Mendenhall Valley
Encyclopedia
Mendenhall Valley is an area of Juneau
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
. The valley, named for physicist
and meteorologist Thomas Corwin Mendenhall
, was formed by Mendenhall Glacier
over the course of roughly three thousand years. It is the largest area of Juneau in terms of population.
The Mendenhall Valley begins ten miles from the downtown area, at the intersection between of Egan Drive and Glacier Highway, and ends ten miles further west at the intersection of Glacier Highway and Mendenhall Loop Road at Auke Bay. The Valley comprises an area stretching from the wetlands along Fritz Cove
and Auke Bay back to the Mendenhall Glacier as well as Mendenhall Lake
and Mendenhall River
, which for the most part drains the valley.
There are four elementary school
s (Auke Bay, Glacier Valley, Mendenhall River, and Riverbend) one middle school
(Floyd Dryden), and one high school
(Thunder Mountain
) located in the valley. Most of Juneau's churches are located in Mendenhall Valley.
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. The valley, named for physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and meteorologist Thomas Corwin Mendenhall
Thomas Corwin Mendenhall
Thomas Corwin Mendenhall was an autodidact US physicist and meteorologist.-Biography:Mendenhall was born in Hanoverton, Ohio to Stephen Mendenhall, a farmer and carriage-maker,...
, was formed by Mendenhall Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier
Mendenhall Glacier is a glacier about long located in Mendenhall Valley, about from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska....
over the course of roughly three thousand years. It is the largest area of Juneau in terms of population.
The Mendenhall Valley begins ten miles from the downtown area, at the intersection between of Egan Drive and Glacier Highway, and ends ten miles further west at the intersection of Glacier Highway and Mendenhall Loop Road at Auke Bay. The Valley comprises an area stretching from the wetlands along Fritz Cove
Fritz Cove
Fritz Cove is a bay on the northwestern coast of Douglas Island in the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska, United States. Lying in Stephens Passage, it is northwest of the city of Juneau....
and Auke Bay back to the Mendenhall Glacier as well as Mendenhall Lake
Mendenhall Lake
Mendenhall Lake is a lake in the Mendenhall Valley at the 1962 terminus of Mendenhall Glacier, North of the Juneau City and Borough Airport in the Coast Mountains...
and Mendenhall River
Mendenhall River
The Mendenhall River is an Alaskan river north of Juneau in the Mendenhall Valley. The river begins at the Mendenhall Lake, at the base of the Mendenhall Glacier.-Rafting on the river:...
, which for the most part drains the valley.
There are four elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s (Auke Bay, Glacier Valley, Mendenhall River, and Riverbend) one middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
(Floyd Dryden), and one high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(Thunder Mountain
Thunder Mountain High School
Thunder Mountain High School is one of three public high schools in Juneau, Alaska. It was opened for the 2008–2009 school year. In its first year in operation it served grades 9–11; the Juneau School District wanted seniors to finish at their existing high schools...
) located in the valley. Most of Juneau's churches are located in Mendenhall Valley.
Points of interest
- Adair-Kennedy Memorial ParkAdair-Kennedy Memorial ParkAdair-Kennedy Memorial Park is a sports facility complex in Juneau, Alaska, and adjacent to Floyd Dryden Middle School. It was named after Richard James Adair and Jimmy Earl Kennedy, two Juneau Police Department officers who died in the line of duty on April 17, 1979.-External links:*...
- Juneau International AirportJuneau International AirportJuneau International Airport is a public-use airport and seaplane base located seven nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Juneau, a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska...