(officially called the Municipality of Anchorage) is a unified home rule municipality in the U.S. State of Alaska. With an estimated 300,950 residents in 2013,[4] it is Alaska's most populous city and contains more than 40 percent of the state's total population; among the 50 states, only New York has a higher percentage of residents who live in its most populous city. All together, the Anchorage metropolitan area, which combines Anchorage with the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 396,142 in 2013.[5]Anchorage is located in the South-central portion of Alaska at the terminus of the Cook Inlet on a peninsula formed by the Knik Arm to the north and the Turnagain Arm to the south.[6] The city limits span 1,961.1 square miles which encompass the urban core, a joint Military base,[7] several outlying communities and almost all of Chugach State Park.[8]
Anchorage’s location on the globe puts it within 9 and ½ hours by air to nearly 90% of the industrialized world. For this reason Anchorage is a common refueling stop for many international passenger flights and is home to a major FedEx Hub which the company calls a “critical part”” of its global network of services.[9]
Anchorage has been named an All-America City four times, in 1956, 1965, 1984–85, and 2002, by the National Civic League.[10] It has also been named by Kiplinger as the most tax-friendly city in the United States.
