Cities and towns in Alaska and the RFE are closer to each other than they are to their own national capitals. Russia governed Alaska as a colony for almost as long as the United States has now governed Alaska as a territory and state. Alaska has many historic Russian buildings. There are active Russian Orthodox Churches in some 80 Alaska communities, many of which still use the old-style Russian Orthodox calendar and celebrate Christmas on what is marked as Jan. 7 in Western calendars. Many of Alaska's native peoples who lived in the regions colonized by Russia have Russian surnames, stemming from the days when they were colonial subjects of the czar and many intermarried.
Russian names mark Alaska's geographical landscape.
Except during the Cold War, Alaska and Russian natives on either side of the Bering Strait carried on with routine visits, seasonal festivals and subsistence trade. The University of Alaska has more Russian students at its campuses than any other university in the United States. Much of the flora and fauna and geology in Alaska are similar to the Russian Far East and eastern Siberia. Alaska serves as the U.S. gateway for all flights between the Russian Far East and the United States.