Juneau

Juneau, city, coextensive with Juneau Borough, southeastern Alaska, in the Panhandle region, capital of the state and a port on Gastineau Channel opposite Douglas Island; incorporated 1900. Located at the base of Mount Roberts and of Mount Juneau, the city is the commercial and distribution center for the Panhandle region. Industries include government activities, fishing and fish processing, lumbering, mining, and tourism. Transportation to and from the city is principally by boat or airplane. Juneau is the site of the University of Alaska, Southeast (1956); the Alaska State Museum; and the Last Chance Mining Museum. Mendenhall Glacier and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve are nearby.

In 1880 Joseph Juneau and Richard Harris discovered gold in the area, which led to the development of the settlement as a gold-mining town. Juneau was officially made the capital of the territory of Alaska in 1900, but government offices were not moved here from Sitka until six years later. When Alaska entered the Union in 1959, Juneau was retained as the state capital. In 1970 Juneau's boundaries were greatly extended, making it one of the largest communities in area in the U.S. (land area 1990, 6,716 sq km/2,594 sq mi). Population 19,528 (1980); 26,751 (1990); 30,711 (2000); 30,987 (2005 estimate).