Interior Alaska: resting at the heart of the state.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: Regional Review

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The Interior region represents the virtual center of Alaska. The landscape of Interior Alaska is dominated by high mountain ranges and wide river flats. The Alaska Range forms the southern boundary of the region and contains North America's tallest mountain: the 20,320-foot-high Mount McKinley also known as Denali. The Brooks Range rests at the northern end of the region. Located between the two ranges are the expansive Yukon flats, a huge area of wetlands, forest, bog and low-lying ground at the confluence of the Yukon, Porcupine and Chandalar rivers.

The Yukon Flats area, which covers about 11,000 square miles, is protected under the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge. The area is a critical waterfowl-breeding ground and home to a large deposit of crude oil and natural gas, making it a valuable asset to the region.

With its highly continental climate, the Interior's weather is marked by temperature extremes. It has some of the warmest summers in Alaska, as well as some of the lowest winter temperatures. In addition to its variable weather, the Interior is known for the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, Denali National Park and Preserve, the northern lights or aurora borealis, and its gilded past.

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As a region, Interior Alaska encompasses everything from Holy Cross to Tok. Other cities in the area are Fairbanks--known as the Golden Heart City--Anderson, Cantwell, Central, Circle, Delta Junction, Fort Greely, Healy, Livengood, Manley, Nenana, North Pole, Northway and Salcha. Military installations in the Interior include Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, Eielson Air Force Base just outside North Pole and Fort Greely, which is now a missile base.

"The Interior is an enormous region with communities that have very little in common," says Alaska Department of Labor Economist Alyssa Shanks. For example, its largest city, Fairbanks, is metropolitan compared to the rural nature of many other places in the region. Its economy is driven by a mix of stable government jobs, mining, the military, University Alaska Fairbanks and tourism. Denali, which depends on the tourism industry, is totally seasonal. Many of the smaller Interior communities are plagued with high unemployment and a lack of job opportunities.

"It's hard to make sweeping generalizations about the Interior because the places are so far apart and so different," Shanks says.

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