Kodiak, Alaska

Kodiak is a city in Alaska located on beautiful Kodiak Island, and is separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The city is part of Alaska's Kodiak Island Borough (pop. 14,000). While the largest town on the island is Kodiak, there are other island communities as well including Ahkiok, Old Harbor, Karluk, Larsen Bay, Port Lions, and Ouzinki.

The Kodiak city population exceeds 6,000 residents and the median household income for residents is estimated at $55,142; the median family income is $60,484. The center of the city's economy is the commercial fishing industry (Kodiak is the second most lucrative fisheries port in Alaska and fourth most lucrative in the nation), although the United States Coast Guard station (Integrated Support Command Kodiak) also drives important economic activity.

Kodiak Island is often referred to as "Alaska's Emerald Isle" because of its beauty. The city is known for its ample rain which creates lush green during the summer months. Most of the island is a national wildlife refuge; the famous Kodiak Bear and the Kodiak king crab are native to the island. The Karluk River is famous for its salmon run, and Kodiak fisheries are filled with salmon, halibut, and crab. In addition to the fishing, hunting (for Sitka black-tailed deer, elk, and goats) and berry-picking (salmonberry, blueberry, and high- and low-bush cranberry) are common summer and fall activities. Logging, ranching, numerous canneries, and some copper mining are also prevalent.

Kodiak is the ancestral land of the Koniaga, an Alutiiq nation, and Kodiak's cultural traditions and history can be discovered by visiting the Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository, the Baranov Museum, and the Kodiak Military History Museum. The oldest Russian structure in North America, Baranov House, which served as a store and commissary for the fur-trading outpost beginning around 1808, is another famous site located in Kodiak.