Alaska Railbelt: where most Alaskans live.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: REGIONAL REVIEW - City overview

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The Alaska Railroad links ports and communities throughout Alaska, running from the Kenai Peninsula Borough all the way up to the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The region served by the Railroad is known as the "Railbelt," and is home to about 70 percent of Alaska's population.

The Railroad stretches more than 500 miles from the coastal community of Seward to the wilderness of Denali National Park before reaching its terminus in the Interior city of Fairbanks. Other Railbelt communities along the Railroad's route include Portage, Whittier, Girdwood, Anchorage, Wasilla, Willow, Talkeetna, Hurricane, Healy and Nenana.

STARTING POINT

Seward serves as the southernmost point of the Railbelt region, marking Mile One of the Alaska Railroad route. The thriving community is well-known for its historic designation. The city was named after William H. Seward, the U.S. Secretary of State who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia during the Lincoln administration.

Located at the head of Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula, Seward is one of Alaska's oldest communities. The city was founded in 1903 as an ocean terminus for the Alaska Railroad. It has since developed a diverse economy that relies heavily on tourism and commercial and sport fishing.

Seward's economy is faring relatively well, according to Mayor Clark Corbridge. "Seward's economy seems to be doing better than expected during this national downturn," Corbridge says. "Many businesses are experiencing decreases compared to business a year ago. Generally, my impression is that those businesses which have been most thoughtful and best-prepared have experienced less downturn than others."

As a city, Seward's strength is its people, Corbridge says. "Seward has more than its share of very nice, intelligent, willing-to-be-involved citizens. Their efforts make Seward an amazingly forward-looking, progressive community."

Such forward thinking is leading the city to consider a number of concerns. One of the most critical concerns is the decrease in the number of young people in the Seward, Corbridge says. "This has predictable consequences in areas as diverse as numbers of latch key children, school funding, availability of housing for middle-income citizens and jobs suitable for recent high school graduates," he says. "The city is working to find solutions to these concerns."

Seward is also working to improve the quality of life for its residents. Two of its most...