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C−History
History · Anchorage

Anchorage’s post office opened in 1914, and 33 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 22% of U.S. towns · #19 of 41 in Alaska. What drives it

Most of Anchorage was built recently: 0.7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. 33 places in town are on the National Register, among them five historic districts with 51 buildings between them. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1979 on, and the census since 1920.

1914first post office
33on the National Register
0.7%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
46famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Anchorage’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Anchorage began

When was Anchorage founded?

1914

The Anchorage post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Eklutna (1926), Mountain View (1949) and Spenard (1949), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 1,856 in 19202020 census: 291,247112 years

How historic is Anchorage?

C−

More historic than 22% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Anchorage post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Anchorage’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Anchorage is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #19 of 41 in Alaska. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Anchorage’s overall grade.
Founding era1914, from the first post office: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19400.7% of homes (±0.2) · typical AK town 0.3% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register33 listings, 95 historic buildings, 3.3 per 10,000 residents · typical AK town 3.3 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 22%
NewerOlder
Alaska towns of 2,500+ (41)Ahead of 55%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Anchorage ranks #338 on History.

Alaska towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Alaska town has 3.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Anchorage’s 3.3 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Alaska towns have fewer) while its 95 historic buildings outnumber those of 89% of U.S. towns.

Newer cities are common at Anchorage’s size: in the typical U.S. city of 100,000 or more, 5% of homes predate 1940.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.2 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Anchorage’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Landmarks on the Register33 places on the National Register.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Anchorage, and 52 old place names are still on the map.A historic districtThe Government Hill Federal Housing Historic District takes in 21 historic buildings.Famous sons and daughtersMario Chalmers, Mark Begich and 44 more were born here.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

33 historic places in Anchorage

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
33
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
95
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
Old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox ChurchOscar Anderson HouseFederal Building-U.S. Courthouse, built 1939Crow Creek Consolidated Gold Mining CompanyCampus CenterEklutna Power PlantAnchorage City HallPioneer School House, built 1915Fourth Avenue Theatre (AHRS Site No. ANC-284)Potter Section HouseKimball's StoreLeopold David HouseKENI Radio BuildingWendler BuildingA. E. C. Cottage No. 23, built 1916Anchorage Cemetery, built 1915Alaska Engineering Commission Cottage No. 25, built 1917Site SummitLoussac-Sogn BuildingAnchorage Hotel AnnexAnchorage Depot, built 1942Oscar Gill HouseSpring Creek LodgeCivil Works Residential DwellingsMcKinley Tower ApartmentsFort Richardson National Cemetery, built 1942Greater Friendship Baptist Church, built 1951Mike Alex CabinMt. Alyeska RoundhouseGovernment Hill Federal Housing Historic DistrictBlock 13 Army Housing Association Historic DistrictKulis Hangar 1, Building 3
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Bungalow3
Art Deco2
Bungalow/Craftsman2
Moderne2
International Style1
Old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox ChurchBuilding
Oscar Anderson HouseBungalow
Federal Building-U.S. CourthouseInternational Style · Built 1939
Crow Creek Consolidated Gold Mining CompanyBuilding
Campus CenterBuilding
Eklutna Power PlantBuilding
Anchorage City HallBuilding
Pioneer School HouseBuilt 1915
All 33 listings
Fourth Avenue Theatre (AHRS Site No. ANC-284)Building · listed 1982Potter Section HouseBuilding · listed 1985Kimball's StoreBuilding · listed 1986Leopold David HouseBuilding · listed 1986KENI Radio BuildingBuilding · listed 1988Wendler BuildingBuilding · listed 1988A. E. C. Cottage No. 23Building · listed 1990Anchorage CemeteryDistrict · listed 1993Alaska Engineering Commission Cottage No. 25Building · listed 1996Site SummitDistrict · listed 1996Loussac-Sogn BuildingBuilding · listed 1998Anchorage Hotel AnnexBuilding · listed 1999Anchorage DepotBuilding · listed 1999Oscar Gill HouseBuilding · listed 2001Spring Creek LodgeBuilding · listed 2001Civil Works Residential DwellingsBuilding · listed 2004McKinley Tower ApartmentsBuilding · listed 2008Fort Richardson National CemeteryDistrict · listed 2012Wireless Station, TheBuilding · listed 2015Greater Friendship Baptist ChurchBuilding · listed 2019Mike Alex CabinBuilding · listed 1982Mt. Alyeska RoundhouseBuilding · listed 2003Government Hill Federal Housing Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2015Block 13 Army Housing Association Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2018Kulis Hangar 1, Building 3Building · listed 2019

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Anchorage’s post office has been open since 1914. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Anchorage
1914–today
Eklutna
1926–1945
Girdwood
1927–today
Chugiak
1947–today
Mountain View
1949–1954
Spenard
1949–1953
Eagle River
1961–today
19101970today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Airport HeightsAlyeskaAnchor TerraceArtesian VillageBasherBirchwoodBlanchardBonibrookCampbellChesterChugach HeightsChugiakCity ViewDeBarr VistaEagle RiverEast ChesterEklutnaFairviewFort RichardsonGirdwoodGlen AlpsGrandview GardensGreen AcresHillside
Gone or out of use
Alyeska Winter Sports ArealocaleAnchorage Post Office Downtown Stationpost officeBeaver Pond CampgroundlocaleBilliken Drive-InlocaleBrenner MinemineCrow Creek MinemineEklutna Lake AirstripairportElmendorf Air Force BasemilitaryFire Island Air Force StationmilitaryFireweed TheatrebuildingFort RichardsonmilitaryGirdwood CabinslocaleHardee FieldairportKincaid ParkparkLake Hood Strip AirportairportPoint Campbell Military ReservationmilitaryPortage MinemineRabbit Creek Airportairport
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Anchorage
Anchorage Memorial ParkAngelus Memorial ParkEvergreen MemorialFort Richardson NationalSaint Nicholas Orthodox Church

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Anchorage came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Anchorage.

