Ketchikan, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Ketchikan is a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska
, United States, the southeasternmost sizable city in that state. With an estimated population of 7,368 in 2010 within the city limits, it is the fifth most populous city in the state.
Ketchikan's economy is based upon tourism and fishing, and the city is known as the "Salmon
Capital of the World." The Misty Fjords National Monument
is one of the area's major attractions. For most of the latter half of the 20th century, a large portion of Ketchikan's economy and life centered around the Ketchikan Pulp Company pulp mill
in nearby Ward Cove
.
Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town. Ketchikan comes from the Tlingit name for the creek, Kitschk-hin, the meaning of which is unclear. It may mean "the river belonging to Kitschk"; other accounts claim it means "Thundering Wings of an Eagle."
Ketchikan's secondary post office box
ZIP code
, 99950, is the highest ZIP code ever assigned in the United States, although most residents use the ZIP code 99901. Ketchikan also has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles, found at three major locations: the City of Saxman
, Totem Bight State Park, and the Totem Heritage Center. Some totem poles are replicas made during the Roosevelt Administration through the CCC, which employed Natives in replicating their heritage through carving totems.
, 90 miles (144.8 km) north of Prince Rupert, British Columbia
and 235 miles (378.2 km) south of Juneau, Alaska.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²). 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (18.60%) is water.
The ½-mile-wide channel called the Tongass Narrows separates Ketchikan from Gravina Island
, where Ketchikan International Airport
is located. In August 2005 the 2005 Highway Bill provided for $223M to build the Gravina Island Bridge
(nicknamed "the Bridge to Nowhere
" by its critics) between Ketchikan and Gravina Island. The bridge would have connected the island of Ketchikan to Gravina Island where the airport is located, so that one can drive to the airport rather than taking the ferry across the waters. After years of national and international ridicule over the expense of this project, the Alaska government ultimately chose not to build the bridge, and will spend the appropriated funds elsewhere.
(Köppen
Cfb) which is likened to Scotland
or Northern Ireland
though with much more rain. Winters are cool but far milder than what its latitude alone may suggest: January's high averages 38.4 °F (3.6 °C). Summers are mild, as August's high averages 64.4 °F (18 °C). Another feature of the area's climate is the high amount of rainfall, with an equivalent average of 153 inches (3.9 m) per year, falling more heavily in autumn and winter.
The record high temperature in Ketchikan was 89 °F (31.7 °C) on June 20, 1958, and August 14, 1977. The record low temperature was -1 F on December 15, 1964, and January 5, 1965. The wettest year was 1949 with 202.55 inches (5,144.8 mm) and the driest year was 1995 with 88.45 inches (2,246.6 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 42.69 inches (1,084.3 mm) during October 1974 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 8.71 inches (221.2 mm) on October 11, 1977. The most snowfall in one month was 45.1 inches (1.1 m) in January 1971.
As of 2004, there were 8,044 people, 3,300 households, and 1,997 families residing in the City. The population density was 2,348.6 per square mile (907.6/km²). It is the most densely populated city in Alaska. There were 3,645 housing units at an average density of 1,080.6 per square mile (417.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.31% White
, 0.84% Black
or African American
, 19.80% Native American
, 6.85% Asian
, 0.20% Pacific Islander
, 0.52% from other races
, and 6.68% from two or more races. 3.38% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 3,300 households out of which 52% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.09.
The population is spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.95% from 25 to 44, 22.35% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.93 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,807, and the median income for a family was $52,529. Males had a median income of $41,926 versus $30,411 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,484. About 4.9% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
In 2007, the population of the city of Ketchikan was reported at 7,685.
Ketchikan is home to the radio stations KTKN
, KGTW
, KFMJ
, and KRBD
.
Ketchikan also houses the publishing offices of the Ketchikan Daily News
. The region has local television programming provided by Ketchikan Public Utilities CommVision, which boasts 12 local channels of constantly updating entertainment, borough assembly, city council, school board, and planning commission meetings, Southeast Alaska programming, Ketchikan High School sports and events, local history, gardening and scenes, and a calendar of upcoming local events; local television signals are also translations of Seattle
and Anchorage
stations.
