Ketchikan, Alaska
Ketchikan (/ˈkɛtʃɪkæn/ KETCH-ih-kan; Tlingit: Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic Landmark District.
Ketchikan
Kichx̱áan | |
|---|---|
View of the Newtown area Downtown in 2013 Front Street | |
|
Flag Logo | |
| Nickname(s): Salmon Capital of the World, Rain Capital of Alaska, Alaska's First City | |
Ketchikan Location in Alaska | |
| Coordinates: 55°21′00″N 131°40′24″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Ketchikan Gateway |
| Incorporated | August 25, 1900 |
| 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 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-38970 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1423039, 2419408 |
| Website | www |
With a population at the 2020 census of 8,192, up from 8,050 in 2010, 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.
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". In modern Tlingit, this name is Kichx̱áan.