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Welcome to Valdez-Cordova Area,Alaska
A Proud Part of the Genealogy Trails
Group
Welcome to the Genealogy Trails website for the Valdez-Cordova census area in Alaska.
Our goal is to help you track your ancestors through time by transcribing genealogical and historical data and
placing it online for the free use of all researchers. This is a continuation of our original Illinois Trails History and Genealogy Project
and we are excited about this opportunity to expand into other states.
We welcome your feedback and comments, and of course, your data contributions. If you have transcribed data that
you would like to have posted on this website, please send it to us.
If you would like to be kept informed of our state and county website updates, subscribe to our mailing lists
This Site is Available for Adoption!
We are looking for a coordinator for this site.... folks who share our dedication to putting data online and are
interested in helping this project be as helpful and useful to researchers as it can be. If you are interested
in joining our group as host of this site, view our Volunteer Page for further information
and contact
Kim.
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Cities and towns
Chenega ~ Chisana ~ Chistochina ~ Chitina ~ Copper Center ~ Copperville ~
Cordova ~ Gakona ~ Glennallen ~ Gulkana ~ Kenny Lake ~ McCarthy ~ Mendeltna
Mentasta Lake ~ Nelchina ~ Paxson ~ Silver Springs ~ Slana ~ Tatitlek ~ Tazlina
Tolsona ~ Tonsina ~ Valdez ~ Whittier ~ Willow Creek
Location and Climate of the City of Valdez
Valdez is located on the north shore of Port Valdez, a deep water fjord in Prince William Sound. It lies 305 road
miles east of Anchorage, and 364 road miles south of Fairbanks. It is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska
oil pipeline. The community lies at approximately 61.130830° North Latitude and -146.348330° (West) Longitude.
(Sec. 32, T008S, R006W, Copper River Meridian.) Valdez is located in the Valdez Recording District. The area encompasses
222.0 sq. miles of land and 55.1 sq. miles of water. January temperatures range from 21 to 30; July temperatures
are 46 to 61. Annual precipitation is 62 inches. The average snowfall is, incredibly, 325 inches (27 feet) annually.
History, Culture and Demographics
The Port of Valdez was named in 1790 by Don Salvador Fidalgo for the celebrated Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdes
y Basan. Due to its excellent ice-free port, a town developed in 1898 as a debarkation point for men seeking a
route to the Eagle Mining District and the Klondike gold fields. Valdez soon became the supply center of its own
gold mining region, and incorporated as a City in 1901. Fort Liscum was established in 1900, and a sled and wagon
road was constructed to Fort Egbert in Eagle by the U.S. Army. The Alaska Road Commission further developed the
road for automobile travel to Fairbanks; it was completed by the early 1920s. A slide of unstable submerged land
during the 1964 earthquake destroyed the original City waterfront, killing several residents. The community was
rebuilt on a more stable bedrock foundation 4 miles to the west. During the 1970s, construction of the Trans-Alaska
oil pipeline terminal and other cargo transportation facilities brought rapid growth to Valdez. In March 1989,
it was the center for the massive oil-spill cleanup after the "Exxon Valdez" disaster. In a few short
days, the population of the town tripled.
The population of the community consists of 10.2% Alaska Native or part Native. As a result of significant oil
taxation revenues, the City offers a variety of quality public services.
Economy and Transportation
Valdez has one of the highest municipal tax bases in Alaska as the southern terminus and off-loading point of oil
extracted from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope. Four of the top ten employers in Valdez are directly connected to
the oil terminus. Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. employs nearly 300 persons. Valdez is a major seaport, with a $48
million cargo and container facility. City, state, and federal agencies combined provide significant employment.
49 residents hold commercial fishing permits. Three fish processing plants operate in Valdez. Valdez is a Foreign
Free Trade Zone.
The Richardson Highway connects Valdez to Anchorage, Fairbanks and Canada. Port Valdez is ice-free year round and
is navigated by hundreds of ocean-going oil cargo vessels each year. The State Ferry provides transport to Whittier,
Cordova, Kodiak, Seward and Homer in the summer; Cordova only in the winter. Valdez has the largest floating concrete
dock in the world, with a 1,200' front and water depth exceeding 80'. Numerous cargo and container facilities are
present in Valdez. A small harbor accommodates 546 commercial fishing boats and recreational vessels. Boat launches
and haul-out services are available. Both barges and trucking services deliver cargo to the City.
[Source: wikipedia.org]
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Adjacent boroughs and census areas
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska - north
Yakutat City and Borough, Alaska
- southeast
Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
- west
Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska -
west
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska - west
Also shares eastern border with the Yukon Territory, Canada.
Copyright © 2007 by: Genealogy
Trails
Submitters retain all copyrights
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