Several movies have been shot in Ketchikan including The Silver Horde
, Spawn of the North
, Timber Tramps
and Cry Vengeance plus episodes of the television programs The Love Boat
and Baywatch
. The National Geographic Channel
series Alaska Wing Men in the episode "Fatal Crash" follows a National Transportation Safety Board
investigator's site visit of a July 2010 bush pilot
fatal crash near Ketchikan.
The Alaska Marine Highway System
has its headquarters in Ketchikan.
Ketchikan has long loomed heavy in Alaska's political landscape, though increasing population in Southcentral Alaska has led to a diminishment of its influence since the 1980s. In territorial days, Norman Ray "Doc" Walker, a Canadian-born pharmacist practicing in Ketchikan, was arguably the first career member of the Alaska Legislature
. Walker served in the territorial Senate for 16 years before losing reelection in 1948 following a feud with territorial governor Ernest Gruening
. During the first governorship of Walter Hickel in the 1960s, two members of his cabinet (Frank Murkowski
and Robert W. Ward
) held strong ties to Ketchikan. Following Hickel's resignation, Ward ascended to the office of secretary of state when Keith H. Miller became governor. Ketchikan native Walter L. Kubley, deputy commissioner of commerce under Hickel, became commissioner of the department under Miller. Another Ketchikan native, Terry Gardiner, was notable as the youngest person elected to the Alaska House of Representatives
(at age 22), as well as the youngest person elected Speaker of the House (at age 28).
opened in the cove in 1954. A 1995 joint EPA and FBI investigation of the company revealed it had dumped contaminated wastewater and sludge in the waters around Ward Cove, leaving them classified as "impaired" by the EPA. KPC plead guilty to the charges and agreed to pay a $3 million fine.
In 1996, following the Clinton Administration's refusal to reinstate the original terms of KPC's timber contract, Louisiana-Pacific Corp. announced it would be shutting down the timber mill in March 1997.
in April 2010. A prototype ferry craft for use by Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the Susitna is the result of planning by Admiral Jay M. Cohen
, former chief of the Office of Naval Research, and former Navy captain Lew Madden, then working as a project manager for Lockheed Martin
.
Dubbed E-Craft (for Expeditionary use), the Susitna will serve as the engineering and feasibility platform for a Navy vessel of approximately double the size to assist troops in landing at undeveloped beaches around the world.
Ketchikan serves as both an air and marine transportation hub for southern Southeast Alaska
.
The Ketchikan International Airport
serves as both a gateway for Alaska Airlines
jet service to and from Seattle, Juneau and Anchorage, and as a bush carrier and charter aircraft hub for destinations such as Hyder
, Metlakatla
and Prince of Wales Island communities.
Ketchikan receives service to two separate ferry lines. Ketchikan sits on the Alaska Marine Highway
's Inside Passage
route and sees a large number of ships northbound (to the rest of Alaska) and southbound (to Prince Rupert, British Columbia
— where a six hour connection can be made to the BC Ferries
system — and Bellingham, Washington
). Ketchikan also sees regular day service from the Alaska Marine Highway vessel M/V Lituya
, a day boat that shuttles between Ketchikan and Metlakatla, its homeport.
The Inter-Island Ferry Authority
serves Ketchikan daily (and, in the summer, twice daily) with the dayboat M/V Prince of Wales
from its homeport in Hollis
on Prince of Wales Island. Ketchikan often serves as a connection between the Prince of Wales and mainline Alaska Marine Highway vessels that run to the rest of Southeast Alaska.
during the late 1980s restructuring of the University of Alaska System
. The campus is located on the uphill side of Ketchikan's West End neighborhood and consists of two buildings, the Paul Building and the Ziegler Building. Both are named for prominent Ketchikan residents of the early and mid 20th century, William Lewis Paul
and Adolph Holton Ziegler, respectively.
