Highway to Kenai

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#6666CC" TEXT="#080000" background="49301573.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>AST2</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="AST2"><B>home</B></A><B>                   </B>back to  <A HREF="kenai.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kenai"><B>Kenai</B></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="alaska_directory.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Alaska Directory">Alaska Directory</A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="alaska_vacations.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Alaska Vacation Guide">Alaska Vacation Guide</A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="pan_american_highway.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pan American Highway">Pan American Highway</A><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Symbol" >   ·   </FONT><A HREF="ast2_services.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="AST2 Services">AST2 Services</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#6666CC" TEXT="#080000" background="005d2013.jpg"> <div> <B>Highway to Kenai</B></div> <div> <A HREF="kenai_attractions.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kenai Attractions">Kenai Attractions</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>The Kenai Peninsula </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >is recognized as a sportsman's paradise. Mileage markers along this route read from Seward (mile 0) to Homer (mile 173). Details for the first 38 miles of this highway will be found in the highway description of the </FONT>Seward Highway<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > (mile 38 to mile 0, Seward).</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>We Start in Anchorage with the Seward Highway.</B></div> <div> This Highway can lead you all the way to <B>Kodiak Island</B>, the King Crab Capital of the World.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > And the Second Largest Island in under the American flag.</FONT></div> <div> This 127 mile/204 km highway has been designated a National Forest Scenic Byway. It connects the cities of Anchorage and Seward traveling past salt water bays, ice-blue glaciers, and alpine valleys. The first 50 miles of the highway twists and turns along the base of the Chugach Mountains, and the shore of Turnagain Arm.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Sterling Highway</B></div> <div> This route runs along the western edge of the Kenai Peninsula and features extraordinary mountain scenery, sparkling lakes, glacier-fed streams, and beautiful coastal inlets.</div> <bR> <div> The Borough covers the Kenai Peninsula and stretches across Cook Inlet to a large unpopulated area northeast of the Alaska Peninsula. Overall, the economy is well diversified and one of the healthiest in the state. The twin cities of Kenai and Soldotna are the population centers of the Borough.</div> <bR> <div> The peninsula was the site of the first major Alaska oil strike, in 1957, and is a regional center for oil exploration, production and administration.</div> <bR> <div> New oil and natural gas deposits continue to be discovered in the region. Oil refineries operate north of Kenai in Nikiski. More than 200,000 travelers toured the Kenai Fjords National Park visitor center in Seward in 1996.</div> <div> The Kenai River is a major sport fishing location for Anchorage residents and non-resident tourists. The river is world renown for trophy king and silver salmon.</div> <bR> <div> Other important economic sectors include commercial fishing, fish processing, government, wood processing, agriculture, transportation services, construction and retail trade. As the southern end for the Alaska Railroad and road link to Anchorage and the Interior, Seward has long been a transportation center.</div> <bR> <div> The economic base of the Kenai Peninsula Borough has declined 2% since 1995 due to a drop in seafood processing. The economic base is defined as businesses that create new wealth in Alaska or reduce the state's dependence on imports. Partially offsetting this decrease are small increases in oil and gas extraction, commercial fishing and agriculture. Similarly, the service sector is growing, especially retail trade due mostly to the growth in tourism.</div> <bR> <div> A 97 pound 4 ounce world record king salmon was taken from the Kenai River's waters in 1985, and catching kings of more than 60 pounds is fairly common here. The region's reputation as a hot fishing spot draws many travelers to Kenai and Soldotna during the summer months. Through the 1920s, commercial fishing was the primary economic activity. In 1940, homesteading enabled the area to develop. Today, the Sterling Highway connects the peninsula with Anchorage.