With a population at the2020 census of 8,192, up from 8,050 in 2010,[7][5] it is thesixth-most populous city in the state, and thirteenth-most populous community whencensus-designated places are included. The surrounding borough, encompassing suburbs both north and south of the city along theTongass 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, becauseconsolidation or unification elsewhere in Alaska resulted in the dissolution of those communities' city governments.[citation needed] Ketchikan is located onRevillagigedo Island, so named in 1793 by CaptainGeorge Vancouver.
Ketchikan is named afterKetchikan Creek, which flows through the town, emptying into theTongass 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 isKichx̱áan.[9]
Ketchikan Creek served as a summer fish camp forTlingit natives for untold years before the town was established by Mike Martin in 1885. He was sent to the area by an Oregon canning company to assess prospects. He established the saltery Clark & Martin and a general store withNova Scotia native George Clark, who had been foreman at a cannery that burned down.[10]
Ketchikan became known as "Alaska's first city" due to its strategic position at the southern tip of theInside Passage, connecting theGulf of Alaska toPuget Sound.
In 1905 a mission house was built, which in 1909 became the Yates Memorial Hospital. In 2020, theNational Trust for Historic Preservation named the former hospital as one of America's most endangered historic places.[11]
Ketchikan has the world's largest collection of standingtotem poles, found throughout the city and at four major locations:Saxman Totem Park,Totem Bight State Park, Potlatch Park, and theTotem Heritage Center. Most of the totems at Saxman Totem Park and Totem Bight State Park are recarvings of older poles, a practice that began during theRoosevelt Administration through theCivilian Conservation Corps. The Totem Heritage Center displays preserved 19th-century poles rescued from abandoned village sites near Ketchikan. The Chief Kyan pole in Whale Park in the city center is one of the featured background images in most US passports.
A panorama of downtown Ketchikan and surrounding terrain from the peak ofDeer Mountain in October 2004. Pennock Island divides theTongass Narrows on the left, andGravina Island lies on the distant side of the Narrows.
Due to its steep and forested terrain, Ketchikan is long and narrow with much of the built-up area being located along, or no more than a few city blocks from, the waterfront. Elevations of inhabited areas range from just above sea level to about 300 feet (91 m).Deer Mountain, a 3,001-foot (915 m) peak, rises immediately east of the city's downtown area.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.9 square miles (15.3 km2). 4.4 square miles (11.3 km2) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (4.0 km2) of it (29.14%) is water.[12]
Ketchikan's Liquid Sunshine Gauge. The town experienced record annual rainfall in 1949, with 202.55 inches (5,145 mm) measured.
Ketchikan has a mild maritime oroceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb,TrewarthaDolk), characterized by heavy cloud cover, high humidity and abundant rainfall throughout the year (even in the driest month), earning it the nickname of the "Rain Capital of Alaska". Prolonged breaks in the very wet weather occur only when very cold air from theYukon penetrates the coastal mountains, bringing frigid and clear conditions all the way to the coast,[13] and often leaving residents unprepared as water pipes will then freeze.[14] This occurred notably in January of 1916, 1950[14] and 1969.[15]
Outside of these continental outbreaks winters are chilly but milder than its latitude alone may suggest: January has a 24-hour average of 35.6 °F (2.0 °C) with an average daytime high of 39.7 °F (4.3 °C) and an overnight low of 31.5 °F (−0.3 °C). Further east and away from moderating maritime influence, winters on these parallels in inland North America are much colder. Summers are mild, as August's temperature averages 59.0 °F (15.0 °C) with an average daytime high of 64.7 °F (18.2 °C) and an overnight low of 53.3 °F (11.8 °C). Rainfall averages 149.54 inches (3,798 mm) per year, falling more heavily in autumn and winter. On average, the growing season (non-freezing temperatures) lasts about 6.3 months or 191 days, extending from about April 19 to about October 27.
The record high temperature in Ketchikan was 96 °F (36 °C) on June 25, 1913. The record low temperature was −7 °F (−22 °C) on January 23, 1916. The wettest year was 1949 with 202.55 inches (5,145 mm) and the driest year was 1995 with 88.45 inches (2,247 mm). The most rainfall in one month was 53.85 inches (1,368 mm) during November 1917 and the most rainfall in 24 hours was 8.71 inches (221 mm) on October 11, 1977. The mostsnowfall in one month was 45.1 inches (1.15 m) in January 1971.
Ketchikan first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as the unincorporated village of "Kichikan." Of its 40 residents, 26 were Native, nine were White and five were Creole (Mixed Russian and Native).[19] It returned as Ketchikan beginning in 1900 and in every successive census. It incorporated as a city also in 1900.