Kanayama, Japan
[former]
Ketchikan's former sister city of Kanayama, Japan
, in Gifu Prefecture
, was incorporated along with four other cities into the larger city of Gero
on March 1, 2004. An educational exchange program has been active between the two towns since 1986. Every year, Ketchikan and Kanayama exchange one teacher each to instruct middle-school level language classes in their respective tongues. In addition, Kanayama sends a group of students to Ketchikan during the spring, and students from Ketchikan travel to Kanayama the following summer. Ketchikan students travel across Japan, with the majority of their time spent in Kanayama with home-stay families, attending classes and touring the town.
Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,070 people, 5,399 households, and 3,633 families residing in the borough. The population density was 11 people per square mile . There were 6,218 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile...
, United States, the southeasternmost sizable city in that state. With an estimated population of 7,368 in 2010 within the city limits, it is the fifth most populous city in the state.
Ketchikan's economy is based upon tourism and fishing, and the city is known as the "Salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
Capital of the World." The Misty Fjords National Monument
Misty Fjords National Monument
Misty Fiords National Monument is a National Monument and Wilderness Area administered by the US Department of Agriculture United States Forest Service 40 miles east of Ketchikan, Alaska, along the Inside Passage coast in extreme southeastern Alaska and covering 2,294,343 acres of Tongass...
is one of the area's major attractions. For most of the latter half of the 20th century, a large portion of Ketchikan's economy and life centered around the Ketchikan Pulp Company pulp mill
Pulp mill
A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fibre source into a thick fibre board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical or fully chemical methods...
in nearby Ward Cove
Ward Cove, Alaska
Ward Cove is an unincorporated community in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, United States. Its elevation is 164 feet . Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 99928.This village is an extension of the settlement area of Ketchikan northwest along the highway...
.
Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town. Ketchikan comes from the Tlingit name for the creek, Kitschk-hin, the meaning of which is unclear. It may mean "the river belonging to Kitschk"; other accounts claim it means "Thundering Wings of an Eagle."
Ketchikan's secondary post office box
Post Office box
A post-office box or Post Office box is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office station....
ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
, 99950, is the highest ZIP code ever assigned in the United States, although most residents use the ZIP code 99901. Ketchikan also has the world's largest collection of standing totem poles, found at three major locations: the City of Saxman
Saxman, Alaska
Saxman is a city on Revillagigedo Island in Ketchikan Gateway Borough in southeastern Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 431. The city of Ketchikan lies just to its northwest.-Geography:...
, Totem Bight State Park, and the Totem Heritage Center. Some totem poles are replicas made during the Roosevelt Administration through the CCC, which employed Natives in replicating their heritage through carving totems.
Geography
Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo IslandRevillagigedo Island
Revillagigedo Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in Ketchikan Gateway Borough of the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. Running about 89 km north-south and 48 km east-west, it is 2,754.835 km² in area, making it the 12th largest island in the United...
, 90 miles (144.8 km) north of Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
and 235 miles (378.2 km) south of Juneau, Alaska.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²). 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (18.60%) is water.
The ½-mile-wide channel called the Tongass Narrows separates Ketchikan from Gravina Island
Gravina Island
Gravina Island is an island in the Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. It is long and about wide, with a land area of . The island had a population of 50 people at the 2000 census....
, where Ketchikan International Airport
Ketchikan International Airport
Ketchikan International Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Ketchikan, a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska....
is located. In August 2005 the 2005 Highway Bill provided for $223M to build the Gravina Island Bridge
Gravina Island Bridge
The Gravina Island Bridge, commonly referred to as the "Bridge to Nowhere", was a proposed bridge to replace the ferry that currently connects the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, with Gravina Island, an island which contains the Ketchikan International Airport as well as 50 residents. The bridge was...
(nicknamed "the Bridge to Nowhere
Gravina Island Bridge
The Gravina Island Bridge, commonly referred to as the "Bridge to Nowhere", was a proposed bridge to replace the ferry that currently connects the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, with Gravina Island, an island which contains the Ketchikan International Airport as well as 50 residents. The bridge was...
" by its critics) between Ketchikan and Gravina Island. The bridge would have connected the island of Ketchikan to Gravina Island where the airport is located, so that one can drive to the airport rather than taking the ferry across the waters. After years of national and international ridicule over the expense of this project, the Alaska government ultimately chose not to build the bridge, and will spend the appropriated funds elsewhere.
