Local Market

摘要

Juneau is the only state capital with a glacier-the Mendenhall- just minutes from downtown, one reason it saw a 4 percent growth in tourists last year. Another is the city's remoteness: Situated on the watei and at the base of steep mountains, Juneau is accessible only by boat or by plane. Founded in 1881 and named after a gold prospector, the city became Alaska's capital in 1906 after it overtook Sitka, about 100 miles to the south, as the state's commercial hub. "Juneau's business climate today can be described as a balanced mix of tourism, government, and service industries," says local commercial real estate broker Carlton Smith. "Mining is on the upswing.... The [soon-to-open] Kensington Gold Mine will provide over 225 full-time jobs for at least a decade." Boosters expect economic diversification to continue, as some are pushing to move the capital again. "Juneau has a continuous struggle to maintain its role as state capital in the face of accessibility concerns," says Paul Voelckers, principal at local firm MRV Architects. "The state is vast, and Juneau's physical isolation contributes to efforts to shift the political center to Anchorage, the seat of most of Alaska's population."