Juneau City and Borough is a city-borough located on the Gastineau Channel in the Alexander Archipelago in the State of Alaska, United States. As of the 2000 census, the City and Borough had a population of 30,711. The Census Bureau's population estimate as of 2004 for the City and Borough was 31,118. The city, Alaska's third-largest in terms of population, is nestled at the base of Mount Juneau and across the channel from Douglas Island. The borough seat is the City of Juneau, which is the only incorporated place as the City and Borough boundaries coincide.
Juneau was named after gold prospector Joe Juneau. The Tlingit name of the town is Dzntik'i Heni "flounder creek", and Auke Bay just north of Juneau proper is called Aakh'w "little lake" in Tlingit. The Taku River just south of Juneau was named after the cold t'aakh wind that blows down from the mountains, and is the source of some of Juneau's more unpleasant weather.
Juneau is the capital of Alaska and is located in the Alaskan Panhandle. The State Legislature meets in the Territorial Building. Juneau is the only mainland state capital in the U.S. which cannot be accessed by road. It is not easily accessible from most of the rest of the state, a feature it shares with Honolulu, Hawaii. The only way to reach Juneau is via sea or air--a car or truck brought to Juneau must be put on a barge or ferry first. Currently the State of Alaska is considering a number of ways to improve transportation to and from Juneau, with a connecting road to Skagway being the preferred alternative. Local opinion on the matter is decidedly mixed, with some seeing the road as a vital link between Juneau and the rest of Alaska, and others having concerns about the environmental, social, and economic impacts it will have. If approved, construction of the road is slated to begin in 2006. Details can be found on the Juneau Access Projectofficial website. On August 10, 2005 The State DOT issued a press release announcing that the preferred alternative had changed to a partial road and fast ferry alternative - East Lynn Canal Highway to the Katzehin River with shuttles to Haines and Skagway. Juneau will remain unaccessible by road.
There are several glaciers near hiking trails (including the Mendenhall Glacier), one bridge to Douglas Island, and many dead-end roads. Scheduled airline service is provided at Juneau International Airport. Seaplanes also offer regular service to most other Southeast Alaska communities, and Juneau is a central port for the Alaska Marine Highway and the port of registry for some of its ships.
As of the census of 2000, there are 30,711 people, 11,543 households, and 7,641 families residing in the borough. The population density is 4.4/km2 (11.3/mi2). There are 12,282 housing units at an average density of 1.7/km2 (4.5/mi2). The racial makeup of the borough is 74.79% White, 0.81% Black or African American, 11.38% Native American, 4.68% Asian, 0.38% Pacific Islander, 1.05% from other races, and 6.91% from two or more races. 3.39% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 11,543 households out of which 36.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% are non-families. 24.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.60 and the average family size is 3.10.
In the borough the population is spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the borough is $62,034, and the median income for a family is $70,284. Males have a median income of $46,744 versus $33,168 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $26,719. 6.0% of the population and 3.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.7% of those under the age of 18 and 3.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
From before the time of European settlement in the Americas, the Gastineau Channel was a favorite fishing ground for local Tlingit Indians, known then as the Auke and Taku tribes, who had inhabited the area for thousands of years. The native cultures are rich with artistic traditions including carving, weaving, orating, singing and dancing, and Juneau has become a major social center for the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian of Southeast Alaska.
In 1880, Sitka mining engineer George Pilz offered a reward to any local chief who could lead him to gold-bearing ore. Chief Kowee arrived with some ore and prospectors were sent to investigate. On their first trip, to Gold Creek, they found little of interest. However, at Chief Kowee's urging Pilz sent Joe Juneau and Richard Harris back to the Gastineau Channel, directing them to Snow Slide Gulch (the head of Gold Creek) where they found nuggets "as large as peas and beans," in Harris' words.
On October 18, 1880 the two men marked a 160 acre (0.6 km2) town site where soon a mining camp appeared. Within a year the camp became a small town, the first to be founded after Alaska's purchase by the United States.
In the beginning, the town was called Harrisburg after Richard Harris; some time later its name was changed to Rockwell. In 1881 the miners met and renamed the town Juneau, after Joe Juneau. In 1906, after the diminution of the whaling and fur trade, Sitka, the original capital of Alaska, declined in importance and the seat of government was moved to Juneau.
After gold was found, a mining camp sprung up, and the town was organized in 1881. By the turn of the century, the placer miners had wandered on, but large underground mines were being developed. Juneau was a gritty mining town up through the 1940s. The mines shut down during World War II under wartime orders because they were not considered essential to the war effort.
In 1954, a measure was passed to move the state's capital north in order to locate it closer to the state's population center. A provision that required the new capital to be located at least 30 miles from the cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks to prevent them from having undue influence over the rest of the state stalled the relocation process to the point that in the end Juneau remained the capital.
Once Alaska was granted statehood in 1959, Juneau grew with the growth of state government. Growth accelerated remarkably after the construction of the Alaska Pipeline in 1977, state budget flush with oil revenues; Juneau expanded predictably with both increased government and tourism jobs. That growth slowed considerably in the 1990s , and the state demographer expects the borough to grow very slowly over the next twenty years.
A consolidation of the City of Douglas, the City of Juneau, and the Greater Juneau Borough in 1970 made present-day Juneau the country's largest city in terms of land area, larger than the State of Delaware. It no longer holds this record, however, having been surpassed by the incorporation of Sitka in 2000.
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Juneau, AK
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