Climate
Ketchikan has a climate greatly modified and moderated by its maritime location, featuring an oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfb) which is likened to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
or Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
though with much more rain. Winters are cool but far milder than what its latitude alone may suggest: January's high averages 38.4 °F (3.6 °C). Summers are mild, as August's high averages 64.4 °F (18 °C). Another feature of the area's climate is the high amount of rainfall, with an equivalent average of 153 inches (3.9 m) per year, falling more heavily in autumn and winter.
The record high temperature in Ketchikan was 89 °F (31.7 °C) on June 20, 1958, and August 14, 1977. The record low temperature was -1 F on December 15, 1964, and January 5, 1965. The wettest year was 1949 with 202.55 inches (5,144.8 mm) and the driest year was 1995 with 88.45 inches (2,246.6 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 42.69 inches (1,084.3 mm) during October 1974 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 8.71 inches (221.2 mm) on October 11, 1977. The most snowfall in one month was 45.1 inches (1.1 m) in January 1971.
Demographics
As of 2004, there were 8,044 people, 3,300 households, and 1,997 families residing in the City. The population density was 2,348.6 per square mile (907.6/km²). It is the most densely populated city in Alaska. There were 3,645 housing units at an average density of 1,080.6 per square mile (417.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.31% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.84% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 19.80% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 6.85% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.20% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.52% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 6.68% from two or more races. 3.38% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 3,300 households out of which 52% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.09.
The population is spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.95% from 25 to 44, 22.35% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.93 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,807, and the median income for a family was $52,529. Males had a median income of $41,926 versus $30,411 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,484. About 4.9% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
In 2007, the population of the city of Ketchikan was reported at 7,685.
Media
KTKN
KTKN is a non-commercial radio station airing talk and hot adult contemporary music programming in Ketchikan, Alaska.It is owned and operated by Alaska Broadcast Communications. The studios are at 526 Stedman Street in Ketchikan, with sister station KGTW....
, KGTW
KGTW
KGTW is a commercial country music radio station in Ketchikan, Alaska, broadcasting on 106.7 FM.It is owned and operated by Alaska Broadcast Communications. The studios are at 526 Stedman Street in Ketchikan, with sister station KTKN.-External links:*...
, KFMJ
KFMJ
KFMJ is a commercial oldies music radio station in Ketchikan, Alaska, broadcasting on 99.9 FM and was launched on August 2, 1996.KFMJ airs some programming from Citadel Media's "Classic Hits" network with the exception of their local KFMJ morning and afternoon shows. News and weather updates are...
, and KRBD
KRBD
KRBD is a non-commercial radio station in Ketchikan, Alaska, broadcasting on 105.3 FM. The station airs public radio programming from the National Public Radio network, the BBC World Service, and is a member of CoastAlaska. KRBD also airs some locally originated programming.As with many radio...
.
Ketchikan also houses the publishing offices of the Ketchikan Daily News
Ketchikan Daily News
The Ketchikan Daily News is the primary daily newspaper for Ketchikan, Alaska. Its former editor Lew Williams, Jr. is a noted opinion columnist that is published in many Alaskan newspapers.-Weekly content:...
. The region has local television programming provided by Ketchikan Public Utilities CommVision, which boasts 12 local channels of constantly updating entertainment, borough assembly, city council, school board, and planning commission meetings, Southeast Alaska programming, Ketchikan High School sports and events, local history, gardening and scenes, and a calendar of upcoming local events; local television signals are also translations of Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
stations.
Several movies have been shot in Ketchikan including The Silver Horde
The Silver Horde (1930 film)
The Silver Horde is a 1930 romantic drama film starring Joel McCrea, in his first leading role, as an Alaskan fisherman torn between two women, one good and the other bad . The title is a reference to salmon. It is the second film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rex Beach...
, Spawn of the North
Spawn of the North
Spawn of the North is a 1938 film about rival fishermen in Alaska starring George Raft and featuring Henry Fonda, Dorothy Lamour, and John Barrymore...
