Alaska's cities
Valdez, Alaska
Oil-supported city is surrounded by Prince William Sound's beauty
By Steve Edwards / Anchorage Daily News
Valdez, Alaska, is connected with two of the state's most famous disasters -- the 1964 earthquake and the 1989 oil spill -- but it's steeped in history much deeper than that.
The Good Friday earthquake in 1964 destroyed the town. Things were so bad after the 9.2 magnitude quake that the town picked up, moved about two miles and was re-established on more solid ground.
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill was one of the most devastating disasters in Alaska's history. Miles of beach were spoiled and thousands of animals killed or injured.
Today, Valdez is a thriving community that looks back at its Gold Rush history and toward the future. Spend a little time in this city and you'll get a glimpse of true Alaska, although some have described the area as a "northern Hawaii" for its green-covered hills.
Because of that natural beauty, visitors flock to the area for all-Alaska activities such as fishing, kayaking, rafting, flightseeing and glacier cruises.
"It is one of the most beautiful places on the face of the Earth," said Pam Lunt, facility coordinator for the Valdez Civic Center and co-owner of Boomtown The Show. "The mountains and setting of this place is just so beautiful. It just takes your breath away."
The local chamber of commerce hosts three fishing derbies during the summer, giving away $10,000 first-place prizes in both the halibut and silver salmon derbies.
For the more studious, Valdez hosts the annual Last Frontier Theatre Conference at Prince William Sound Community College. The conference brings together aspiring playwrights for a workshop.
The Valdez Museum and the Museum Annex provide history buffs information about the city's past. Highlights include information about the oil spill, the earthquake and the town's connection to the gold rush. It was the starting point for the All-America route for gold seekers at the turn of the century.
Miners also discovered large deposits of copper and silver, leading to the founding of the Kennecott Mine near McCarthy. McCarthy, in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, is reachable by road from the Richardson Highway.
Valdez is a community of contrasts.
While some consider the summer beauty equal to Hawaii, others think winter is when the area really shines. Downtown Valdez often gets up to 30 feet of snow during the winter.
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