An urbanist's guide to Anchorage: 'Moose often stroll the streets'
I live in Anchorage and started my blog, GretchenLovesAnchorage to share all the delightful, unique, often offbeat people, places, and things that make my hometown so special.
In Anchorage, nature and green spaces are easy to find; it’s the urban spaces that are at a premium. My husband and I moved downtown in pursuit of a more walkable lifestyle, and love being just a short distance away from favourite restaurants, bars, and entertainment where there’s always something fun going on. In my case, I’m lucky enough to walk to work for the State of Alaska and I love meeting interesting people when I take my dog out. If you happen to be in downtown Anchorage early in the morning and encounter a sleepy looking girl with messy hair wearing pajamas and stumbling after a black and white French bulldog called Grover - that’s me.
Anchorage from above. All Photographs: Gretchen Fauske
Anchorage is the urban centre of Alaska. It was established in 1914 as a railroad construction port, and wasn’t much more than a tent city. We’ve grown a lot in the last 100 years – we have a diverse population of more than 300,000 residents (one of our high schools is the most diverse in the country) and we experience regular international traffic due to our location 9.5 hours by air from 90% of the industrialised world.
However, much of our growth wasn’t comprehensively planned, leading to infrastructure challenges that we’re still trying to address. A lot of development sprawls outward instead of upward, we’re running out of developable land and housing is at a premium. Many people, myself included, think the housing shortage is an opportunity to add mixed-use buildings to the downtown and other areas, which will bolster Anchorage’s urban appeal and add a new style of living to our city.
Salmon fishing is within touching distance of the city centre
In Anchorage, our urban spaces are shared with wildlife. Moose often stroll the streets, you can fish for salmon two minutes from downtown, and a surprising number of bears patrol the fringes of town and live in our parks.
What’s the best building in Anchorage?
The facade of Anchorage Museum mirrors the open skies and green space of the city
Although I’m mostly drawn to colourful, quirky buildings with hidden details or thoughtfully composed designs, recently I’ve fallen in love with some of the larger glass buildings downtown. The Atwood building is a significant part of our skyline and I love it because when I walk to work I can see the mountains, clouds, or sunset reflected in it – it’s an urban mirror for the natural beauty surrounding Anchorage.
Our new museum does this too, reflecting birch trees, flowers, and a grassy common space to people passing by. I also love the classic holdovers from our early years – Quonset huts, A-frames and log cabins. The mixture of styles adds a lot of flavour to Anchorage. My favorite places are where old and new architecture coexist and complement each other.
And the worst?
A temple of La Luz del Mundo church, also known to locals as the ‘wedding cake’
Anchorage has recently become home to a La Luz del Mundo church. Each of their temples is built to look like the main temple based in Guadalajara, Mexico as a visible representation of the congregation’s faith. Locals refer to this building as the “wedding cake” due to the white tiers of corrugated metal. Construction began during 2006 – but hasn’t been finished due to lack of funding. At first, I thought the building was an eyesore but have since developed a grudging appreciation for its unapologetic character and the visual break from the strip malls that dominate the stretch of road it’s located on.
How clean is the city?
Colourful graffiti can be found on walls and rocks throughout the city
Anchorage is known for its clean air and pure water. Of course, some areas have more litter than others, and the city as a whole feels very dirty and dusty during the springtime, when the snow melts and the gravel used to keep the roads from being too slippery suddenly seems to be everywhere. The Municipality of Anchorage does a good job sweeping the streets and cleaning it up though, and the community turns out in force for citywide spring cleanup. Companies can sign up to “sponsor” roads or trails, and then are responsible for keeping them clean.
Painted walls enhance the alleyways of downtown Anchorage
There is some graffiti around town, but it’s pretty inoffensive, and sometimes it actually enhances the surroundings. Someone spray-painted large rocks on one of our beaches, and it feels like walking through the candy forest in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. In downtown, especially in alleyways, there are a lot of artistically painted walls that add visual interest.
What’s the best way to get around?
Cycling – Alaskan style
Transportation in Anchorage is auto-centric, and although we have more than 120 miles of extremely popular mixed-use trails, we have a long way to go before alternative means of transportation, like biking, are fully embraced and easily accessible. That said, some people bike to work year-round. Of course in the winter, they use fat tire bikes to ride on snow and make sure to dress for below-freezing temperatures.
City officials are investigating ways to improve the efficiency of our bus system and exploring other opportunities for public transit, like using our railroad to serve commuters from neighbouring towns.
One of the best parts of decreasing the number of cars being used is that we can minimise land dedicated to parking and use it for new buildings instead; at the very least, I hope to see parking garages incorporated into building designs – flat expanses of pavement seem like such a waste of space, especially in the downtown core.
What does your city sound like?
The sound of birdsong battles with the roar of cars and the buzz of sea-planes overhead
My favourite times to listen to Anchorage are the early morning or evening, when car noise has faded to a dull roar. The buzz of sea-planes overhead means that Alaskans are leaving to or returning from adventures (hunting, fishing, camping or hiking) and this time of year birdsong is accompanied by the louder honking of Canada geese flying south for the winter. On the weekends, strains of music echo along downtown streets accompanied by the sounds of late night revellers. Anchorage is a busy, but not overly loud, city.
What’s the best place for conversation?
Many people have fire pits or build bonfires in their back yards
I do my best daydreaming in parks and along our trails, and my best conversing in cosy, vibrant indoor spaces with a hot cup of coffee or mellow glass of wine nearby. Winter lasts a long time in Anchorage (at least six months, by my estimation!) and even though we love playing outside in the snow, warm, intimate spaces seem encourage soul searching, spirited debate, or the excited exchange of big ideas. During the summer, my favourite place to connect with friends and family is around a campfire – a lot of people have fire pits in their back yards or build bonfires, and watching the flames dance and swapping stories with a cold beer or glass of bubbly in hand is the perfect way to end a long week.
What one thing is indispensable for life in your city?
A spirit of adventure is important for living in Anchorage. We work hard here, but we play hard too – locals are incredibly active and if they’re not hitting the ski slopes or playing softball under the midnight sun, they’re celebrating a local brewery’s first tap with live music or ice skating on one of our many frozen lakes. There are so many things to do within the city limits, from Tuesday night pub runs and yoga in the park to dining at one of our great restaurants or wandering through an art gallery, and our state is so vast that when you venture outside of Anchorage you could spend lifetimes exploring and still not experience everything that makes Alaska so unique.
Locally roasted espresso fuels and warms the population
Also indispensable: coffee. We have the most coffee shops per capita of any other city in the US and most of our coffee comes from local roasters. There’s nothing like a piping hot cup of espresso to wake you up, warm you up, and keep you going!
Are you optimistic about your city’s future?
I’m incredibly optimistic about Anchorage’s future. There are a few big projects that need to happen to secure our financial stability such as continued oil and gas exploration and a gas line for either export or to serve Alaskans. However, I believe Anchorage will continue to grow and transform into an international destination where people flock to live because of our incredible quality of life. Because we’re “behind” other cities in terms of development, we’re only 100 years old, we can examine what’s worked for them and use the lessons they’ve learned as we plan for the future.
One of the best things about Anchorage is the opportunity to be involved – it’s easy to make a difference and anyone who wants to can be a part of shaping the next hundred years of our city. I love Anchorage, and I hope that someday you have the chance to fall in love with it too!
Opportunity abounds in the still-young city