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Current Population: 2,693 (2010)
Borough Located In: Kenai Peninsula Borough
Taxes: 4% Sales, 3% Borough, Bed 4%

Location and Climate
Seward is situated on Resurrection Bay on the east coast of the Kenai Peninsula, 125 highway miles south of Anchorage. It lies at the foot of Mount Marathon, and is the gateway to the Kenai Fjords National Park. Bear Creek and Lowell Point are adjacent to Seward. The community lies at approximately 60.104170° North Latitude and -149.442220° West Longitude (Sec. 10, T001S, R001W, Seward Meridian). Seward is located in the Seward Recording District. The area encompasses 14.4 sq. miles of land and 7.1 sq. miles of water.

Seward experiences a maritime climate. Winter temperatures average from 17 to 38; summer temperatures average 49 to 63. Annual precipitation includes 66 inches of rain and 80 inches of snowfall

History, Culture and Demographics
Resurrection Bay was named in 1792 by Russian fur trader and explorer Alexander Baranof. While sailing from Kodiak to Yakutat, he found unexpected shelter in this bay for a storm. He named the Bay Resurrection because it was the Russian Sunday of the Resurrection. Seward was named for U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, 1861-1869, who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. In the 1890s, Capt. Frank Lowell arrived with his family. In 1903, John and Frank Ballaine and a group of settlers arrived to begin construction of a railroad. Seward became an incorporated City in 1912. The Alaska Railroad was constructed between 1915 and 1923, and Seward developed as the ocean terminus and supply center. By 1960, Seward was the largest community on the Peninsula. Tsunamis generated after the 1964 earthquake destroyed the railroad terminal and killed several residents. As an ice-free harbor, Seward has become an important supply center for Interior Alaska.

Seward is primarily a non-Native community, although the Qutekcak Tribe is very active within the community. Seward's annual Fourth of July celebration and its grueling Mount Marathon race attracts participants and visitors worldwide. Other annual events include the Seward Silver Salmon Derby in August and the Polar Bear Jump-Off Festival in January.

According to Census 2010, there were 1,124 housing units in the community and 928 were occupied. Its population was 16.8 percent American Indian or Alaska Native; 68.5 percent white; 3.1 percent black; 2.4 percent Asian; 0.6 percent Pacific Islander; 8.1 percent of the local residents had multi-racial backgrounds. Additionally, 3.6 percent of the population was of Hispanic decent.

Economy and Transportation
As the southern terminus for the Alaska Railroad and road link to Anchorage and the Interior, Seward has long been a transportation center. The economy has diversified with tourism, commercial fishing and processing, ship services and repairs, oil and gas development, an Alaska Railroad Corp. export facility for Usibelli coal, Alaska Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC), a State Prison, and the University of Alaska's Institute of Marine Sciences. The Alaska SeaLife Center, the the Kenai Fjords National Park, and the Mt. Marathon Race and Fourth of July festivities attract visitors. Over 320,000 cruise ship passengers visit Seward annually. 80 residents hold commercial fishing permits.

Seward is connected to the Alaska Highway system by the Seward Highway. Bus and commercial trucking services to and from Anchorage are available daily. Air services and charters are available at the state-owned airport. Two paved runways are utilized; one is 4,240' long by 100' wide, and the other is 2,279' long by 75' wide. The port serves cruise ships, cargo barges, and ocean freighters from Seattle and overseas. The small boat harbor has moorage for 650 boats and 2 boat launch ramps. It is a major transit site for the Alaska Railroad. Seasonal passenger transportation is available by rail.

Backcountry Safaris P.O. Box 1397 Seward, Alaska USA 99664 1-907-205-5900 • Fax 1-907-205-5902