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Perhaps the only thing you know about Alaska is that the cuisine includes game, like caribou and, apparently, moose when the mood strikes. But it sounds like many Alaskans are forgoing the hunt and feeding at several fast food chains. And, while it was the only Alaska city to appear on the list, it might surprise you that Anchorage made it all the way to number 2 with a big fat F in the healthy eating department.
Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and makes up over 40% of the state's entire population. Perhaps because it gets so cold in Alaska, people prefer to travel by car and order from the local drive through instead of going into a sit-down restaurant. With all the open spaces and beautiful scenery in the city, it seems a shame that people would drive rather than walk but they're keeping all those fast food joints in business somehow.
Click For More:
- 100 Fast Food-Addicted Cities
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While Anchorage has never been the birthplace of any fast food franchises, they've certainly welcomed a whole slew of them into the city limits. Even Carls Jr. has come all the way from Anaheim, Calif. to open up four locations in and around Anchorage. The local residents are also keeping several KFCs and Arby's in business.- 100 Fast Food-Addicted Cities
- Restaurants Near You
- Dining Deals Near You
- Dining News on Digital City
- Fun Events on Going.com
Fast food aside, Anchorage is one of the most beautiful cities in America and it has been recognized as All-American City by the National Civic League four times. Much of the city's economy is fueled by tourists who come to see the wilds of Alaska while still enjoying the conveniences of an American city. The area is also host to a growing arts community, with a large performing arts center and a historic museum dedicated to the artist Oscar Anderson.
For those who would like to stay out of Anchorage's many drive throughs, check out the list of local healthy restaurants.









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Posted on Sep 4th 2009
By Charlotte
I personally know quite a bit about Alaska, especially the Southeast--I was born and raised in Juneau. While I haven't spent any great lengths of time in Anchorage, Alaskan psychology tends to be very similar throughout the state (I always felt that we were all one great big family). I believe Anchorage's temperatures fluctuate more than Juneau's, but neither of those cities is anything like Fairbanks, so I'm guessing that cold really has very little to do with choosing fast food joints. It certainly made no difference in Juneau. We'd be even less likely to leave the house in colder months, and instead opt for a home-cooked meal.
Here's my guess, based on my own city: Much of Alaska feels very isolated from the rest of the US. A lot of us like it that way, but a lot of us also feel this strange urge to remind the lower 48 that we exist and that we are a part of the country. Fast food chains are one tie-in to the rest of the US. It's sort of a paradoxical "We're not like you and we're proud of that" and "We're part of the US, too!" I remember how excited Juneau was to get some of its fast food chains (there's no Burger King, that left years and years ago and it was reduced to a trailer in the mall's parking lot). And every time we went through Seattle on our way home, we grabbed a dozen Cinnabons. Before Cinnabons, it was McDonald's (back before they set up shop in Juneau). We're the same way with the Walmarts and Home Depots--we get really excited when chains move up there. I guess, at first, it's "novelty". Once the excitement dies down, they just become a part of life. I think, though, that some people mourn the urbanization and would prefer to leave things as they were. I'm on the fence about that one.
Juneau is in the odd position where the majority of jobs are State jobs, tourism jobs, retail, and commercial fishing. Some environmental/biological options as well. But a bulk of the population can't afford excessive spending, so some of them go for cheaper food. Juneau isn't a walking city--it's too spread out and not pedestrian-friendly. It has TONS of trails, so it's a lot of hiking. But ONLY if the weather is reasonable, which it usually isn't (it's a temperate rainforest).
I also want to guess that sport fishing and hunting are done much more often in and around Juneau because there are a number of native individuals who are subsistence hunters, the king salmon derby and coho derby are huge deals, and Juneauites have few other ways to spend their time (the stuff you catch or shoot is also VERY tasty and organic!). It's possible that Anchorage isn't as big into these things because it's more "urban", while Juneau is a bit more "wild". Anchorage residents can correct me on these assumptions--I'd be curious to hear from an Anchorage native how things there might differ from Juneau.
These assumptions are based off the 17 years I lived in Juneau. And they are just that--theories based off my experiences. I'd be happy to discuss any spots where I might be wrong.
And no, for the record, Alaska is not always cold. Fairbanks can hit 90F, Juneau hit 70-80F this past summer when I was visiting.
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Posted on Sep 4th 2009
By Charlotte
Let me elaborate on one thing--we generally don't leave the house in the winter months because we get wet, cold, and dark winters. Some of us really don't like shoveling snow off the car, de-icing the doors, or getting stuck on the berm of ice that the plows leave behind (I swear the drivers are laughing at all the cars they trap). I personally didn't think fast-food was worth the trouble!
And just in case: I'm mostly talking about the people and families who have migrated up to Alaska over the past few decades since my own parents were from the lower 48. If what I've said doesn't apply... it simply doesn't apply. I've had some native friends (my respect for the natives is VERY high), and some of them made use of subsistence.
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Posted on Sep 4th 2009
By OfAlaska
Although there a a lot of fast food drive-throughs Anchorage has more fresh seafood, (no farmed salmon!) espresso stands and microbrews than any city per capita in the country. We have several farmers markets in the summer months from the Valley, (the Matanuska-Susitna Borough) and plenty of great things besides McDonalds! Lots of people who come in from the rest of Alaska (comprising one fifth of the entire land surface of the United States!) want to use the fast food places, and since its the economic and population nexus of a an area this large the figures look pretty skewed to me. Also the traditional native foods, especially the Eskimo, are heavily reliant on high fat in the cold, and they love that KFC out of the deep fryer. I see more fat people everywhere I go in this entire country now wherever I go, even with the news that their brains are shrinking as their asses explode.
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