Juneau, Alaska

The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified  located on the  on the  of. Juneau is the of the  of. The municipality unified in 1970 when the City of Juneau merged with the City of Douglas and the surrounding to form the current home rule municipality.

The area of Juneau is larger than that of or  and almost as large as the two  combined. Juneau is nestled at the base of and across the channel from. As of the, the City and Borough had a population of 30,711. The 's 2005 population estimate for the City and Borough was 30,987. Juneau's only power utility is.

Juneau was named after gold prospector, though the place was for a time called Rockwell and then Harrisburg (after Juneau's co-prospector, Richard Harris—several books credit the Tlingit Chief Kowee with showing these prospectors where the gold was). The name of the town is Dzántik'i Héeni "river where the flounders gather", and Auke Bay just north of Juneau proper is called Aak'w "little lake" in Tlingit. The, just south of Juneau, was named after the cold t'aakh wind, which occasionally blows down from the mountains. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet, below steep mountains about 3,500 to 4,000 feet high. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Ice Cap, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow; one of these, the, is visible from the local road system; this glacier has been generally retreating; its front face is declining both in width and height.

The current is an office building in downtown Juneau, originally built as the Federal and Territorial Building in 1931. Originally housing federal government offices, the federal courthouse, and a post office, it became the home of the and the offices for the  and. There have been subsequent discussions regarding building a new capitol building, without significant development.

Geography and climate
Juneau is located at °N, °W (58.351422, -134.511579). According to the Koppen Classification, Juneau has an oceanic climate, just cooler than Seattle and Vancouver.

According to the, the borough has a total area of 8,430.4 (3,255.0 ), making it the second-largest municipality in the  by area (the largest is ). 7,036.1 km² (2,716.7 mi²) of it is land and 1,394.3 km² (538.3 mi²) of it (16.54%) is water.
 * Average annual rainfall ranges from 55 inches to over 90 inches (1400 to over 2300 mm) depending on location.; annual average snowfall is 101 inches (257 cm).
 * The average high temperature in July is 65 (18), and the average low temperature in January is 20°F (-7°C).



Adjacent boroughs and census areas

 * - north
 * - south and west

Border area
Juneau, Alaska, shares its eastern border with the of.

History
Long before European settlement in the Americas, the was a favorite fishing ground for local, known then as the  and  tribes, who had inhabited the surrounding area for thousands of years. The native cultures are rich with artistic traditions including carving, weaving, orating, singing and dancing, and Juneau has become a major social center for the Tlingit,, and of Southeast Alaska.

In 1880, mining engineer George Pilz offered a reward to any local chief who could lead him to gold-bearing ore. Chief Kowee arrived with some ore and several prospectors were sent to investigate. On their first trip, to Gold Creek, they found little deposits of interest. However, at Chief Kowee's urging Pilz sent and  back to the Gastineau Channel, directing them to Snow Slide Gulch (the head of Gold Creek) where they found nuggets "as large as peas and beans," in Harris' words.

On, , the two men marked a 160-acre (0.6 km²) town site where soon a mining camp appeared. Within a year, the camp became a small town, the first to be founded after.

The town was originally called Harrisburg, after Richard Harris; some time later, its name was changed to Rockwell. In 1881, the miners met and renamed the town Juneau, after Joe Juneau. In 1906, after the diminution of the whaling and fur trade,, the original capital of Alaska, declined in importance and the seat of government was moved to Juneau.

In 1954, Alaskans passed a measure to move the capital north. Robert Atwood, then publisher of the Anchorage Daily News and an Anchorage 'booster,' was an early leader in capital move efforts&mdash;efforts which many in Juneau and Fairbanks resisted. One provision required the new capital to be at least 30 miles from and, to prevent either city from having undue influence. In the end Juneau remained the capital. In the 1970s, voters passed a plan to move the capital to, a town 70 miles north of Anchorage. But pro-Juneau people there and in Fairbanks got voter to also approve a measure (the FRANK Initiative) requiring voter approval of all bondable construction costs before building could begin. Alaskans later voted against spending the estimated $900 million. A 1984 "ultimate" capital-move vote also failed, as did a 1996 vote.

