First incorporated in 1920, Anchorage is still a young city. The median age of 30 years and an aggressive style make it---not the capital city of Juneau---the state's power center. Nearly everything was built in the last few decades. An Anchorage home dating from the 1950s almost merits historic status. In addition to acting as the center for oil development in the state, Anchorage hustles its living as a government, banking, transportation, and communications hub.

Anchorage residents are primarily from elsewhere in America---including oil workers from such conservative oil-patch states as Oklahoma and Texas---and the attitudes they bring have added fuel to the fire of the conservative, pro-development mentality that characterizes the city, and Alaska, as a whole. Although representing less than 8% of the population, Alaskan Native peoples add an important cultural dimension. A growing Asian population is also having an impact, with well-stocked Asian food stores and restaurants an increasingly familiar sight.