Juneau Real Estate
About the City
The southeastern area of Alaska was initially inhabited by theAuke and Taku tribes, hunter-gatherer tribes that lived in the region for thousands of years. Ancestors of the Tlingit Indians, the Auke and Taku tribes were known for their rich and diverse cultural heritage, which included singing and dancing, and, quite possibly, a legal system which honoured laws similar to present-day intellectual copyright protection.
The Alexander Archipelago, located near the southeastern coast of the state, on the Pacific Ocean, is an area of geological interest. An archipelago is a group of islands, that are formed when the tips of oceanic mountains rise above the surface of the sea. The island chain was named after the Russian fur trader, Alexander Baranov, who was the first European to claim the area in the early nineteenth century. The area would be named after Joe Juneau, a Quebecois miner, who headed to Alaska to seek his fortune as a prospector. With the help of his Native American guide, Chief Kowee, he negotiated the wilderness in search of gold in the southeastern section of the region. It would not be until 1880, however, that the pair would strike gold, eventually transporting over one thousand pounds of gold ore back to their financial backer, in Sitka.
In October 1880, Joe Juneau and his gold mining partner, Richard Harris, set up base camp in the area that would later become the city of Juneau. Initially, the small town was named Harrisburg, in honor of Harris, and was later renamed Rockwell, only to be finally renamed Juneau, in 1881, after Joe Juneau. By this time, a gold mining camp had been firmly established and the underground mines, which would remain open until the 1940s, were excavated. The gold mines were shut down during the Second World War, as part of the American government’s attempt to save resources for the war effort.
During the twentieth century, the area grew rather rapidly and, when Alaska was granted Statehood in 1959, the city experienced a population explosion. This growth, however, would slow during the 1960s and, in 1970, the communities of Douglas, the City of Juneau and Greater Juneau Bureau were amalgamated into what is now the City of Juneau.
Juneau Fast Facts*
Total Area: 3,255.0 Square miles
Population: 30,711 people divided into 11,543 households. Average temperatures: July
Housing: 12,282 units
Median income: $62, 034
Average temperature: January: 31F/21F July 64F/49F
Average precipitation: January: 4.81 inches; July: 3.36 inches