Talk:Neighborhoods of Anchorage, Alaska
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[edit] Hmm...
I don't think this list is at all useful as it stands. Most of the articles will never be created, because it's a list of community councils, which are just lines on a map, not communities themselves, and have no existence or significance outside the narrow context of Participation in Local Affairs (except by coincidences of naming).
Example: if the Hillside were to get an independent article, all the info would logically go into Hillside (Anchorage) or Anchorage Hillside or similar. Even encouraging the existence of Huffman/O'Malley, Hillside East, Mid-O'Malley, and Bear Valley for the very little that specifically pertains to each strikes me as a little silly.
Really, what could you say? "(Wossname) is a community council area in Anchorage, established by the Federation of Community Councils in 19(notverylongago). It's bounded by (such and such roads). It contains 0-1 landmarks, and (something in Anchorage) is it."
I suggest shortening the list by merging or renaming entries per above ("Basher"? What the heck is "Basher"? Basher is a road. AFAIK the neighborhood is Stuckagain Heights, period), removing those that aren't part of actual named, notable-even-in-Anchorage areas (e.g., Tudor Area goes), and adding missing ones regardless of whether they have their own CC or not.
Thoughts? Or should I just go ahead and do it? Zero Gravitas 22:38, 20 February 2006 (UTC)
- All right, I did. I'm pretty sure I got all the actual neighborhoods. I'm not entirely convinced "North Star" is really a neighborhood of itself, but I left it in. —Zero Gravitas 09:00, 24 February 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Possible Solutions to the Notoriety Issue
Hello, thought I might comment on the neighborhood notoriety issue some, I've been following it awhile. As a long-time Anchorage resident, I somewhat agree with the changes already made. I have heard of the "North Star" neighborhood, but am unfamilliar with its notoriety. I would suggest combining the "Oceanview" and "Bayshore" neighborhoods since they are in basically the same area near the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, though I might dispute the notoriety of that area too, it being only subdivision development; that area might get a little notoriety for its proximity to the ACWR and its relevance to a local controversy regarding the extension of bicycle trails, but to non-Anchorage residents, that probably wouldn't qualify as notoriety.
Basing articles on the Community Councils map is a good start, but probably not the best way to pin down the truly notable neighborhoods. When I think of "Anchorage Neighborhoods," the names "Downtown," "Midtown (Anchorage) Midtown," "Spenard," "South Anchorage," "Sand Lake-Dimond area," "Hillside," "Fairview," "Mountain View," and "Turnagain" come to mind. The communities outside the Anchorage Bowl (especially Girdwood) should have their own articles as well.
Articles that could definitely be written, and are needed the most are the Downtown (central business district; original townsite), Midtown (financial center; office district; lots of shops, restaurants, galleries, clubs) and Turnagain (huge chunk of neighborhood slid into the Cook Inlet during the 1964 quake--need I say more?) neighborhoods. The University-Medical District (U-Med) might qualify due to presence of UAA and Providence, and the locally infamous Lake Otis-Tudor intersection, but I think the name itself is only really used by urban planners, real estate salespeople, and for bus route planning, for now. I think enough locals make reference to the Hillside for it to qualify, especially helpful to tourists or newcomers to the city, and it has its own unique issues. Other than those, most of the other neighborhoods have been around long enough to dig up some history on, and I could think of a few notable things about them also. I own several printed books about Anchorage and its history, and if helpful, I can list them here later.
Reliable Internet sources on the neighborhoods are scarce and hard to come by, though, making citations difficult. I could help out by starting some articles as stubs, but maturity of these articles might take some extra research. Anyone with paid access to the Anchorage Daily News archives, or residents with local library cards could help a bunch! These people could also really help with the History of Anchorage, Alaska article as well. Good luck! --Ak49north 08:22, 1 October 2007 (UTC)