, Timber Tramps
Timber Tramps
Timber Tramps is a 1975 film directed by Tay Garnett. It stars Claude Akins and Leon Ames.-Cast:*Claude Akins as Matt*Leon Ames as Deacon*Eve Brent as Corey*Joseph Cotten as Greedy sawmill mogul*Cesar Romero as Greedy sawmill mogul...
and Cry Vengeance plus episodes of the television programs The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
and Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
. The National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
series Alaska Wing Men in the episode "Fatal Crash" follows a National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
investigator's site visit of a July 2010 bush pilot
Bush flying
Bush flying is a term for aircraft operations carried out in remote, inhospitable regions of the world. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormally large tires,...
fatal crash near Ketchikan.
Government and infrastructure
The City of Ketchikan operates under a council-manager form of government.The Alaska Marine Highway System
Alaska Marine Highway
The Alaska Marine Highway or the Alaska Marine Highway System is a ferry service operated by the government of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska....
has its headquarters in Ketchikan.
Ketchikan has long loomed heavy in Alaska's political landscape, though increasing population in Southcentral Alaska has led to a diminishment of its influence since the 1980s. In territorial days, Norman Ray "Doc" Walker, a Canadian-born pharmacist practicing in Ketchikan, was arguably the first career member of the Alaska Legislature
Alaska Legislature
The Alaska Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a bicameral institution, consisting of the lower Alaska House of Representatives, with 40 members, and the upper house Alaska Senate, with 20 members...
. Walker served in the territorial Senate for 16 years before losing reelection in 1948 following a feud with territorial governor Ernest Gruening
Ernest Gruening
Ernest Henry Gruening was an American journalist and Democrat who was the Governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and a United States Senator from Alaska from 1959 until 1969.-Early life:...
. During the first governorship of Walter Hickel in the 1960s, two members of his cabinet (Frank Murkowski
Frank Murkowski
Francis Hughes Murkowski is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 until 2002 and the eighth Governor of Alaska from 2002 until 2006.- Early life and career :...
and Robert W. Ward
Robert W. Ward
Robert Walter Ward was an electrician, business and government executive, and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Alaska...
) held strong ties to Ketchikan. Following Hickel's resignation, Ward ascended to the office of secretary of state when Keith H. Miller became governor. Ketchikan native Walter L. Kubley, deputy commissioner of commerce under Hickel, became commissioner of the department under Miller. Another Ketchikan native, Terry Gardiner, was notable as the youngest person elected to the Alaska House of Representatives
Alaska House of Representatives
The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of about 15,673 people . Members serve two-year terms without term limits...
(at age 22), as well as the youngest person elected Speaker of the House (at age 28).
Lumber
Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC), a subsidiary of Louisiana-Pacific Corp., was headquartered just outside Ketchikan's city limits on the shores of Ward Cove. The company's pulp millPulp mill
A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fibre source into a thick fibre board which can be shipped to a paper mill for further processing. Pulp can be manufactured using mechanical, semi-chemical or fully chemical methods...
opened in the cove in 1954. A 1995 joint EPA and FBI investigation of the company revealed it had dumped contaminated wastewater and sludge in the waters around Ward Cove, leaving them classified as "impaired" by the EPA. KPC plead guilty to the charges and agreed to pay a $3 million fine.
In 1996, following the Clinton Administration's refusal to reinstate the original terms of KPC's timber contract, Louisiana-Pacific Corp. announced it would be shutting down the timber mill in March 1997.
Marine
The Ketchikan Shipyard, owned and operated by Alaska Ship & Drydock, successfully launched the M/V SusitnaKnik Arm ferry
The proposed Knik Arm ferry or Cook Inlet ferry, christened the M/V Susitna would be a year-round passenger and auto ferry across Knik Arm between Anchorage and Point MacKenzie in Alaska. The project is expected to cost $44 million, a fraction of the cost of the more controversial proposed Knik...
in April 2010. A prototype ferry craft for use by Alaska's Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the Susitna is the result of planning by Admiral Jay M. Cohen
Jay M. Cohen
Jay M. Cohen is a retired Rear Admiral of the United States Navy and Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology of the United States Department of Homeland Security....
