Girdwood, Anchorage, Alaska
Girdwood is a resort town within the southern extent of the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, Girdwood lies in a valley in the southwestern Chugach Mountains, surrounded by seven glaciers feeding into a number of creeks, which either converge within the valley or empty directly into the arm. Girdwood is typically accessed by the Seward Highway, with the main line of the Alaska Railroad paralleling the highway. By road distance, most of the community lies within 35 to 40 miles of Downtown Anchorage. The 2019 American Community Survey estimates a population of 1,742 in the valley.
The valley, as viewed from Mount Alyeska. The Alyeska Highway can be seen at right running across the valley.
Crow Creek Gold Mine near Girdwood
Ted Stevens' house is a fairly typical example of a house in Girdwood.
Alyeska Highway and sign indicating the post-1964 town site
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population, and has more people than all of Northern Canada and Greenland combined. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 398,328 in 2020, accounting for more than half the state's population. At 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km2) of land area, the city is the fourth-largest by area in the U.S.
Image: USS Anchorage in Anchorage, Alaska
Image: Wood Bison in Alaska
Image: Anchorage Skyline in Winter Hotel Captain Cook Anchorage Alaska
Image: Alaska Native Heritage Center across Lake Tiulana