Ketchikan's Newtown neighborhood, between Downtown and the West End, its two largest neighborhoods.First Lutheran Church, at the right edge of this photo, islisted on the National Register of Historic Places. East of the church (beyond view of the photo), three adjoining streets were namedWarren, G, and Harding following President Harding's visit to Alaska in 1923.Ketchikan as seen from the dock near the cruise terminalThe Ketchikan Misty Fjords Ranger Station
As of 2010[update], there were 8,050 people, 3,259 households, and 1,885 families residing in the city. As of 2017, the population density was 1,829.5 per square mile (714.1/km2).[20] There were 3,731 housing units at an average density of 848.0 per square mile (327.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 60.7%White, 16.7%Native American (8.3%Tlingit-Haida, 1.9%Tsimshian), 10.8%Asian (9.4% Filipino), 10.0% from two or more races, 0.8%Black orAfrican American, 0.3%Pacific Islander, and 0.7%some other race. 4.4% of the population wereHispanic orLatino (2.6% Mexican) of any race.[21][22][23]
St John's Episcopal Church and a mission hospital, August 1904
There were 3,259 households. 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were headed by married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41, and the average family size was 3.07.[21]
The population was spread by age ranges, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.[24]
In 2017, the ACS-estimated median and average annual incomes for a household in the city were $56,372 and $70,490, respectively. The median and average incomes for a family were $68,438 and $84,518, respectively. Theper capita income for the city was $30,474. About 12.4% of the population, including 19.8% of those under 18-years old, were below thepoverty line.[25] 90.0% spoke English, 6.0% Tagalog, 1.8% Spanish, and 0.7% Tsimshian as their first language.[26]
The region has local cable television programming provided by Ketchikan Public Utilities, including public meetings,Southeast Alaska programming, Ketchikan High School sports and events, local history, gardening and scenes, and a calendar of upcoming local events; local television signals carried on the cable system are also translations ofSeattle andAnchorage stations.
The City of Ketchikan operates under acouncil-manager form of government. The Ketchikan Gateway Borough includes both the City of Ketchikan and the City of Saxman and encompasses more than 6,000 square miles (16,000 km2) from the Canada–US border to just south of Wrangell. TheAlaska Marine Highway System has its headquarters in Ketchikan.[27]
Undated photo of a baseball game in Ketchikan byJohn Nathan Cobb
Over the decades, Ketchikan has produced a number of political figures of note to Alaska in general. In territorial days,Norman Ray "Doc" Walker, a Canadian-born pharmacist practicing in Ketchikan, was the first career member of theAlaska Legislature. Walker served in the territorial Senate for 16 years before losing reelection in 1948. Ketchikan native Terry Gardiner was the youngest person elected to theAlaska House of Representatives, at age 22.
TheUnited States Coast Guard maintains a large shore installation,Coast Guard Base Ketchikan, south of the downtown area, which serves as a home port to three cutters and as a regional maintenance base for Alaska.
One of Ketchikan's two ZIP codes, 99950, is the highest numbered in the United States.[28]
A main street in Ketchikan, September 1908Fishermen dressing and packinghalibut at a dock in Ketchikan, October 1910
A major and first port of entry into Alaska, Ketchikan's economy has been based on fishing industries, canneries in particular, tourism, government, and forestry. Average annual civilian employment in 2017 was 4,070, with a substantial seasonal work force peaking in July.
The area near the mouth of Ketchikan Creek earned Ketchikan a measure of infamy during the first half of the 20th century for ared-light district known asCreek Street, withbrothels aligned on either side of the creek.
Ketchikan's economy is currently based upon government services, tourism and commercial fishing. Civic boosters have dubbed the community the "Salmon Capital of the World."[29]
Ketchikan also receives a large number of tourists, both by air and sea, due to its popularity as acruise ship stop. In 2018, Ketchikan Harbour saw 40 different cruise ships making more than 500 stops in the harbor and bringing more than 1,073,000 visitors to Ketchikan.[30] TheGreat Alaskan Lumberjack Show, alumberjack show, is performed nearKetchikan Creek between May and September.[31][32]
TheMisty Fiords National Monument is one of the area's major attractions, and theTongass National Forest has long been headquartered in Ketchikan, mostly in the city's historicFederal Building. For most of the latter half of the 20th century, a large portion of Ketchikan's economy and life centered on theKetchikan Pulp Companypulp mill in nearbyWard Cove. The mill closed in 1997 in the wake of the passage of the Tongass Timber Reform Act of 1990, which reduced timber harvest targets in the national forest.[33]
Downtown Ketchikan, with seasonal storefronts along Front Street shown in the foreground. Cruise ship tourism drives a large part of the local economy from May to September each year.
Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC), a subsidiary ofLouisiana-Pacific Corp., was headquartered just outside Ketchikan's city limits on the shores of Ward Cove. The company'spulp mill opened in the cove in 1954. A 1995 joint EPA and FBI investigation of the company revealed it had dumped contaminated wastewater and sludge in the waters around Ward Cove, leaving them classified as "impaired" by the EPA. KPC plead guilty to the charges and agreed to pay a $3 million fine.[34]
In 1996, following the Clinton Administration's refusal to reinstate the original terms of KPC's timber contract, Louisiana-Pacific Corp. announced it would be shutting down the pulp mill, and did so in March 1997. A total of 514 direct year-round jobs and more than 500 indirect jobs were lost as a result.[35]
Salmon travel up the creek during spawning season to lay their eggs.
The Ketchikan Shipyard consists of two dry-docks (10,000 ton and 2,500 ton) owned and operated by Alaska Ship & Drydock, a subsidiary ofVigor Industrial. It successfully launched theM/VSusitna in April 2010. A prototype ferry craft for use by Alaska'sMatanuska-Susitna Borough, theSusitna is the result of planning by AdmiralJay M. Cohen, former chief of the Office of Naval Research, and former Navy captain Lew Madden, then working as a project manager forLockheed Martin.
Fishing Fleet at Ketchikan on June 29, 1911
The contract for two new Alaska-class day ferries in theAlaska Marine Highway was awarded to the shipyard on September 20, 2014, at a cost of $101 million.[36]
Companies involved in power and telecommunications include Ketchikan Public Utilities (KPU), which is city-owned, as well asGCI andAlaska Power and Telephone Company (AP&T).
Port of KetchikanPort of seaplanes, one of the main modes of transportationLooking down Creek Street, immediately outside of Ketchikan's downtown near the mouth of Ketchikan Creek. Creek Street, along with a block of Fourth Avenue inFairbanks, were Alaska's two significantred-light districts until the passage of the Anti-Crib Laws in the early 1950s.
Ketchikan serves as both an air and marine transportation hub for southernSoutheast Alaska.
Ketchikan receives service from two separate ferry lines. Ketchikan is a major port along theAlaska Marine Highway System'sInside Passage route. Vessels depart northbound to Alaskan ports of call and southbound toPrince Rupert, British Columbia, a six-hour trip, — where a connection can be made to theBC Ferries system — andBellingham, Washington, a thirty-six-hour voyage. Sailings depart several times each week.[37] Ketchikan also sees regular day service from the Alaska Marine Highway vesselM/VLituya, a day boat that shuttles between Ketchikan and its home port inMetlakatla, Alaska.
The former Ketchikan Community College became the Ketchikan campus of theUniversity of Alaska Southeast during the late 1980s restructuring of theUniversity of Alaska System. The campus is located on the uphill side of Ketchikan's West End neighborhood and consists of two buildings, the Paul Building and the Ziegler Building. Both are named for prominent Ketchikan residents of the early and mid 20th century,William Lewis Paul and Adolph Holton Ziegler, respectively.
The city of Ketchikan and its surrounding areas are primarily served by thePeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The West End (or Westend), located in the valleys of Carlanna and Hoadley creeks and across Tongass Narrows fromKetchikan International Airport, is Ketchikan's largest commercial and residential area. Shown are the city's tallest buildings, the Marine View Building and Tongass Towers.Ketchikan High School is partially visible at upper right.
Ketchikan's former sister city ofKanayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, was incorporated along with four other cities into the larger city ofGero on March 1, 2004. An educational exchange program has been active between the two towns since 1986. Every year, Ketchikan and Kanayama exchange one teacher each to instruct middle-school level language classes in their respective tongues. In addition, Kanayama sends a group of students to Ketchikan during the spring, and students from Ketchikan travel to Kanayama the following summer. Ketchikan students travel across Japan, with the majority of their time spent in Kanayama with home-stay families, attending classes and touring the town.[39]
InThe Young Pope, the character Pope Pius XIII sends several cardinals who upset him to Ketchikan as a punishment, which is depicted as a frozen wasteland.
InArthur Miller's playDeath of a Salesman, Uncle Ben must leave Willy to go to Ketchikan, where he presumably made part of his fortune.
^Wagner, A. James (April 1969). "The Weather and Circulation of January 1969: Continued Strong High-Latitude Blocking and Flood-Producing Rains in California".Monthly Weather Review.97 (4):351–358.
^"Governor Frank Murkowski". Alaska Permanent Fund Board Confirmation Committee. Archived fromthe original on September 21, 2013. RetrievedNovember 7, 2013.
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