Read it all →

Archaeological evidence discovered at Beluga Point just south of Anchorage, along the Turnagain Arm, suggests that habitation of the Cook Inlet began 5,000 years ago by a group of Alutiiq people who arrived by kayak. As this population moved on, they were followed by a second wave of Alutiiq occupation beginning roughly 4,000 years ago, followed by a third wave around 2,000 years ago. Around 500 AD the Chugach Alutiiq were displaced by the arrival of Dena'ina Athabaskans, who entered through the mountain passes. The Dena'ina had no fixed settlements, migrating throughout the area with the seasonal changes, fishing along coastal streams and rivers in the summer, hunting moose, mountain goats, and Dall sheep in early fall, and picking berries in late fall. They tended to winter near trading junctions along common travel routes, where they traded with other Dena'ina and Ahtna tribes from n…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Anchorage, 1899 to 2005

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1899In the archiveFMIB 38827 Salmon Cannery of Pacific Steam Whaling Company at Anchorage Bay
  3. 20th century
  4. 1907In the archiveBridge over snow-covered Ship Creek, Anchorage, Alaska, between 1907 and 1915
  5. 1911In the archiveEskimo man standing next to white child riding a reindeer, Anchorage, Alaska, between 190…
  6. 1914Post officeThe Anchorage post office opens
  7. 1915BuiltPioneer School House is built
  8. 1915BuiltAnchorage Cemetery is built
  9. 1916BuiltA. E. C. Cottage No. 23 is built
  10. 1926Post officeThe Eklutna post office opens
  11. 1927Post officeThe Girdwood post office opens
  12. 1939BuiltFederal Building-U.S. Courthouse is built
  13. 1945Post officeThe Eklutna post office closes
  14. 1962Born hereMark Begich is born here
  15. 1967Born hereIrene Bedard is born here
  16. 1979On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  17. 1986Born hereMario Chalmers is born here
  18. 21st century
  19. 2005Born hereObed Vargas is born here
By decade

Anchorage, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s–1910s6 items
FMIB 38827 Salmon Cannery of Pacific Steam Whaling Company at Anchorage Bay1899FMIB 38827 Salmon Cannery of Pacific Steam Whaling Co…Bridge over snow-covered Ship Creek, Anchorage, Alaska, between 1907 and 19151907Bridge over snow-covered Ship Creek, Anchorage, Alask…Buildings on Fourth Street, including Northern Pool Hall, Anchorage, Alaska, 1907-19151907Buildings on Fourth Street, including Northern Pool H…Eskimo man standing next to white child riding a reindeer, Anchorage, Alaska, between 1906 and 1916c. 1911Eskimo man standing next to white child riding a rein…Street scene and automobile on outskirts of Anchorage, ca. 1912c. 1912Street scene and automobile on outskirts of Anchorage…Panorama of Anchorage, Alaska1915Panorama of Anchorage, Alaska
1920s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
On the map

Anchorage on the map in 1979

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Anchorage.

Anchorage on the 1979 USGS map1979Anchorage A-8 NW sheet · 1:25,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Anchorage.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

FMIB 38827 Salmon Cannery of Pacific Steam Whaling Company at Anchorage Bay
Retake this viewFMIB 38827 Salmon Cannery of Pacific Steam Whaling Company at Anchorage Bay, 1899

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Anchorage’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Anchorage, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000100,000120,000140,000160,000180,000200,000220,000240,000260,000280,000300,000320,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 291,826

Between 1,856 and 291,826 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Anchorage’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

46 famous people were born in Anchorage

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Mario ChalmersAmerican basketball player · b. 1986
M
Mark BegichUnited States Senator from Alaska from 2009 to … · b. 1962
O
Obed VargasMexican soccer player · b. 2005
Irene BedardAmerican actress · b. 1967
Annie ParisseAmerican actress · b. 1975
Dan MintzAmerican actor, comedian and writer · b. 1981
Help out

Finish Anchorage’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFMIB 38827 Salmon Cannery of Pacific St…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Knik RiverIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Anchorage’s history

What year was Anchorage founded?

The Anchorage post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Anchorage rank for history?

Anchorage is more historic than 22% of U.S. towns, #19 of 41 in Alaska. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Anchorage?

33 listings: 28 buildings, among them the Old St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (listed 1972, the first), and 5 historic districts with 51 contributing buildings. 95 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Anchorage?

0.7% of Anchorage’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.3% for an Alaska town; the median home was built in 1982.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (33), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.