Welcome to Ketchikan ...
The coastal city of Ketchikan is located in the Alaskan Pan Handle.
The pronunciation of Ketchikan: KECH-i-kan<1>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Ketchikan, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was on a map dated 1897.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Ketchikan has a population of 8,282 people<2> (see below for details).
Ketchikan is 410 feet [125 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Ketchikan lies in the Alaskan Time Zone (AKST/AKDT) and observes daylight saving time
Ketchikan is within the (907) area code.
The ZIP codes for Ketchikan: 99901, 99950<4>
Websites for Ketchikan ...
Official Website: www.city.ketchikan.ak.us/
Chamber of Commerce: www.ketchikanchamber.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Ketchikan had an population of 8,282 people. This is an increase of 2.88% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 4.54% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Ketchikan had a population of 8,050 people.
The population of Ketchikan represents 1.13% of the total population of Alaska (which has 710,231 people), making it the state's 5th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 8,050 people, the population of Ketchikan increased 1.62% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 7,922 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Ketchikan.
Communities near Ketchikan ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ketchikan.
- Ward Cove
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ward Cove
- Ward Cove has also been known as:
- Wacker City
- Wacker
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ward Cove <5>
- Dairy
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dairy
- Clover Pass
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clover Pass
- Metlakatla
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Metlakatla
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Metlakatla <5>
- Loring
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loring
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Loring <5>
- Annette
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south) - Dora Bay
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest) - Kasaan
(31 miles [49.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kasaan
- Population from the 2020 Census: 47 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kasaan <5>
- Meyers Chuck
(35 miles [56.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meyers Chuck
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Meyers Chuck <5>
- Thorne Bay
(40 miles [64.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thorne Bay
- Population from the 2020 Census: 461 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thorne Bay <5>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We're compiling a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Ketchikan. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ketchikan.
We have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ketchikan. Our list includes 28 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Ketchikan.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ketchikan ...
Looking for more information about Ketchikan? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Ketchikan, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Ketchikan.
Adding Ketchikan to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Ketchikan in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Ketchikan was on a map titled Map of Alaska (from Rand McNally, 1897).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Ketchikan.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Ketchikan: www.city.ketchikan.ak.us/
The official website for State of Alaska: alaska.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Ketchikan. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Ketchikan. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ketchikan - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Ketchikan). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Ketchikan or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |