Valdez, Alaska
Valdez, Alaska
Suacit | |
|---|---|
An aerial view showing the townsite, the harbor, Port Valdez, the lower Mineral Creek valley, and Blueberry Hill | |
Location of Valdez, Alaska | |
| Coordinates: 61°7′51″N 146°20′54″W / 61.13083°N 146.34833°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Census Area | Chugach |
| Incorporated | June 11, 1901 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Sharon Scheidt |
| • State senator | Mike Shower (R) |
| • State rep. | George Rauscher (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 271.91 sq mi (704.24 km2) |
| • Land | 212.69 sq mi (550.86 km2) |
| • Water | 59.22 sq mi (153.37 km2) |
| Elevation | 98 ft (30 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,985 |
| • Density | 18.74/sq mi (7.23/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP code | 99686 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-82200 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1412465 |
| Website | |
Valdez (/vælˈdiːz/ val-DEEZ; Alutiiq: Suacit) is a city in the Chugach Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. In 2020, the population of Valdez was 3,985, up slightly from 3,976 in 2010. It is the third most populated city in Alaska's Unorganized Borough.
Valdez was named in 1790 after the Spanish Navy Minister Antonio Valdés y Fernández Bazán. A former Gold Rush town, it is located at the head of Port Valdez on the eastern side of Prince William Sound. Valdez was incorporated in 1901, and flourished after the road link to Fairbanks was constructed in 1910. It suffered catastrophic damage during the 1964 Alaska earthquake, and is located near the site of the disastrous 1989 Exxon Valdez oil tanker spill. Today, it is one of the most important ports in Alaska, a commercial fishing port as well as a freight terminal. Valdez is the terminus for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.