, former chief of the Office of Naval Research, and former Navy captain Lew Madden, then working as a project manager for Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
.
Dubbed E-Craft (for Expeditionary use), the Susitna will serve as the engineering and feasibility platform for a Navy vessel of approximately double the size to assist troops in landing at undeveloped beaches around the world.
Transportation
Alaska Panhandle
Southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...
.
The Ketchikan International Airport
Ketchikan International Airport
Ketchikan International Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Ketchikan, a city in Ketchikan Gateway Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska....
serves as both a gateway for Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
jet service to and from Seattle, Juneau and Anchorage, and as a bush carrier and charter aircraft hub for destinations such as Hyder
Hyder, Alaska
Hyder is a census-designated place in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 97. Hyder has achieved fame as a point in Alaska accessible to automobile and motorbike travelers in Canada who want to say that they have been to Alaska...
, Metlakatla
Metlakatla, Alaska
Metlakatla is a census-designated place on Annette Island in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 1,375.- History :...
and Prince of Wales Island communities.
Ketchikan receives service to two separate ferry lines. Ketchikan sits on the Alaska Marine Highway
Alaska Marine Highway
The Alaska Marine Highway or the Alaska Marine Highway System is a ferry service operated by the government of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has its headquarters in Ketchikan, Alaska....
's Inside Passage
Inside Passage
The Inside Passage is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The route extends from southeastern Alaska, in the United States, through western British Columbia, in Canada, to northwestern Washington...
route and sees a large number of ships northbound (to the rest of Alaska) and southbound (to Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
— where a six hour connection can be made to the BC Ferries
BC Ferries
British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. or BC Ferries is a de facto Crown Corporation that provides all major passenger and vehicle ferry services for coastal and island communities in the Canadian province of British Columbia...
system — and Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
). Ketchikan also sees regular day service from the Alaska Marine Highway vessel M/V Lituya
M/V Lituya
M/V Lituya is a shuttle ferry for the Alaska Marine Highway System.Lituya was built by Conrad Shipyards in Morgan City, Louisiana in 2004. The Lituya is the smallest vessel in the ferry system and, exclusively serving the Metlakatla–Ketchikan shuttle route, thus making it the only AMHS...
, a day boat that shuttles between Ketchikan and Metlakatla, its homeport.
The Inter-Island Ferry Authority
Inter-Island Ferry Authority
The Inter-Island Ferry Authority is a ferry service in the U.S. state of Alaska with its headquarters based in Craig on Prince of Wales Island.-History:...
serves Ketchikan daily (and, in the summer, twice daily) with the dayboat M/V Prince of Wales
M/V Prince of Wales
M/V Prince of Wales is the first vessel, and currently one of two vessels, in the Inter-Island Ferry Authority . She is the sister ship to the .She was constructed at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Washington....
from its homeport in Hollis
Hollis, Alaska
Hollis is a census-designated place in Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 139.-Geography:Hollis is located at ....
on Prince of Wales Island. Ketchikan often serves as a connection between the Prince of Wales and mainline Alaska Marine Highway vessels that run to the rest of Southeast Alaska.
Colleges and universities
The former Ketchikan Community College became the Ketchikan campus of the University of Alaska SoutheastUniversity of Alaska Southeast
The University of Alaska Southeast is a regional university in the University of Alaska System. Its main campus is located in Juneau and it has extended campuses in Sitka and Ketchikan....
during the late 1980s restructuring of the University of Alaska System
University of Alaska System
The University of Alaska is a land-grant university founded in 1917 in Fairbanks in the State of Alaska. However, its largest campus by number of students was established in the much-more populous Anchorage area....
. The campus is located on the uphill side of Ketchikan's West End neighborhood and consists of two buildings, the Paul Building and the Ziegler Building. Both are named for prominent Ketchikan residents of the early and mid 20th century, William Lewis Paul
William Paul (attorney)
William Lewis Paul was an American attorney, legislator, and political activist from the Tlingit nation of southeastern Alaska. He was known as a leader in the Alaska Native Brotherhood....
and Adolph Holton Ziegler, respectively.
