Explore the Neighborhoods of Anchorage, Alaska

Founded a little over a century ago, Anchorage, Alaska, is a young city whose neighborhoods offer a newness and spaciousness you won’t find in denser, older urban areas.

Urban districts this far north are spread out and subtly influenced by the yawning wilderness that surrounds them. Moreover, you might be surprised at just how cosmopolitan some of them are: Anchorage is home to the single most statistically diverse neighborhood in the US.

Here are six Anchorage neighborhoods where you can sample some of the city’s unique flavors.

Downtown

Best neighborhood for history and museums

Downtown may be the only neighborhood visitors see when using Anchorage as a base for excursions elsewhere in the state. Here, you’ll find the bulk of the city’s expensive hotels, the state’s best museum, and all the requisite shops and restaurants. While on the low-rise, low-key side, the area has its quirks, such as the world’s only urban king salmon fishery at Ship Creek.

Ship Creek is where Anchorage began as a tent camp in 1915; the settlement soon relocated to more stable bluffs south of the river. These bluffs are home to some of the oldest buildings still standing in town, including the Oscar Anderson house (now a museum), one of the first solid structures to grace the urban grid. Nearby, another historic property, the Copper Whale Inn, offers one of Downtown’s more atypical accommodation options.

Until the 1920s, forest flourished right up to the edge of 10th Avenue, and what is now Delaney Park between present-day 9th and 10th Avenues served as a firebreak. The more spread-out residential neighborhood that lies to the south – referred to as the South Addition – was built in the 1930s and ’40s.

Midtown

Best neighborhood for reasonably priced accommodation

Located three miles south of Downtown, Midtown is a symmetrical grid of shopping malls, chain hotels, and modern bar-grills plying craft beer and burgers. What it lacks in dashing good looks, it makes up for with convenience.

With a growing number of affordable, mid-range hotels, this neighborhood can offer better value than Downtown, as long as you’re up for a bit of urban walking. You won’t have to roam far to eat well. Midtown and its adjacent neighborhoods of North Star and Taku-Campbell boast several decent breakfast spots and a good stash of Korean restaurants, which is an Anchorage specialty.

The neighborhood’s only real green spot is the 15-acre Cuddy Family Midtown Park, which features a giant kids’ playground and a waterfowl-filled lagoon. The southeastern corner of the district is brushed by the 7-mile Campbell Creek Trail, the western gateway to the rawer realm of Far North Bicentennial Park.

Hillside

Best neighborhood for trailheads into the wilderness

Spending time in Hillside in southeastern Anchorage feels like having one foot in the wilderness and one foot in an Alaskan version of Bel-Air. This neighborhood is adjacent to the valleys and peaks of Chugach State Park and consists of some of the city’s most sought-after homes, featuring sweeping views and sprawling lots.

Set apart from the city’s main retail and commercial districts, Hillside is more suited for activity-focused day trips than random wandering. Far North Bicentennial Park, Anchorage’s largest, contains a wildlife preserve and a small nonprofit ski area inside its 4,000 acres. Densely forested and rich in fauna, it seems way too wild to be within the city limits.

The majority of visitors and locals gravitate a little further south to the Glen Alps Trailhead to tackle the craggy face of Flattop Mountain. Considered Anchorage’s ultimate fitness test, Flattop is a short, rough climb to a wide, rocky summit from which paragliders launch into the sky, making it popular with intrepid hikers in summer.

Spenard

Best neighborhood for nightlife

One of the metro area’s more independently minded neighborhoods, Spenard has a character that stems from its status as a separate city until the mid-1970s. While Anchorage began life as a tent city, Spenard grew as a lumber camp. The area takes its name from a Canadian businessman named Joe Spenard, who built the area’s original logging road in the 1910s.

By Alaskan standards, its personality is positively bohemian. At Bear Tooth Theatrepub, you can eat chicken-chipotle tacos and drink craft beer while enjoying the latest films. Nearby, diners can explore Tibetan cuisine at Yak & Yeti Cafe, while establishments like Middle Way Cafe offer a menu filled with vegetarian and vegan options.

When it comes to nightlife, Spenard might be the best place in Anchorage to enjoy the local scene, with places like Chilkoot Charlie’s providing an eccentric atmosphere for drinking, dancing, and live music.

Turnagain

Best neighborhood for coastal vistas

Though airport-adjacent districts are often overlooked by travelers, Anchorage’s Turnagain neighborhood is an exception. Situated at the western tip of the Anchorage peninsula, it provides access to the beautiful Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, which offers the quintessential Anchorage bike ride.

This area also showcases a tragic chapter of the city’s past: in 1964, a significant earthquake destroyed numerous houses in Turnagain Heights. The event is memorialized in Earthquake Park, which overlooks the mudflats of Knik Arm. Turnagain has rebounded since the seismically unstable ’60s and today is among the city’s more expensive areas.

Closer to the airport, the Alaska Aviation Museum is located on the south shore of Lake Hood, the world’s busiest seaplane base. Additionally, a strip of comfortable mid-range hotels lined along Spenard Road offers free airport shuttles, providing visitors with convenient access to the area.

Mountain View

Best neighborhood for diverse cuisine

A neighborhood 2 miles from Downtown that’s rarely visited by outsiders, Mountain View is more intriguing than first impressions would suggest. Notably, a study in the 2010s concluded it was one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the US, with a rich tapestry of cultures including Native Alaskans, Asians, and recent arrivals from various countries.

While not primarily designed for tourists, Mountain View can be included in a short afternoon trip from Downtown. Cycle the Ship Creek Bike Trail to its eastern terminus and explore Mountain View Dr, filled with ethnic grocery stores and small restaurants, until you find a delightful place to eat. Hawaiian-themed eateries and German bakeries offer a taste of the diverse culinary landscape present in this vibrant community.