Geography

Anchorage, Alaska sits at the tip of a flat peninsula extending into Cook Inlet in South-Central Alaska, at an elevation of 132 feet above sea level.  Bordered by water and mountains, and with rivers and lakes nearby, Anchorage allows residents and visitors to experience urban life surrounded by beautiful wilderness.  

Anchorage lies between two tidal inlets of Cook Inlet; Turnagain Arm to the south, and Knik Arm to the west and north.  To the north is the Alaska Range which blocks colder Arctic air flow from the Alaskan Interior, and to the east lie the Chugach Mountains, which help keep precipitation relatively low by blocking warm air currents from the Gulf of Mexico.  

Several rivers flow out of the mountains around Anchorage into Cook Inlet, and salmon ascend these every summer.  The many lakes in the area provide fine fish habitat, and some are stocked by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game with landlocked salmon, Arctic char, and Arctic grayling.  There is abundant wildlife in the Anchorage area, with several sightings in the city itself every year.  Bear, moose, Dall sheep, wolves, beaver and foxes are all to be found close by.