Why Anchorage is America's Most OP City

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Special thanks to MapTiler / OpenStreetMap Contributors and GEOlayers 3

[jgw]

Russia didn't necessarily sell Alaska just for money. Russia was concerned that Britain would be able to easily capture the land through Canada at the time so figured selling it to the US would stop Britain which it kind of did but then the US became a bigger problem than Britain in the long term.

[HenryBenedictUSA]

As someone who lived in Anchorage for 15+ years it’s true that the summers are amazing, but you get tired of the winters real quick. It’s one of the most gorgeous places in the world, but it can feel somewhat removed from the rest of the United States.

[NinetooNine]

I am surprised you didn't talk about the fact that Alaska provides 60% of the domestically produced seafood for the US. All of that goes through Anchorage. Or the fact that Alaska has more freshwater than the rest of the USA combined.

Edit:
1.) So it has been pointed out that a significant amount of seafood is shipped directly from the ports where it is caught without going through Anchorage. So it was incorrect to say "All".
2.) I was just wrong on the freshwater numbers. The total freshwater area of 49 states (excluding AK) is around 170 million square miles. The total freshwater area of Alaska is 94 million square miles, so just over half the rest of the USA combined (this includes the areas of the great lakes that the USA claims). The next state with the highest total surface area is Michigan with around 40 million square miles and it falls off pretty hard from there with Florida with around 12 million square miles.

[sarahjim]

Anchorage resident from 1971-2011. I remember driving out to a hillside near the airport with my parents and watching the first 747 to our little burg touchdown at the airport in the early 70's. It was a big deal.

[Kyotosomo]

I can't believe the Devs are gonna buff Anchorage in the upcoming global warming patch when it's already near the top of the meta and players have been begging for a nerf for years, literally unplayable.

[Dutchovenderlinde]

As someone who grew up in Anchorage, I can definitely attest that while it sucks to live in, its strategic importance has always been a huge point of emphasis. The military actually makes up a big part of its economy as the Army and Air Force have a huge joint base just north of downtown. And the fact it's still such an important cargo hub is cool. My wife and I actually lived in a house that was just east of one of the runways and I would see 747s all the time. I even caught a picture of the Antonov An-225 (the largest airplane in the world) right above our house. I don't miss much about Anchorage (moved out of Alaska in 2019) but I always tell people that it's such an important place even today.

[highwayheaven]

It’s quite interesting how cities such as Anchorage that we generally don’t discuss in real life are so important to governments around the world. Kind of makes you feel better if you got transferred to some of these places for work because you know that you are a part of something much bigger than yourself.

[DanRichter]

I almost completely failed to realize how close some countries are to each other just because I've always looked at a standard 2D map instead of a globe.

[DoiInthanon]

I knew Alaska was important to control due to its numerous mineral and chemical resources. But I didn’t fathom how crucial it was on a global scale from its location. Very informative video!

[gullscomic]

Anchorage has the very unique blend of being a mountain and a coast city. I love the grit of this city. The salt air with the mountain backdrop, throw in some Northern lights, and well, THAT'S a city!

[gbaby-]

After flying up to Alaska, I noticed how busy the airport really was. I saw a few large airports in other parts of the states, but Anchorage had an incredible airport with all sorts of interior decorations and shops, it was incredible.

[Haromour]

You know the funny thing about the cargo air spot is that Alaska is consistently not included in free shipping despite that fact.

[ChairmanMeow]

For those interested, russia didnt really sell alaska for the $$ . I mean technically yea, but the real reason was they were scared Britain would take it over through Canada. So they thought they'd be better off with America having it than Britain. Worked fine for the time, but a century

[MachinaGirlRobots]

I was born and raised in Anchorage, however I was a military brat so after a certain age I eventually lived in 7 different states, many cities...I have to say the ONLY one I love and miss and adore is Anchorage.

[MrBucketHat]

As an Alaskan, I always thought that Alaska, while fascinating, was never going to be a big place for the USA. It was always that state that got brought up when talking about the American purchase of the land, and then never again. It was always this quaint piece of land that I lived in. Now that I hear this, I think that it could be in my lifetime when Alaska becomes one of the biggest places in the world, and I could be there to say what it was like before, so that's really nice to hear.

[rogerf]

As nature-lover visiting from California, I found nature in Alaska--even in the outskirts of Anchorage in the winter--to be as exotic as the tropics and stunningly beautiful but chilling to the bone.

[edwardblair]

It's not just that planes can refuel in Anchorage as they go by, it's that you can fill a plane full with goods going to multiple destinations, send it and others to Alaska, and then fill up planes with goods from many sources to get to their final destinations. So the same flight into, say, Mexico City could have goods shipped in from both Tokyo and London.

[CheapCharlieChronicles]

I didn't know Alaska was so important. Interesting.

[russalarya]

With the Russian airspace now closed to Western aircrafts, Anchorage could once again play a role in connecting East Asia to the Western world

[AverytheCubanAmerican]

One thing you didn't mention for Alaska downsides (and Anchorage in particular) is their supply chain, they produce only a small portion of their food locally and are completely dependent on supplies being brought up by the ship load. Anchorage's port kind of sucks because Cook Inlet is a shallow silt bed, which requires constant dredging to maintain functional operations. This means they are extremely vulnerable in the case of a disaster (think another mega earthquake, a war or any other large supply chain interrupting event), in the case of their supply chain being cut, the non-subsistence lifestyle people (or at any rate, non-preppers with no wilderness skills) would be facing starvation in a matter of a couple months, possibly weeks.