Juneau, Alaska is the states capital city. It is considered a unified city and is situated in the Alaska Panhandle on the Gastineau Channel. During the year 1970, the Borough and City of Juneau was created when the city of Douglas, the city of Juneau and the Greater Juneau Borough merged to form a home rule city. The current Borough and City population is 31,275.
The land area of Juneau is practically as big as the states of Delaware and Rhode island combined. Juneau's downtown sits at sea level at the base of Mount Juneau. Across the channel is Douglas Island.
Juneau went through three name changes. It was called Rockwell and then Harrisburg, after two gold prospectors, and then was renamed Juneau after a different prospector, Joe Juneau. The area's native people, the Tlingit, referred to the region Dzántik'i Héeni, that translates to "river where the flounders gather." Numerous local geographic features take their name from the Tlingit, like for instance the Taku River, that was named after the t'aakh, a cold wind that comes down from the mountains. Auke Bay situated north of Juneau is referred to as Aak'w, that translates to "little lake".
The Juneau mountains vary from 1,100 m to 1,200 m in height. The icefield in Juneau sits on top of these mountains, and is home to over 30 glaciers. Visitors can see a coupe of glaciers, the Lemon Creek Glacier and the Mendenhall Glacier, from the road.
The city of Juneau has served as the state capital ever since the year 1906, at which time the capital was in Sitka. Currently, the biggest employer in the city is the federal, local and state governments. Numerous residents are employed by the state government, municipal government or federal government. The harbors, hospital, airport, school district and the University of Alaska are all run by the government. Around 25% of the city's economy is indirectly and directly dependent on state government offices.
Tourism is mainly seasonal but still contributes significantly to the economy. Cruise ships travel through Juneau between may and September, bringing roughly one million tourists to the area. These tourists normally stay within the city of Juneau only for a short time, up to around 11 hours.
At first, the fishing industry was the dominant industry of the area. Those days saw lots of halibut schooners operating in the area. The fishing industry continues to be vital to the local economy. The city of Juneau is considered the 45th most lucrative US fisheries port by value and 49th by volume. The shellfish and fish caught here is valued at around 20 million dollars on a yearly basis.