Alaska Railroad | Glenn Aronwits

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.

  • Conde Nast put Anchorage at the top of its list as part of 23 Places to Go in 2023.
  • Anchorage is No. 37 on Fortune’s 2023 Best Places to Live for Families - which looked at 1,900 U.S. communities.
  • 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 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.

  • 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 – part of the municipality – 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.

Scenic Drives

Ready to see the sights? Each of these scenic trip ideas starts the day in Anchorage, and could have you back...

Outdoors

A visit to Anchorage is a full-on adventure! With more than 60 glaciers within 50 miles of downtown, a salmon...