² (3.1/mi²). There were 3,650 housing units at an average density of 0.5/km² (1.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 68.50%, 0.32% or , 18.57% , 3.79% , 0.35% , 0.94% from , and 7.53% from two or more races. 3.28% of the population were or  of any race. 1.87% reported speaking at home, while 1.62% speak, 1.05% , and 1.00%.

There were 3,278 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.15. In the borough the population was spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.8 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $51,901, and the median income for a family was $62,361. Males had a median income of $40,037 versus $30,319 for females. The for the borough was $23,622. About 4.2% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation
Its location on an island makes transportation to and from Sitka inherently difficult, expensive, and inconvenient. By air, offers service from jet and regional carrier  and charter and bush community carrier. However, delays due to Sitka's weather are frequent. The much more reliable, but also dramatically slower option for travel is the (ferry). The ferry terminal is located seven miles north of downtown but receives very infrequent service due what some consider mismanagement of the schedule system. Sitka's location on the outer coast of Alaskan Panhandle and thus far off mainline routes, and the tides of that allow mainline vessels through only at slack tide compound for no designated service by a vessel and minimal service overall. However, the AMHS is often the mode of transportation of choice when the schedule proves convenient especially for lower income groups because of its much cheaper cost. , a barge and freight company, also has the ability to move cars to other communities connected to the mainland by road systems. The Sitka Tribe of Alaska (STA) offers public transit in conjunction with the Alaska Department of Transportation.

Colleges and universities
Sitka hosts two post-secondary institutions. is a small -affiliated private college and -Sitka Campus is located on in an old  hangar. Sheldon Jackson College is currently dormant.

Schools
The runs several schools in Sitka, including a principal  and alternative  high school as well as the town's only middle school,.

, a State of Alaska-run, is located on  adjacent to.

Libraries
Sitka has two primary libraries, the public library,, as well as Sheldon Jackson College's academic library,.

Other
The &mdash; the academy for all  &mdash; is located in Sitka.

The sponsors an annual symposium that focuses on current social and ethical topics.

Attractions
Sitka's many attractions include:


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The flora and fauna of Sitka and its surrounding area are also a notable attraction. Day cruises and guided day trips (hiking) are large enterprises in Sitka. "flightseeing" excursions are a breathtaking way to view the area's many sights from high above.

Outdoor opportunities
Sitka's unique position of being straddled between the Pacific Ocean and the most mountainous island in the creates an abundant variety of outdoor opportunities:


 * The, which leads to the small community of on the eastern side of the island, is a popular summer hike. Only serious and experienced backpackers, or those with an experienced guide should undertake such a trip due to volatile weather conditions in the mountains and the required crossings of s, with.
 * The dormant volcano is also a popular mountain to summit and features a seven-mile trail up to the top. Guided day-trips are available, but the trip does not require much knowledge to undertake.
 * The officially unnamed, but informally named (the name is derived from its height in feet) is the highest point on Baranof Island, a demanding but rewarding excursion. Few people undertake this hike; those interested should consult with one who has "summitted" previously.
 * Kayaking is a popular activity and small guided day excursions are offered locally. For longer trips, popular destinations include the Baranof Island-located outposts of hot springs, Baranof Warm Springs,, , or .  (on the western side of ) is also a destination for ocean kayakers. For locations closer to Sitka, Forest Service cabins are popular.
 * For more experienced kayakers, there are many tidewater bays/lakes that offer exhilarating and dangerous whitewater tidal currents.
 * There are a number of maintained trails in the Sitka area, many of which are accessible from Sitka's road system. Some popular trails include the Trail, Beaver Lake Trail, Mosquito Cove Trail, Harbor Mountain/Gavin Hill Trail, Redoubt Lake Trail,  Trail, and Shelikof Trail.

Media
Sitka is served by one of the remaining few independently owned daily newspapers in the state in the . The public radio station and commercial radio stations  and  fill the airwaves. Sitka also receives circulation of the  &mdash; a weekly regional newspaper based out of Juneau. (CBS) broadcasts out of Sitka on Channel 13 (Cable 6) serving Southeast Alaska. Additionally, (NBC) Channel 5,  (PBS) Channel 10, and  (cable-only ABC/CW) serve the region.

Sister cities
Sitka has the following sister city:


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Trivia

 * The town served as the capital of until 1867, and was the busiest seaport on the west coast of, as evidenced by  in his popular  of a 1834 sailing voyage.
 * Sitka has the largest incorporated city limits in the, four times the size of the state of.
 * Sitka has the largest harbor system in the State of Alaska.

In books and films

 * penned Sitka, his fictional account of the events surrounding the United States' purchase of the Alaska Territory from the Russians for $7.2 million in 1867.
 * Novelist resided at Sitka's  while doing research for his epic work,.
 * Sitka is the opening setting in 's 1982 historical fiction The Sea Runners.
 * Mystery author described Sitka as "...an island town where people feel crowded by the land and spread out on the sea."
 * Part of the action in the novel  by takes place in Sitka in May–June, 1867 during the transfer of ownership to the United States.
 * A fictionalized Sitka, with a population in the millions and host of a fictional 1977, is the setting of the alternate history detective story , by.
 * Sitka is a character in the 2003 .

General references

 * Hope, Herb (2000) "The Kiks.ádi Survival March of 1804." In: Will the Time Ever Come? A Tlingit Source Book, ed. by Andrew Hope III and Thomas F. Thornton, pp. 48-79.  Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Knowledge Network.
 * Tlingit Geographical Place Names for the Sheet'ká Kwáan &mdash; Sitka Tribe of Alaska, an interactive map of Sitka Area native place names.
 * Hope, Herb (2000) "The Kiks.ádi Survival March of 1804." In: Will the Time Ever Come? A Tlingit Source Book, ed. by Andrew Hope III and Thomas F. Thornton, pp. 48-79.  Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Knowledge Network.
 * Tlingit Geographical Place Names for the Sheet'ká Kwáan &mdash; Sitka Tribe of Alaska, an interactive map of Sitka Area native place names.
 * Tlingit Geographical Place Names for the Sheet'ká Kwáan &mdash; Sitka Tribe of Alaska, an interactive map of Sitka Area native place names.
 * Tlingit Geographical Place Names for the Sheet'ká Kwáan &mdash; Sitka Tribe of Alaska, an interactive map of Sitka Area native place names.
 * Tlingit Geographical Place Names for the Sheet'ká Kwáan &mdash; Sitka Tribe of Alaska, an interactive map of Sitka Area native place names.
 * Tlingit Geographical Place Names for the Sheet'ká Kwáan &mdash; Sitka Tribe of Alaska, an interactive map of Sitka Area native place names.