Alaska's relationship to Puget Sound: Pacific Northwest growth is stronger by the year.

• Author: Miller, Amy
• Position: ALASKA TRENDS

When the steamer Portland pulled in to port in Seattle in 1897, it met depression-battered residents with a heavy load of gold from the Klondike and the prospect of new hope in the Last Frontier. Within days, word spread of the massive haul brought ashore by the Portland, kicking off a massive gold rush that lifted Seattle out of the depression nearly overnight.

For nearly 120 years, Alaska and Seattle (or more broadly, the Pacific Northwest) have shared a tight economic relationship. Although gold no longer has much to do with it, the two regions depend mightily on one another for jobs, economic strength, and natural resources. A recent study published on behalf of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and prepared by the McDowell Group called "Ties That Bind: The Enduring Economic Impact of Alaska on the Puget Sound Region" quantifies the kinship between Alaska and its southern sister.

According to the study, Alaska accounted for 113,000 total jobs and $6.2 billion in total labor earnings in the Puget Sound region in 2013. Top industries include shipping, seafood, petroleum, tourism, maritime support, education, and healthcare.

For example, Alaska is critically reliant on the ports of Seattle and Tacoma for the goods Alaskans consume every day, from groceries to automobiles. Between 2009 and 2013, 80 percent of the domestic containerized shipments that left the ports of...