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Alaska Boroughs
Alaska is divided into nineteen organized boroughs and one "Unorganized Borough." The Borough Act of 1961 created "The Unorganized Borough" including all of Alaska not within a Unified, Home rule, First class or Second class Borough. The newest borough is Petersburg incorporated after voters approved borough formation in December 2012. Alaska and Louisiana are the only states that do not call their first-order administrative subdivisions counties (Louisiana uses parishes instead)Lake And Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Lake And Peninsula Borough Education, Geography, and History
Lake and Peninsula Borough is a borough located in the state of Alaska. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 1,631. The borough was created in 1989. The borough seat of King Salmon is actually located in neighboring Bristol Bay Borough, although is not the seat of that borough. Lake and Peninsula was named for the boroughs' many large lakes, and the Alaska Peninsula.
Etymology - Origin of Lake And Peninsula Borough Name
Lake and Peninsula Borough encompasses approximately 23,782 square miles of land (roughly the size of West Virginia) and 7,125 square miles of water, which is extending 400 miles from Lake Clark in the north to Ivanof Bay in the south. It contains three National Parks (Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park & Preserve, and Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve); two National Wildlife Refuges (Becharof National Wildlife Refuge and Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge); and many designated Wild and Scenic Rivers and State Critical surroundings Areas.
The most populous community that actually lies within the borough is the city of Nondalton. With an average of 0.0296 inhabitants/km2 (0.0767/sq mi), the Lake and Peninsula Borough is the second least densely populated organized county-equivalent in the United States; only the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, which is unorganized, has a lower density.
Demographics:
County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts
History of Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Located in southwest of Anchorage along the Alaska Peninsula, the Lake and
Peninsula Borough encompasses approximately 23,782 square miles of land (roughly
the size of West Virginia) and 7,125 square miles of water, which is extending
400 miles from Lake Clark in the north to Ivanof Bay in the south. It contains
three National Parks (Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Katmai National Park
& Preserve, and Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve); two National Wildlife
Refuges (Becharof National Wildlife Refuge and Alaska Peninsula National
Wildlife Refuge); and many designated Wild and Scenic Rivers and State Critical
surroundings Areas. The Lake and Peninsula Borough is geographically and
ecologically different. It is bordered on the west by Bristol Bay and on the
east by the Pacific Ocean. The Bristol Bay coast is comprised of low lying
wetlands and the rugged Pacific coast is dominated by various volcanoes of the
Aleutian Range, which runs the length of the Borough from Lake Clark to Ivanof
Bay. Iliamna Lake, located in the north, is the largest fresh water lake in
Alaska and the second largest in the United States. Iliamna Lake is home to one
of only two colonies of freshwater seals in the world. These lakes provide
nurseries to the largest red salmon runs in the world.
The Lake and Peninsula Borough provides large amounts of high quality habitat
that support a unique amount of flora and fauna. The Bristol Bay region is
acknowledged as a world leader
The Caribou and salmon productivity of commercial fishing, sport fishing and
hunting, bear viewing, recreation and tourism, and subsistence are important
economic activities that rely on the bounty of the Borough's landscape. Salmon
spawning streams attract some of the largest concentrations of brown bear in
Alaska. Approximately 10,000 brown (grizzly) bears inhabit the region, making
them more abundant than people. Plentiful moose and caribou dwell in the region.
Other mammals include wolves, wolverines, river otters, red fox, and beaver. Sea
otters, sea lions, harbor seals and migratory whales occupy the shoreline and
offshore waters. Coastal estuaries are home to waterfowl while nesting eagles,
peregrine falcons, and thousands of seabirds reside in the sea cliffs.
Geography: Land and Water
The borough has a total area of 32,922 square miles (85,270 km2), of which 23,652 square miles (61,260 km2) is land and 9,270 square miles
(24,000 km2) (28.2%) is water. Its land area is larger than that of San Bernardino County, California, the largest county in the contiguous Lower 48
states, and almost as large as the state of West Virginia.
Neighboring Boroughs
Bordering boroughs are as follows:
- Bethel Census Area, Alaska - north
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska - east
- Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska - southeast
- Aleutians East Borough, Alaska - west
- Bristol Bay Borough, Alaska - west
- Dillingham Census Area, Alaska - west
Education
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