ALASKA

---

Anchorage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Fairbanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Juneau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

The State in Brief

Nickname: Land of the Midnight Sun

Motto: North to the future

Flower: Forget-me-not

Bird: Willow ptarmigan

Area: 663,267 square miles (2000; U.S. rank: 1st)

Elevation: Ranges from sea level to 20,320 feet above sea level

Climate: Summers are short and hot, winters long and intensely cold

Admitted to Union: January 3, 1959

Capital: Juneau

Head Official: Governor Frank H. Murkowski (R) (until 2006)

Population

1980: 402,000

1990: 570,000

2000: 626,932

2004 estimate: 655,435

Percent change, 1990–2000: 14.0%

U.S. rank in 2004: 47th

Percent of residents born in state: 38.1% (2000)

Density: 1.1 people per square mile (2000)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 27,745

Racial and Ethnic Characteristics (2000)

White: 434,534

Black or African American: 21,787

American Indian and Alaska Native: 98,043

Asian: 25,116

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 3,309

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 25,852

Other: 9,997

Age Characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 47,591

Population 5 to 19 years old: 160,526

Percent of population 65 years and over: 5.7%

Median age: 32.4 years (2000)

Vital Statistics

Total number of births (2003): 10,071

Total number of deaths (2003): 3,158 (infant deaths, 67)

AIDS cases reported through 2003: 271

Economy

Major industries: Oil, government, commercial fishing, food processing, lumber, mining

Unemployment rate: 7.4% (January 2004)

Per capita income: $33,254 (2003; U.S. rank: 14th)

Median household income: $55,143 (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Percentage of persons below poverty level: 9.0% (3-year average, 2001-2003)

Income tax rate: None

Sales tax rate: None