Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan
Kichx̱áan | |
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View of the Newtown area Downtown in 2013 Front Street Burkhart-Dibrell House City Hall Sign over Mission Street | |
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Flag Logo | |
| Nickname(s): Salmon Capital of the World, Rain Capital of Alaska, Alaska's First City | |
Location in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Ketchikan Gateway |
| Incorporated | August 25, 1900[1] |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dave Kiffer |
| • Governing body | City Council |
| • State senator | Bert Stedman (R) |
| • State rep. | Dan Ortiz (I) |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.90 sq mi (12.70 km2) |
| • Land | 3.81 sq mi (9.88 km2) |
| • Water | 1.09 sq mi (2.82 km2) |
| Elevation | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 8,192 |
| • Density | 2,147.88/sq mi (829.19/km2) |
| • City and Borough | 13,477 |
| • City and Borough Estimate (2014) | 13,787 |
| Time zone | UTC−9 (AKST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP codes | 99901, 99950[3] |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-38970 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1423039, 2419408 |
| Website | www |
Ketchikan (/ˈkɛtʃɪkæn/ KETCH-ih-kan;[4] Tlingit: Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough on Revillagigedo Island of Alaska.[5][6] It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic Landmark District.
With a population at the 2020 census of 8,192, up from 8,050 in 2010,[7][5] it is the sixth-most populous city in the state, and thirteenth-most populous community when census-designated places are included. The surrounding borough, encompassing suburbs both north and south of the city along the Tongass Highway (most of which are commonly regarded as a part of Ketchikan, albeit not a part of the city itself), plus small rural settlements accessible mostly by water, registered a population of 13,948 in that same census.[7]
Incorporated on August 25, 1900, Ketchikan is the earliest extant incorporated city in Alaska, because consolidation or unification elsewhere in Alaska resulted in the dissolution of those communities' city governments. Ketchikan is located on Revillagigedo Island, so named in 1793 by Captain George Vancouver.
Ketchikan is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town, emptying into the Tongass Narrows a short distance southeast of its downtown. "Ketchikan" comes from the Tlingit name for the creek, Kitschk-hin, the meaning of which is unclear. It may mean "the river belonging to Kitschk"; other accounts claim it means "Thundering Wings of an Eagle".[8] In modern Tlingit, this name is Kichx̱áan.[9]
- ^ 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 78.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "ZIP Codes by City". United States Postal Service. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ^ "Ketchikan". Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
- ^ a b "Ketchikan city, Alaska". Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
- ^ "Alaska Taxable 2011: Municipal Taxation – Rates and Policies" (PDF). Division of Community and Regional Affairs, Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. January 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2013.
- ^ a b "2020 Census Data – Cities and Census Designated Places" (Web). State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "Ketchikan". Britannica.com. May 12, 2008. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ^ Edwards, Keri. Dictionary of Tlingit. Juneau: Sealaska Heritage Institute, 2009.