Do you know Juneau?
Want to visit Juneau, the capital of Alaska? You’ll need a boat or plane to get there.
Juneau, Alaska’s capital, is a popular stop for cruises.
Source: Kenneth J. Gill
First, there’s Alaska as a state – disconnected from the Lower 48, huge yet with a small population, and it’s fairly difficult to get to compared to other states. Traveling to The Last Frontier requires a boat, a plane, or driving through Canada.
Then, there’s our capital, Juneau (typically pronounced June-oh). The difficulty level has increased – no road for you!
A ship approaches Juneau, with the tail of a humpback whale visible.
Source: Shawn Kinkade
So how did we end up with such an inaccessible capital, surrounded by water, mountains, and the Canadian border? (Juneau is the only US state capital on an international border.) Gold.
Yep, the shiny metal actually plays quite a large part in Alaskan history. A gold rush led to the establishment of first a miners’ camp, which grew into a town, which eventually became the state capital. The Inside Passage, another name for southeastern Alaska, was the entryway to the gold fields back then. The camp/town went through several name changes over the years, but in the end we got Juneau.
Not that people haven’t tried to move the capital, from the third most populated city in the state, to a more accessible part of the state (Mostly Anchorage people, who want the capital moved to – you guessed it, Anchorage). This has been a point of conflict for decades, now. Yet, every time it comes up for a vote, people (mostly people from Fairbanks, and of course Juneau) always vote it down. The voters were probably influenced by the probability that the move would basically kill Juneau, which survives mostly on government jobs and tourism, and the fact that it would be a fairly expensive project to move all the government offices.
The view near Juneau.
Source: Kenneth J. Gill
Wikipedia gives a great overview of Juneau, if you want to know more about the name changes, history, and the move-the-capital bickering. If you’re actually visiting Juneau, and want to find awesome things to do and see there, the team over at Alaska.org has some great suggestions. Definitely visit the Alaska State Museum, and spend tons of time outdoors. As always, don’t forget the camera!