This region stretches from north of Anchorage all the way to Nanwalek on the tip of the Kenai Peninsula. Most of the state of Alaska's population lives in this region. That is because Anchorage is the biggest city. The biggest port in the state is here and most of the supplies people use are delivered here. The largest ski resort in Alaska is about 35 miles south of Anchorage. Most of the state's people live in Anchorage, the Matanuska and Susitna river valleys, and on the Kenai Peninsula.

About 2,000 years ago the Cook Inlet area was first lived in by Eskimo people. The Athabaskan Indians lived here later. They both still live in this area. Today a lot of native Alaskans live in Anchorage because there are a lot of different things to do.

In this region it gets really cold in the winter and it rains a lot during the summer.

The Alaska Range of mountains forms a border on the north side of this region. Most of the cold air from the interior of Alaska is blocked off by these mountains. The mountains also keep in the warm ocean air.

In the winter it can be very cold. In the month of January temperatures can get to - 16šF, or even lower sometimes. In the summer it can be really warm and sometimes the temperature can go up to 50šF to 70šF in the region. When it rains it can either rain just a little, or a lot. Some years it rains 76 inches a year in the coastal mountains.

This region of the state produces a lot of vegetables. In the Matanuska Valley they can produce a lot of great gardens because of the midnight sun. Vegetables thrive in the area and the Matanuska Valley is known for its giant cabbages. The state's dairy industry is also there.

There is a lot of great fishing in this region. Some of the best fishing is on the Kenai River, which is located on the Kenai Peninsula. You can also do some great hunting in this region. You'll find a lot of moose, bears and caribou in this region.

In the Prince William Sound area of this region you will find the Sugpiaq people. They speak a language called Sugtestun.

You will need the Quicktime movie plugin installed to be able to view this movie from within your browser.
You can get the QuickTime plugin for MAC or PC here.

Click the button to hear and see a native of this region speaking the Sugtestun language.

QuickTime movie = 553 K