Skagway (originally spelled Skaguay) is the Tlingit name meaning "the place where the north wind blows." Incorporated in 1900, it is the oldest incorporated city in Alaska. Skagway, often called the "Gateway to the Klondike" lies at the most northern end of the inside passage in South Eastern Alaska. A waterway stretching for more than 1000 miles.
Skagway is located 90 miles northeast of Juneau at the head of Taiya Inlet, the northernmost end of the Lynn Canal. It lies 95 air miles north of Juneau, and 108 paved road miles south of Whitehorse, just west of the Canadian border at British Columbia.
A year-round port, Skagway is one of two gateway cities to the Alaska Highway in Southeast Alaska because the Klondike Highway connects Skagway with the Alaska Highway. Haines, also located on the Lynn Canal, is the other gateway city and is connected to the Alaska Highway via the Haines Highway.
The tourist industry is flourishing in Skagway as a port of call for cruise ships and a transfer site for interior bus tours. During 1997, approximately 430,000 cruise ship passengers visited Skagway. In 1976, the Klondike Gold Rush Historical Park prompted a restoration of downtown buildings which contributed much to the present historical ambiance of Skagway.
Within Skagway's downtown historical district, false-fronted buildings and boardwalks dating from gold rush times line the streets. The National Park Service, the City of Skagway and local residents have succeeded in retaining Skagway's Klondike atmosphere.
The Klondike Highway and Alaska Highway provide a connection through British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, Canada, to the lower 48 states or north to Alaska's Interior. Skagway can be accessed by air, road, water, and rail services. The State of Alaska owns the 3,750' paved runway and a seaplane base, with scheduled air taxis. Skagway also receives regular State ferry and barge services. A ferry terminal, cruise ship dock, and a small boat harbor are available as well.
Today Skagway has modern schools, churches, a clinic, a bank and a post office, and the city maintains a four-person police force to ensure 24 hour service to residents and visitors alike.
Skagway hosts over 700,000 tourists a year, and because Skagway's history and scenic beauty is unsurpassed, you, too will experience and realize the friendliness and peacefulness of the valley the people of Skagway call home. You might never want to leave!
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