Current Time in Anchorage, United States

Anchorage is by far the largest city in Alaska, occupying a broad coastal bowl between the waters of Cook Inlet and the wall of the Chugach Mountains in the south central part of the state. Glaciers, tidal mudflats and peaks of more than a thousand metres are visible from ordinary streets, and the arms of the inlet on either side of the city, Knik and Turnagain, have some of the largest tidal ranges in North America. The subarctic climate brings long dark winters with heavy snow and cool bright summers when daylight lasts almost until midnight.

About two hundred and ninety thousand people live here, roughly forty per cent of the entire population of Alaska. The city functions as the state's commercial, transport and medical hub, and its international airport is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world because the great circle routes between Asia, Europe and North America pass almost directly overhead, making Anchorage an ideal refuelling point.

The city was founded in 1914 as a tent camp for workers building the Alaska Railroad, and its grid of numbered and lettered downtown streets dates from that first survey. Military bases established during the Second World War and the Cold War brought further growth, and the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay in the late 1960s transformed the economy. On Good Friday in 1964 the region was struck by the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in North America, which destroyed part of the city and left the ground fissures now preserved in Earthquake Park.

Cultural attractions are strong for a city of this size. The Anchorage Museum combines Alaskan history, contemporary art and a major collection of Alaska Native objects displayed with the Smithsonian, while the Alaska Native Heritage Center presents the traditions of the state's indigenous peoples through reconstructed dwellings, dance and craft demonstrations. The ceremonial start of the Iditarod sled dog race takes place downtown each March, and the Fur Rendezvous winter festival has been running since the 1930s.

Outdoor life defines the place. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail runs for eighteen kilometres along the shore, Flattop Mountain offers a popular hike with wide views, and Chugach State Park, one of the largest state parks in the country, begins at the eastern edge of the suburbs. Moose wander through gardens, bears are regular visitors and belugas can sometimes be seen in Turnagain Arm.

Public transport is provided by the People Mover bus network, and the Alaska Railroad runs scenic services to Seward, Talkeetna and Denali. Roads connect the city to the Kenai Peninsula and, eventually, to Canada.

The University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University serve the state with programmes in health, engineering and Arctic studies. The city is also remarkably diverse, with several of the most ethnically mixed neighbourhoods in the United States, home to Alaska Native, Filipino, Samoan, Hmong and Latin American communities. Anchorage is popular as the gateway to Alaska and as a city where wilderness begins at the end of the street.