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1. FAR NORTH! Geography: Larger than Utah, Indiana, and Maryland combined. Or a bit larger than Germany. Mostly uninhabited tundra, ice fields, and mountain ranges. Humanity: Pop. Just over 20,000. Mostly native Inuit or oil workers. Essentially 1 single road. Everything not on this road is reached by plane or snowmobile only. Not much to do except drink and work. Climate: Polar, but tempered by the ocean. In the summer, it can be in the 40-50. In winter, it can be anywhere from -20-60. Vices: Alcoholism and whaling.
2. INTERIOR! Geography: Mostly tundra, endless forest and mountains. Home to the tallest mountain in North America at Denali, over 20,000 feet. Several smaller ecoregions. Humanity: Population just over 100,000. Almost entirely located in and around Fairbanks. The rest is sparsely populated and reachable only by air. Some fun to be had in Fairbanks provided you like to drink a lot. Climate: Both the hottest and coldest part of Alaska. Temperatures as high as 80-90 in the summer and as low as -60-70 in the winter. Vices: Alcohol, drugs, and illegal aerial -hunting.
3. SOUTHWEST! Geography: Roughly the size of California. Mostly consisting of wetlands and tundra. The second largest river delta in the world is here. Volcanic islands and rainforest in the far south. Humanity: Population just about 50,000. Mostly Native American and divided up amongst several small villages. Almost no roads whatsoever. This area is difficult to access. Home to Dutch Harbor and the Deadliest Catch. Climate: Much like the interior the further away you get from the coast. The coast is more moderate as far as temperature but prepare to be torn apart by wind and rain that would qualify as an hurricane else where. Routinely. Vices: Alcohol is banned in many areas, so alcoholism. Also illegal fishing and bar fights.
4. SOUTHCENTRAL Geography: Highly diverse. Tundra, mountain ranges that rival Denali, fjords, islands, rainforest, glacial fields the size of some states? It’s all here. Humanity: Population 300,000+ By far the most populous area. Over half of the population of Alaska lives in Anchorage and its far flung suburbs. As much to do in Anchorage as most midsize cities. Bars, concerts, clubs, shopping, etc except with a unique Alaskan twist on city life in those moose walking along the highway and bears going through the dumpster at your apartment complex. Climate: Mostly temperate. Rarely gets above 75, rarely drops below -30. Vices: There was a large migration of gangs from LA to Anchorage in the 80s and 90s seeking to take advantage of the low police presence and locals generally ignorant to criminal activity. The result is gangs, drugs, and violence in shady corners of Anchorage. Also alcoholism.
5. SOUTHEAST! Geography: Roughly as large as Maine. Consists of countless small islands and a thin strip of coast on the mainland. Dominated by the Tongass, the largest rainforest in North America. Mountains and fjords abound. Humanity: Population about 70,000, mostly in the state capital of Juneau Don’t bother with a car as only two towns can be reached by road, and
Juneau isn’t one of them. We do things by sea here, and the marine highway is our lifeline. This is the cultural capital of Alaska. Home to dozens of quirky fishing villages from the Native American Angoon to the strangely Norwegian Petersburg. Art, music, craft beer, and bonfires abound. Climate: Mild. Rarely gets above 75 and rarely drops below 20. More rain than snow. Vices: Drugs of the mushroom variety, folk music, and of course alcoholism.
