History of Alaska in Timeline

Alaska, a non-contiguous U.S. state in the northwest of North America, is the northernmost, westernmost, and easternmost state in the U.S. It borders Canada's Yukon and British Columbia to the east and shares a maritime border with Russia in the Bering Strait. The Arctic Ocean lies to its north, and the Pacific Ocean to its south. It's a semi-exclave of the U.S., and also the largest exclave in the world.

1900: Legislation allowing Alaskan communities to legally incorporate as cities

In 1900 legislation allowing Alaskan communities to legally incorporate as cities came about, but home rule for cities was extremely limited or unavailable until statehood took effect in 1959.

1906: Capital Moved to Juneau

In 1906, Alaska's capital was moved from Sitka north to Juneau.

1906: Publication of White Fang

Jack London's novel White Fang was published in 1906.

May 11, 1912: Alaska Organized as a Territory

On May 11, 1912, Alaska was officially organized as a territory of the United States, marking a significant step in its administrative development.

1912: Alaska Incorporated as an Organized Territory

In 1912, Alaska was officially incorporated as an organized territory.

June 27, 1915: Highest Recorded Temperature

On June 27, 1915, the highest recorded temperature in Alaska was 100 °F (38 °C) in Fort Yukon.

1920: End of Gold Rush Era

By 1920, Alaska had produced over $460,000,000 in mineral production since 1879.

1941: Alaska State Troopers Official Organization

The Alaska State Troopers were officially organized in 1941, before which law enforcement was handled by various federal agencies.

1946: Territorial Referendum

In 1946, the statehood movement gained its first real momentum following a territorial referendum.

1955: Adoption of State Song

In 1955, the official state song of Alaska, "Alaska's Flag", was adopted; it celebrates the flag of Alaska.

July 7, 1958: Statehood Approved by U.S. Congress

On July 7, 1958, statehood for Alaska was approved by the U.S. Congress.

January 3, 1959: Alaska Admitted as the 49th State

On January 3, 1959, Alaska was admitted as the 49th state of the United States, a pivotal moment in its history.

1959: Statehood effect on Alaskan communities

In 1959 statehood took effect and home rule for cities became less limited in Alaska.

1960: Population Composition

In 1960, the United States Census Bureau reported Alaska's population as 77.2% white, 3% black, and 18.8% American Indian and Alaska Native.

1963: Alaska Marine Highway System Completed

In 1963, the Alaska Marine Highway System was completed, enhancing accessibility to the state and contributing to the growth of tourism.

March 27, 1964: Good Friday Earthquake

On March 27, 1964, the Good Friday earthquake, with a moment magnitude of 9.2, struck Alaska, resulting in 133 deaths and significant destruction from tsunamis and landslides.

May 8, 1964: Engineering and Geological Evaluation Group report

On May 8, 1964, a little more than a month after the earthquake, the Engineering and Geological Evaluation Group produced a report on the damage the earthquake caused to the city of Anchorage.

1968: Oil Discovery at Prudhoe Bay

In 1968, oil was discovered at Prudhoe Bay, marking the beginning of an oil boom in Alaska.

1969: Initial Proposal for Permanent Fund

In 1969, Governor Keith Miller initially proposed the Alaska Permanent Fund out of concern that the legislature would spend the entire proceeds from the Prudhoe Bay lease sale at once.

January 23, 1971: Lowest Recorded Temperature

On January 23, 1971, the lowest official temperature in Alaska was −80 °F (−62 °C) in Prospect Creek.

1971: Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA)

In 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) led to the creation of 12 regional and numerous local Native corporations, which were granted ownership of 44 million acres of land.

1975: Anchorage Municipality Formation

In 1975, Anchorage merged its city government with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough to form the Municipality of Anchorage.

1976: Alaska Permanent Fund Established

In 1976, the Alaska Permanent Fund was established to manage surplus state petroleum revenues from oil.

1977: Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Completion

In 1977, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was completed, facilitating the transport of oil and boosting Alaska's economy.

1980: Oil Revenues Fund State Budgets

From 1980 onward, royalty revenues from oil have funded large state budgets in Alaska.

1980: Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act

In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) added millions of acres to protected lands, including wildlife refuges, national forests, and national park land.

1980: Ketchikan-area CDPs established

In the 1980 census, seven CDPs were established for the Ketchikan-area neighborhoods (Clover Pass, Herring Cove, Ketchikan East, Mountain Point, Alaska Route 7, Pennock Island and Saxman East).

