Photograph (above) Courtesy of Holly Van Pelt

Photograph (below) Courtesy of Christina Whiting

The Homer Spit, pictured below, features the longest road into ocean waters in the entire world. 

Photographs (below) Courtesy of Holly Van Pelt

   

The City of Valdez, population 4,353, is located in South Central Alaska on the northeast tip of Prince William Sound.  On the road system, Valdez is 305 road miles east of Anchorage, and 364 road miles south of Fairbanks. It lies at approximately 61.130830° North Latitude and -146.34833° West Longitude. The City encompasses 222.0 square miles of land and 55.1 square miles of water.Valdez is also no stranger to playing host the military members of Alaska. 

The City was founded just prior to the turn of the 20th century as a gateway to the “All-American Route” to interior gold and copper fields. Incorporated since 1901, the community’s first hundred years have been marked by a number of significant events the most notable of which are the 1964 Alaska Earthquake, being chosen as the terminus of the trans-Alaska Pipeline and the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

The 800 mile long Trans Alaska Pipeline (TAPS) is one of the world's largest pipeline systems.  Starting in Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope, TAPS stretches through rugged and beautiful terrain to Valdez, the northernmost ice-free port in North America.  Since pipeline startup in 1977, Alyeska-TAPS' operator - has successfully transported more than 15 billion barrels of oil.  Source Alyeska.

Alyeska's Marine Storage Terminal

Valdez Small Boat Harbor

This area originally was part of the portage route for the Chugach Indians of Prince William Sound traveling to fish the Turnagain Arm. Later the Russians and Americans exploring the region also used this passage. It was used by prospecting miners during the gold rush as it was the quickest passage from the Sound to the Cook Inlet and Interior regions. The city itself is a historical area, established by the U.S. Army during World War II. The Federal railroad to Portage was completed in 1943 and became the primary debarkation point for cargo, troops, and dependents of the Alaska Command.

In 1948 the military began construction of the first of two buildings for their military personnel as the Port of Whittier was then recognized as an ice-free, deepwater port strategically located to Anchorage and Interior Alaska. This remained active until 1960 at which time the total population was 1200.

The City of Whittier was incorporated in 1969. Today, less than 300 people reside in the town supporting the Alaska State Ferry, the Alaska Railroad, freight barge, commercial fishing, the Small Boat Harbor, recreation and tourism with an annual visiting population of over 700,000.