Southcentral Alaska

Southcentral Alaska (Russian: Юго-Центральная Аляска), also known as the Gulf Coast Region,^[1] is the portion of the U.S. state of Alaska consisting of the shorelines and uplands of the central Gulf of Alaska. More than half of the state's entire population lives in this region, concentrated in and around the city of Anchorage.^[2] The region is Alaska’s best-connected region, with the Port of Anchorage, Ted Stevens, Anchorage International Airport, and the Alaska Railroad servicing the area.

Map of Southcentral Alaska

Bear Glacier Lake and the Pacific Ocean in the Kenai Fjords

The area includes Cook Inlet, the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, the Kenai Peninsula, Prince William Sound, and the Copper River Valley. Tourism, fisheries, and petroleum production are important economic activities.

Cities

The major city is Anchorage. Other major towns include Palmer, Wasilla, Kenai, Soldotna, Homer, Seward, Valdez, and Cordova.^[2]

Climate

The climate of Southcentral Alaska is subarctic. Temperatures range from an average high of 65 °F (18 °C) in July to an average low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in December. The hours of daylight per day vary from 20 hours in June and July to 6 hours in December and January.^[3] The coastal areas consist of temperate rainforests and alder shrublands. The interior areas are covered by boreal forests.^[4]

Mountains

The terrain of Southcentral Alaska is shaped by seven mountain ranges:^[5]

• Alaska Range
• Talkeetna Mountains
• Wrangell Mountains
• Chugach Mountains
• Kenai Mountains
• Tordrillo Mountains
• Aleutian Range

Southcentral Alaska contains several dormant and active volcanoes. The Wrangell Volcanoes are older, lie in the East, and include Mount Blackburn, Mount Bona, Mount Churchill, Mount Drum, Mount Gordon, Mount Jarvis, Mount Sanford, and Mount Wrangell. The Cook Inlet volcanoes, located in the Tordrillo Mountains and at the north end of the Aleutian Range, are newer, lie in the West, and include Mount Redoubt, Mount Iliamna, Hayes Volcano, Mount Augustine, Fourpeaked Mountain, and Mount Spurr.^[6] Most recently, Augustine and Fourpeaked erupted in 2006, and Mount Redoubt erupted in March 2009, resulting in airplane flight cancellations.^[7]

See also

• Alaska portal

• Anchorage Metropolitan Area
• Chugach Census Area, Alaska
• Copper River Census Area, Alaska
• Matanuska-Susitna Valley
• Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

References

1. Alaska Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development, Northern Opportunity Alaska's Economic Development Strategy, 2016, at 84 (Alaska 2016). Accessed June 1, 2023. https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/portals/0/pub/CEDS/2017-2022-Statewide-CEDS.pdf .
2. "Travel Information on South Central Alaska". 2006. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
3. "Travel Alaska - Alaska's Climate - Southcentral". Retrieved 22 April 2011.
4. "Ecosystem and Climate History of Alaska". Geology and Environmental Change Science Center. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
5. Gates, Douglass. "Great Land of Alaska: Alaskan Mountain Ranges". Retrieved 22 April 2011.
6. "Volcanoes of Southcentral Alaska". Retrieved 22 April 2011.
7. Mauer, Richard; Demer, Lisa (28 March 2009). "Redoubt ash dusts Anchorage, airport closed". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 22 April 2011.

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