Some 9,000 service members, plus their families, are stationed at Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Air Force Base. Anchorage has all the amenities of other cities its size, including museums, libraries, bus service and plentiful parks. Anchorage is the trade, financial, service and communications center for southcentral Alaska and headquarters for many federal agencies.
Tourism is also a major enterprise.
Anchorage lies only seven degrees longitude east of Honolulu and is on the same latitude as Oslo and St. Petersburg. The city is adjacent to the Chugach National Forest, the second largest national forest in the United States. With peaks rising to 13,000 feet, the Chugach Mountain Range east of the fort provides a spectacular view for Fort Richardson and Anchorage residents. Recreational opportunities abound in these mountains and throughout southcentral Alaska.