Public education
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough School DistrictKetchikan Gateway Borough School DistrictThe Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District provides k-12 public education to the children of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough and Ketchikan, Alaska...
- Ketchikan High SchoolKetchikan High SchoolKetchikan High School, often referred to as Kayhi, is the principal high school for the Southeast Alaska community of Ketchikan and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District.-Academics:...
- Revilla Junior/Senior High School
- Schoenbar Middle SchoolSchoenbar Middle SchoolSchoenbar Middle School is the primary public middle school for the Southeast Alaskan community of Ketchikan and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District. The school includes 7th and 8th graders, and in 2009 its enrollment was listed as 295 students...
- Ketchikan High School
Sister cities
Palm Desert, CaliforniaPalm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census, up from 41,155 at the 2000 census...
Kanayama, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
[former]
Ketchikan's former sister city of Kanayama, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, in Gifu Prefecture
Gifu Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Chūbu region of central Japan. Its capital is the city of Gifu.Located in the center of Japan, it has long played an important part as the crossroads of Japan, connecting the east to the west through such routes as the Nakasendō...
, was incorporated along with four other cities into the larger city of Gero
Gero, Gifu
is a city in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The city is famous for its hot springs. The Hida River runs throughout the city.-History:The city was established on March 1, 2004 by the merger of the towns of Gero, Hagiwara, Kanayama and Osaka, and the village of Maze, all from Mashita...
on March 1, 2004. An educational exchange program has been active between the two towns since 1986. Every year, Ketchikan and Kanayama exchange one teacher each to instruct middle-school level language classes in their respective tongues. In addition, Kanayama sends a group of students to Ketchikan during the spring, and students from Ketchikan travel to Kanayama the following summer. Ketchikan students travel across Japan, with the majority of their time spent in Kanayama with home-stay families, attending classes and touring the town.
Notable residents
- Nathan JacksonNathan Jackson (artist)Nathan Jackson is an American artist. He is among the most important living Tlingit artists and the most important Alaskan artists. He is best known for his totem poles, but works in a variety of media....
, a TlingitTlingitThe Tlingit are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast of America. Their name for themselves is Lingít, meaning "People of the Tides"...
artist famous for his carving of totem poles. - Ray TrollRay TrollRay Troll is a Ketchikan, Alaska-based artist.Troll attended high school in Witchita, Kansas. He has a bachelors degree in printmaking and a MFA degree in printmaking in drawing from Washington State University. He came to Alaska in 1983 at age 29. He is a guitar player and vocalist in the...
, an artist famous for blending art and science in his fish-laden drawings. - Frank MurkowskiFrank MurkowskiFrancis Hughes Murkowski is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 until 2002 and the eighth Governor of Alaska from 2002 until 2006.- Early life and career :...
, former United States Senator and Governor of Alaska. Murkowski grew up in Ketchikan, where his father was vice-president of the First National Bank of Ketchikan, which exists today as a Southeast regional bank called First Bank. - Lisa MurkowskiLisa MurkowskiLisa Ann Murkowski is the senior U.S. Senator from the State of Alaska and a member of the Republican Party. She was appointed to the Senate in 2002 by her father, Governor Frank Murkowski. After losing a Republican primary in 2010, she became the second person ever to win a U.S...
, second daughter of Frank Murkowski and his successor as U.S. Senator, born in Ketchikan.
See also
- Southeast Alaska
- Tlingit people
- Haida people
- Tsimshian people
- Gravina Island BridgeGravina Island BridgeThe Gravina Island Bridge, commonly referred to as the "Bridge to Nowhere", was a proposed bridge to replace the ferry that currently connects the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, with Gravina Island, an island which contains the Ketchikan International Airport as well as 50 residents. The bridge was...
- Grindall IslandGrindall IslandGrindall Island is an island in the State Marine Park west of Ketchikan, Alaska, United States. The island is in a remote area, only accessible by boat or plane....
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AlaskaNational Register of Historic Places listings in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, AlaskaThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska, United States...