Homer, Alaska :: essays research papers

Where the land endsand the sea begins homer is the hub of the lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, an area incomparably rich in natural wonders and inexpert possibilities.The Kenai Peninsula is an Alaska in miniature, a combination of mountain and meadow, coastline and island. The backbone of the peninsula is the Kenai dealain Range, which separates the pealing hills and salmon streams from the Gulf of Alaska and cradles the 1,000 square mile Harding Icefield, a trackless interior ocean of 3 million-year-old ice.Around Homer, rolling hills and ridges overlook Kachemak Bay and rep beam Inlet. Bears, wolves and moose roam the uplands dozens of species of birds gather each spring to turn over on the mudflats at the head of the bay.Until the early 1950s, Homer was accessible all by boat, airplane or driving the stony beach from Kenai. surface road now strings together the coastal towns of Ninilchik, Anchor manoeuver and Homer, affording impressive views of volcanic Mount Iliamna, r ising more than 10,000 feet above the sea, and Mount Redoubt, which became active again in 1989 after a couple decades of slumber.crosswise Kachemak Bay, fabulously rich in marine life, mountains, glaciers and steep-walled fjords dramatically drop into the ocean. When engrossed in mist, the thick stands of spruce and hemlock lend an ethereal air to the secluded coves and bays. Seldovia, Nanwalek and Port Graham are ensconced in such supply recesses at the tip of the peninsula.The Southern Peninsula offers visitors an unparalleled blend of the wild and the picturesque, of mobile life amid immemorial beauty, where glimpses of an eagle soaring, a salmon charging the rapids, or a sunset burnishing the mountain crests leave impressions that can never fade.Homers population has bountiful to nearly 5,000 people, and the city serves as a trading and service kernel for nearly 10,000. It has a modern hospital, newspapers, public and commercial radio stations, a movie theater, thriving com mercial and sport fishing fleets, and a proud school that was honored in 1989 as one of the best in the nation.The Kachemak Bay area is the arts capital of South-central Alaska. An impressive conclave of professional and amateur artists provide residents with art shows, dance, music and drama throughout the year. The Homer Council on the Arts also regularly brings nationally- and internationally cognize performers to Homer. The areas major industry is commercial fishing, which pumps nearly $30 million a year into the local economy.