Anchorage Accolades

Alaska boasts a lot of superlatives: biggest state, tallest North American mountain, highest concentration of glaciers. But another tends to get attached to Anchorage: best.

• Travel + Leisure named Anchorage to its 50 Best Places to Travel in 2025 list.
• Alaska is on Conde Nast Traveler's 25 Best Places to Go in 2025, and features many new developments and special anniversaries in Anchorage.
• Separately, Condé Nast Traveler named the Anchorage Museum one of the best museums in the U.S. in 2025.
• Anchorage made Fortune’s 2024 Best Places to Live for Families - the second consecutive year for inclusion.
• Anchorage is in the top of the pack on WalletHub's list of Happiest Cities in America, 2023.
• Livability ranked Anchorage as a Best City to Live in the USA - No. 23 in 2023.
• Buzzfeed's 2023 list of underrated cities includes Anchorage, with an anonymous commenter adding "It has the perfect mix of city and nature."
• In 2022, Lonely Planet called Anchorage "America’s ultimate winter adventure-land."
• Travel + Leisure named Alaska's Coast as one of the top 50 places to visit in 2021.
• Resonance Consulting put Anchorage at number six in a nationwide ranking of America’s Best Small Cities in 2020.
• Expedia named Anchorage one of the "15 Best Places to Experience American Culture."
• Bicycling Magazine hailed Anchorage’s trail system as one of the best in the U.S.
• The League of American Bicyclists designated Anchorage a silver-level Bicycle Friendly City
• The National Civic League recognized Anchorage as an All-America City in 1956, 1965, 1984, and 2002.
   

Accolades don’t end at the edge of Anchorage, either.

• Powder magazine put Alyeska atop their 2024 roundup for Alaska ski destinations.
• The Glenn Highway and the Seward Highway leading out of Anchorage are each designated as National Scenic Byways.
• With many trips departing the Anchorage depot, the Alaska Railroad arrived at number 18 on the New York Times' list of 52 places to visit in 2023.
• AFAR's "Ultimate Alaska Roadtrip" begins and ends in Anchorage.
• Girdwood was recognized by SmarterTravel.com as one of "10 Great Mountain Towns."
• Alyeska Resort got the nod from Travel + Leisure as one of America’s Best Ski Hotels.

These awards aren't the only evidence of Anchorage's appeal, there's a lot of "ink" on Anchorage as a destination.