Alaskans thus several times voted on moving their capital, but Juneau remains the capital. . Once Alaska was granted in 1959, Juneau grew with the growth of state government. Growth accelerated remarkably after the construction of the in 1977, state budget flush with oil revenues; Juneau expanded for a time due to growth in state government jobs, but that growth slowed considerably in the 1980s. The state demographer expects the borough to grow very slowly over the next twenty years. Cruise ship tourism rocketed upward from about 230,000 passengers in 1990 to nearly 1,000,000 in 2006 as cruise lines built more and larger ships—even 'mega-ships', sailing to Juneau seven days a week instead of six, over a longer season, but this primarily summer industry provides few year-round jobs.

Juneau is larger in area than the state of Delaware and was, for many years, the country's largest city by area. Juneau continues to be the only U.S. state capital located on an international border: it is bordered on the by.

Transportation
Juneau is only accessible via sea or air; cars and trucks are transported by barge or. The State-owned ferry is called the (AMHS) to indicate that water is the main transportation system. Approximately one million passengers arrive each summer on s. Juneau counts only some 40 miles of paved road. Actually, there are more vehicles in the city than there are people, as many citizens also own light planes, float planes, and boats. Local government operates a bus service under the name Capital Transit. Furthermore there are a few taxicab companies, as well as tour buses, mainly for cruise ship visitors.

The only airport in town is. is now the sole local commercial jet passenger operator (as Western, successor, and start-up are no longer in business). The company provides service to and  as well as to many small communities in the state. is an important destination for most Juneau residents.

Some air carriers provide. A few hardy Juneauites bicycle daily, even in inclement weather. (Rain and snow are common as the area is a rainforest.) Other residents walk, hike, or ride bicycles recreationally. A study has been conducted to make Juneau a more walkable area. Trucks, SUVs, motorcycles, and all terrain vehicles are popular.

hazards, steep slopes, cold weather and environmental protection concerns are factors that make road construction and maintenance difficult and costly. Juneau's roads remain separate from other roads in Alaska and in the Lower 48. Local opinions on constructing a road link to the outside world are mixed. Some see such a road as a much-needed link between Juneau and the rest of Alaska. Others are concerned about environmental, social, and economic impacts. There were plans to connect Juneau to and  by road, but the State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities announced in 2005 that the connection was to be provided partly by road, and partly by fast ferry. Construction was scheduled to begin in 2007 on this 65-mile-long road, but permits had not been granted for a 16-mile section where the road would traverse a Land Use Designation (LUD) II area in Berner's Bay, as that LUD area has national protection as a wilderness area. The road plan, announced under out-going Governor Frank Murkowski, was subsequently withdrawn by Governor Sarah Palin promptly after she took office in December 2006.

A very popular destination is. A bridge connects with the rest of Juneau, and there are about five places where roads end. Float planes and helicopters offer glacier tours in summer. Dog sled rides are often given to tourists landing on the glaciers or ice caps. Other companies offer boat rides. One of the signature places in Juneau is The, an aerial tramway stretching from a station on the cruise ship docks to a point on the southwestern ridge of. A rare legend concerning the aerial tram is that a local resident once fell without injury from the tram when it came to a stop. This prompted local authorities to review the safety of this form of transportation.

Districts


Two districts have been defined by the :

Demographics
As of the 2000 census, there were 30,700 people, 11,500 households, and 7,600 families residing in Juneau. The population density was 4.4/km² (11.3/mi²). There were 12,300 housing units at an average density of 1.7/km² (4.5/mi²). By race Juneau was 75% White, 11% Native American, 5% Asian, 0.8% Black, 0.4% Pacific Islander, and 3% Hispanic or Latino of any race. One percent belonged to other races, and 7% to two or more races. 2.61% reported speaking at home, while 2.38% speak  and 1.07%.

