MYTHS OF ALASKA

Answer to Situation #1
(1)  False:  There certainly are polar bears, Eskimos and snow in Alaska but no penguins.  (Penguins live south of the equator and then mostly in or near Antarctica which is that place at the bottom of the world – we are at the top of the world.)  We are a large state and in that is great diversity.  In Sitka, the only bears we have are brown bears. The Native Alaskan people indigenous to the Sitka area are the Tlingit (pronounced klink-it.)  Sitka gets some snow every year but it varies from year to year with some years a few inches and other years 36 inches total but not 6 feet, Bill and certainly not in the summer!

(2)   False, sort of:    It is true it can get cold in parts of Alaska in the wintertime.  Some areas get to 40 – 60 degrees below in the winter and others in the 30’s and 40’s above.   (The distinction for the coldest spot in the United States, however, goes to International Falls, Minnesota.)  Sitka is located in an area often referred to as the Banana Belt of Alaska.  (It’s all relative, folks.)

In Sitka, the average temperature in the summer is 65 and the average in winter 40 degrees.   If you are from Phoenix, then yes – you have the right to consider us cold(er).   While we are on the subject of weather, we should mention that we get more rain per year than Phoenix – about 85 inches!   After all, we do live in a temperate rain forest.  By the way, the commute in Sitka is five minutes and our local traffic jam usually occurs at 7:54 AM and is over by 8:02 AM.  How sweet it is! on to situation # 2