</div> <bR> <div> A number of coal mines operated in Homer until World War I. Settlers continued to trickle into the area, some choosing to homestead in the 1930s and 40s, and others to work in the canneries built to process Cook Inlet fish. Coal provided fuel for homes, and there is still an estimated 400 million tons of coal deposits near Homer. After the Good Friday earthquake in 1964, the Homer Spit sunk 4 feet to 6 feet, and several buildings had to be relocated. At present, Homer is primarily a fishing, trade and service center, and enjoys seasonal tourist revenue. During summer months, the population swells with students and others seeking seasonal employment. Sport fishing for halibut and salmon contributes significantly to the economy.</div> <bR> <div> When the Alaska Railroad was constructed between 1915 and 1923, Seward developed as the ocean terminus and supply center. By 1960, Seward was the largest community on the peninsula. Tsunamis generated after the 1964 earthquake destroyed the railroad terminal and killed several residents. This slowed the economy a great deal and the city never fully recovered. Seward's ice-free harbor has become an important supply center for Interior Alaska. The community's annual Fourth of July celebration and its grueling Mount Marathon race attracts participants and visitors from all over Alaska.</div> <bR> <div> Nikolaevsk is located on the Kenai Peninsula, inland near Anchor Point. It lies on a road leading from North Fork Road and the Sterling Highway. It was named to honor St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the town's church. Nikolaevsk is the location of a settlement of "Russian Old Believers," whose ancestors settled in Woodburn, Ore. after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 forced them out of Russia. The first Old Believer settlers on the Kenai Peninsula received a grant from the Tolstoy Foundation in New York and purchased land on the peninsula in 1967. Many residents are employed in the Anchor Point and Homer areas, primarily in fishing and construction. The Fefelov Mercantile, a general store and post office, is the only year-round business.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> known as Alutiiq). Seldovia has developed around commercial fishing and fish processing. At Port Graham, the Fidalgo Island Packing Co. established a cannery in 1991, and Aleuts from nearby Nanwalek moved to the community. The cannery burned in 1960 and was rebuilt in 1968 by Whitney/Fidalgo. The cannery was eventually sold to the Village Corp. in 1983. A pink salmon hatchery began operations in 1991. A fire destroyed the hatchery and cannery in 1998. The two were rebuilt in June 1999. The cannery continues to be the main economic activity in the community. Nanwalek was originally the site of a Russian Trading Post. In 1991, locals changed the community name of English Bay to Nanwalek, meaning "place by lagoon." Many of the current residents are of mixed Russian and Sugpiaq (Alutiiq) lineage. The school, subsistence activities and summer employment at the Port Graham cannery provide income. Continued funding is targeted at new utility facilities and upgrades of existing facilities.</div> <bR> <div> Subsistence</div> <div> Wild-food harvests are a primary source of sustenance and are important for maintaining cultural traditions. The figure at right shows the relatively low dependence on wild-food harvests for the Kenai Peninsula Borough compared with other communities in the state. Over the entire Borough, annual wild-food harvests average about 4.4 million pounds or about 89 pounds per person. By community, wild-food harvests range from 52 pounds to 305 pounds per person per year. More information about subsistence activity in the Kenai Peninsula Borough can be found <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/AEIS/AEISMainFrame.cfm?CensusArea=Kenai&Industry=Subsistence&IndexItem=SubsistenceOverview" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/AEIS">here</A></FONT>.</div> <div> For Full Details <A HREF="http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/AEIS/AEISMainFrame.cfm?CensusArea=Kenai&Industry=Maps&IndexItem=CensusMap" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/AEIS">CLICK HERE</A></div> <bR> <div> <B>A Public Service of:</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.AdamsChocolate.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.AdamsChocolate.com/">AdamsChocolate.com</A>    Custom Novelty Chocolates for the Hospitality Industry</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.RadioZX.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.RadioZX.com">RadioZX.com</A>   Internet Radio an Alaska Broadcaster</div> <div> Web Site by AST2.com     <A HREF="web_site_services.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Web Site Services">Low Cost Small Business Web Sites</A>     <A HREF="http://www.wifi.ast2.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.wifi.ast2.com">WiFi Services</A></div> <div> Copyright © 1996 to date, AST2.com LLC all Rights Reserved</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>