There were 11,500 households out of which 37% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51% were married couples living together, 11% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34% were non-families. 24% of all households were made up of individuals and 4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.1.

In the borough, the population was spread out with 27% under the age of 18, 8% from 18 to 24, 33% from 25 to 44, 26% from 45 to 64, and 6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 102 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $62,000, and the median income for a family was $70,300. Males had a median income of $46,700 versus $33,200 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $26,700. 6% of the population and 4% of families were below the poverty line. 7% of those under the age of 18 and 4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Politically, Juneau is more liberal than the rest of the state. In the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, downtown Juneau was the only election district in the state carried by the Democratic candidate.

Arts and entertainment
Juneau is home to, Alaska's only professional theater. The area hosts the annual and Juneau Jazz & Classics music festivals, and the  performs regularly. Downtown Juneau boasts dozens of art galleries, which participate in the monthly First Friday Gallery Walk and the enormously popular December Gallery Walk held in the first week of December. The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council coordinates events while fund-raising, distributing some grant money, and operating a gallery at its office near 2nd Street and Franklin Street. On summer Friday evenings open-air music and dance performances are held at Marine Park. The University of Alaska Southeast Campus also offers lectures, concerts, and theater performances.

The Juneau Lyric Opera and Opera to Go are the two local opera companies. JLO produces operas in English and Italian and sponsors two annual choral workshop festivals, as well as the touring group the "3 Tenors from Juneau."

Some Juneau artists include violinists and, sopranos Kathleen Wayne and Joyce Parry Moore, bass John d'Armand, baritones Philippe Damerval and David Miller, tenors Jay Query, Brett Crawford and Dan Wayne, er Rory Merritt Stitt, folk musician Buddy Tabor, playwright Robert Bruce "Bo" Anderson, and painters David Woodie, Barbara Craver, Rie Muñoz, and Herb Bonnet. Photographer Ron Klein is a past president of the International Association of Panoramic Photographers.

Media
Juneau's only daily is the '; however there is also a regional weekly newspaper, the '. Juneau-Douglas High School has The Ego and the Alterego, a monthly magazine, and the University of Alaska Southeast has The Whalesong, a college newspaper.

Juneau is also served by and. Juneau's major television affiliates are,  (/) and  -( retransmission).

Leading radio stations include AM Stations 630 and  800. FM Stations include recently expanded public radio station 104.3,  "Excellent Radio" 100.7 and  "Rain Country Radio" 102.7(both operated by KTOO),  but also include country music station  105.1 ("Taku 105"),  106.3, and the freeform LPFM station  94.1.

Additionally the offices of, a regional public radio station consortium, are located in Juneau. AP (the Associated Press), Anchorage news outlets, and other Alaska media entities send reporters to Juneau during the annual Legislative session.

Primary and secondary schools
Juneau is served by the and includes the following schools:

In addition, the following private schools also serves Juneau:
 * (Glacier) Valley Baptist Academy
 * Thunder Mountain Academy

Colleges and universities
Juneau is the home of the following institute of higher education:

Trivia

 * A large sculpture featuring bronze statue s stands in front of the Federal Building in Juneau. Pelicans are not indigenous to the State of Alaska; the proper artwork (an ) was delivered to by mistake.
 * In 2005, the industry was estimated to bring nearly one million visitors to Juneau
 * Juneau was the 49th most lucrative U.S. fisheries port by volume and 45th by value taking in 15 million pounds of fish and shellfish valued at 21.5 million dollars in 2004 according to the.
 * Juneau has an area nearly equal to that of the, which itself contains 78 cities and has over 100 times Juneau's population.
 * Juneau is one of only five state capitals not served by an . ; ; ; and, are the other four state capitals with this distinction.
 * A "Juneau body" is a humorous reference to an automobile with a rusted out undercarriage. Juneau is infamous not only for its impressive precipitation, but also for Alaska Department of Transportation's propensity to salt the ice-covered roads.

Sister Cities
Juneau has four official.
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 * 🇹🇼 ,
 * 🇷🇺 ,
 * 🇨🇳 Mishon City,