Girdwood, Alaska
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Girdwood is an unincorporated ski resort community within the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. It lies in a valley in the Chugach Mountains near the end of the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet, 38 miles (61 km) southeast of Anchorage proper.
It is surrounded by seven permanent glaciers. Summer activities include hiking, fishing and rafting, but Girdwood is best known for winter skiing and snowboarding at Alyeska Resort on Mount Alyeska. Girdwood's population has been described as a quirky mix that includes ski bums, politicians, hippies, and professionals who commute to and from Anchorage. The village has grand plans to expand into a year-round tourist destination, centered around the ski resort and expanded recreational facilities.
The town has served as a backdrop for at least two films: The Chechahcos, a 1924 silent film about the Klondike Gold Rush, and Warren Miller's 1997 Snowriders II. Girdwood is the home of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens and Olympic gold and silver medal-winning skier Tommy Moe.
[edit] History
Originally called "Glacier City", Girdwood was founded as a supply camp for placer gold miners with claims along the creeks feeding Turnagain Arm. It was renamed for Colonel James Girdwood, a Belfast-born, Scottish-Irish entrepreneur and linen merchant who staked the first four gold claims along Crow Creek in 1896.
The town was moved 2.5 miles (4 km) up the valley after the devastating Good Friday Earthquake of 1964, when the land under the original townsite subsided into Turnagain Arm, putting much of the town below high tide. The land has since been reclaimed.
Girdwood incorporated as a city in 1970 and became part of the Municipality of Anchorage when the Greater Anchorage Area Borough unified with the City of Anchorage in 1975.