1982: Permanent Fund Dividends Begin

Starting in 1982, dividends from the Alaska Permanent Fund's annual growth have been paid out each year to eligible Alaskans, ranging from an initial $1,000.

1983: Never Cry Wolf Filmed in Alaska

In 1983, the Disney movie Never Cry Wolf was at least partially shot in Alaska.

1989: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, releasing more than 11 million gallons of crude oil and affecting over 1,100 miles of coastline.

1989: 1989 San Fransisco earthquake

The 1964 Good Friday earthquake in Alaska was more than a thousand times as powerful as the 1989 San Fransisco earthquake.

1991: Repeal of ANCSA Land Sale Provisions

In 1991, provisions of ANCSA that would have allowed Native corporations to sell their land holdings on the open market were repealed before they could take effect.

1991: White Fang Film

The film White Fang, based on Jack London's 1906 novel and starring Ethan Hawke, was filmed in and around Haines in 1991.

1994: On Deadly Ground Film

Steven Seagal's 1994 film On Deadly Ground, starring Michael Caine, was filmed in part at the Worthington Glacier near Valdez.

October 1998: BLM Report on Land Ownership

According to an October 1998 report by the United States Bureau of Land Management, approximately 65% of Alaska is owned and managed by the U.S. federal government as public lands.

2000: Alaska U.S. Census

According to the 2000 U.S. census the population of Alaska was 626,932.

2000: Land Area in Unorganized Borough

In 2000, 57.71% of Alaska's area was located in the Unorganized Borough, with 13.05% of the population.

2001: Energy Systems

In 2001, proposals for statewide energy systems were judged uneconomical due to low fuel prices, long distances and low population.

2008: Permanent Fund Dividend Amount

In 2008, the Permanent Fund Dividend was $3,269 (which included a one-time $1,200 "Resource Rebate").

2009: Jewish population

In 2009, there were 6,000 Jews in Alaska (for whom observance of halakha may pose special problems).

2010: Religious Affiliation Statistics

According to statistics collected by the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) from 2010, about 34% of Alaska residents were members of religious congregations. Of the religious population, roughly 4% were Mormon, 0.5% Jewish, 0.5% Muslim, 1% Buddhist, 0.2% Baháʼí, and 0.5% Hindu.

2010: Population Increase in Alaska

According to the 2010 United States Census, the population of Alaska was 710,231, which represented a 13.3% increase from the 2000 U.S. Census.

2010: Racial Composition

In 2010, Alaska was 66.7% white (64.1% non-Hispanic white), 14.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.4% Asian, 3.3% black or African American, 1.0% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 1.6% from some other race, and 7.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latin Americans made up 5.5% of the population in 2010.

2010: Hindu Temple Established

In 2010, Alaskan Hindus established the Sri Ganesha Temple of Alaska, making it the first Hindu Temple in Alaska and the northernmost Hindu Temple in the world.

2010: Islamic Community Center of Anchorage

In 2010, the Islamic Community Center of Anchorage broke ground on a mosque in south Anchorage, aiming to build the first mosque in the state.

2010: Native Languages

Since 2010, a total of 5.2% of Alaskans speak one of the state's 20 indigenous languages, known locally as "native languages".

2011: American Community Survey: Languages Spoken at Home

According to the 2011 American Community Survey, 83.4% of people over the age of five spoke only English at home. About 3.5% spoke Spanish, 2.2% spoke another Indo-European language, about 4.3% spoke an Asian language, and about 5.3% spoke other languages.

2011: Farmers' Markets Increase

Alaskan agriculture experienced a surge in growth of market gardeners, small farms and farmers' markets in recent years, with the highest percentage increase (46%) in the nation in growth in farmers' markets in 2011.

2011: Minority Population

As of 2011, 50.7% of Alaska's population younger than one year of age belonged to minority groups.

2011: Reality TV Shows

In 2011, the Anchorage Daily News found ten reality television shows set in Alaska.

January 2012: Alaska Heritage Resources Survey sites reported

As of 31 January 2012, the Alaska Heritage Resources Survey reported more than 35,000 sites.

2013: Millionaires Per Capita

According to a 2013 study by Phoenix Marketing International, Alaska had the fifth-largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States, with a ratio of 6.75 percent.

2013: Discovery at Upward Sun River site

In 2013, at the Upward Sun River site in the Tanana Valley in Alaska, the remains of a six-week-old infant belonging to the Ancient Beringian group were unearthed by archaeologist Ben Potter.

February 2014: Crude Oil Production Ranking

According to the Energy Information Administration, by February 2014 Alaska had fallen to fourth place in the nation in crude oil production after Texas, North Dakota, and California.

