Ketchikan
Alaska, the First City on the Inside Passage of Southeast
Alaska welcomes you. This
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Dining, Adventure, Shopping, Fishing, Charters, Tours,
Native Culture, History, Wildlife, Weather, Attractions,
Jobs, Education, Real Estate, and More. Locally owned
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to Southeast Alaska, one click at a time.
Facts
at a Glance:
The population of Ketchikan is approximately 7,845
(2002).
The approximate number of families is 3,360 (1990).The
amount of land area in Ketchikan is 7.899 sq. kilometers.
The amount of land area in Ketchikan is 3.4 sq. miles.
The amount of surface water is 2.07 sq kilometers.
Ketchikan is positioned 55.35 degrees north of the equator and 131.65 degrees
west of the prime meridian.
Ketchikan
is five hundred miles north of Seattle, is
Alaska's "first
city," and as the first port of call for
many cruise ships, its historic downtown, wedged
between water and forested mountains, becomes
saturated in summer with elderly tourists.
Beyond the souvenir shopping it can be a delight,
built into steep hills and partly propped on
wooden pilings, with boardwalks, wooden staircases
and totem poles dotted throughout. By 1886,
white settlers had opened the first of dozens
of canneries in what was soon to be the "salmon
capital of the world."
Forests
of cedar, hemlock and spruce, which had provided timber
for Tlingit homes and totems, also fed the town's sawmills.
The timber and fishing industries have declined, and with
the closure of the antiquated pulp mill in 1997 the town's
economy is in a state of flux. The state's fourth largest
city is a strong contender for the nation's wettest; annual
precipitation averages 165 inches. The tourist board shrugs
it off as "liquid sunshine" and, indeed, Ketchikan's
perennial drizzle and sporadic showers won't spoil your
visit.
 Marine and freshwater sport fishing
opportunities abound. Southeast Alaska is a place
where the sport angler can stay busy year around
fishing for wild trout, all five species of Pacific
salmon, halibut, and a variety of other species.
Roadside salmon fishing opportunities exist near
most towns and cities. |
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