October 2014: Official Status for Indigenous Languages

In October 2014, the governor of Alaska signed a bill declaring the state's 20 indigenous languages to have official status, giving them symbolic recognition but not adopting them for official use within the government.

2014: Status of Alaska's Native Languages

As of 2014 nearly all of Alaska's native languages were classified as either threatened, shifting, moribund, nearly extinct, or dormant languages.

2014: Pew Research Center on Religion

In 2014, the Pew Research Center determined that 62% of Alaska's adult population practiced Christianity, with Catholicism being the largest Christian group. The unaffiliated population made up the largest non-Christian religious affiliation at 37%.

2014: Mosque Nearing Completion

In late 2014, the Islamic Community Center of Anchorage's mosque was nearing completion, set to be the first in the state and one of the northernmost mosques in the world.

2014: Pew Study Findings

Per 2014's Pew study, religion was seen as very important to 41% of the population, although 29% considered it somewhat important. In 2014, Pew determined roughly 55% believed in God with absolute certainty, and 24% believed fairly certainly.

2015: Population Estimates

In 2015, it was estimated that 61.3% of the population was non-Hispanic white, 3.4% black or African American, 13.3% American Indian or Alaska Native, 6.2% Asian, 0.9% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.3% some other race, and 7.7% multiracial. Hispanics and Latin Americans were 7% of the state population in 2015.

2018: One Telephone Area Code

As of 2018, Alaska is one of 14 U.S. states that still have only one telephone area code due to its population size.

2018: Gross State Product and Income

In 2018, Alaska's gross state product was $55 billion, ranking 48th in the U.S. Its per capita personal income for 2018 was $73,000, ranking 7th in the nation.

2018: Non-Churchgoing Christians

In 2018, The Gospel Coalition published an article using Pew data and determined non-churchgoing Christians nationwide did not attend religious services often through the following: practicing the faith in other ways, not finding a house of worship they liked, disliking sermons and feeling unwelcomed, and logistics.

2018: Immigrant Origins

In 2018, the top countries of origin for Alaska's immigrants were the Philippines, Mexico, Canada, Thailand and South Korea.

2019: American Community Survey Population Estimates

In 2019, the American Community Survey estimated Alaska's population as 60.2% non-Hispanic white, 3.7% black or African American, 15.6% American Indian or Alaska Native, 6.5% Asian, 1.4% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 7.5% two or more races, and 7.3% Hispanic or Latin American. The survey also estimated 7.8% of the population was foreign-born from 2015 to 2019.

2019: American Community Survey: Languages Spoken

The 2019, American Community Survey determined 83.7% spoke only English, and 16.3% spoke another language other than English. The most spoken European language after English was Spanish, spoken by approximately 4.0% of the state population. Collectively, Asian and Pacific Islander languages were spoken by 5.6% of Alaskans.

April 1, 2020: Alaska Census Population

On April 1, 2020, the United States Census Bureau found that the population of Alaska was 733,391.

2020: Incorporated cities and census-designated places

As of the 2020 United States census, Alaska had a total of 355 incorporated cities and census-designated places (CDPs).

2020: Muslim Population Statistics

In 2020, ARDA estimated there were 400 Muslims in the state. There were 690 Baháʼí adherents, 469 adherents of Hinduism and Yoga, and a small number of Buddhists.

2020: Alaska Population Ranking

In 2020, Alaska was the 48th largest state by population in the U.S., ahead of only Vermont and Wyoming.

2020: Anchorage Population

In 2020, Anchorage had a population of 291,247 people, making it the state's most populous city.

2020: Adults Were Christian

In 2020, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) determined 57% of adults were Christian.

2020: Population Not Living in Incorporated Areas

In Alaska's 2020 U.S. census, 16,655 people, or 2.27% of the population, did not live in an incorporated city or census-designated place.

October 2022: Employment Statistics

As of October 2022, Alaska had a total employment of 316,900 and 21,077 employer establishments.

2022: Christian Population Increased

By 2022, Christianity increased to 77% of the population according to the PRRI.

2022: Estimated Homeless Population

In 2022, HUD reported an estimated 2,320 homeless people in Alaska.

2024: Population of Alaska

As of 2024, Alaska's population is 740,133, making it the most populous territory in North America located mostly north of the 60th parallel.

2024: Cost of Alaska Purchase Equivalent

In 2024, the original purchase price of Alaska in 1867 from Russia for $7.2 million is equivalent to $162 million.

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