Quick Facts

Population: 3,189 (2020)
Area: 3,829 square miles
Form of Government: Home-rule Borough (like a county).

Location: Central Southeast Alaska, the region is also known as the Inside Passage, Alaska's Panhandle, and the Alexander Archipelago.

To Petersburg from:

• Seattle - 700 miles north
• Anchorage - 690 miles south
• Juneau - 120 miles south
• Wrangell - 40 miles north

Getting to Petersburg:

By Air: Alaska Airlines provides daily jet service on flights originating in Seattle (AK Air Flight #65) and Anchorage (AK Air Flight #64). Flight time is approximately 3 hours. It is also possible to charter a flight from nearby communities - Juneau, Wrangell, or Sitka.
By Sea: The Alaska Marine Highway System stops in Petersburg with departures originating in "road-connected" communities of Bellingham, WA. Once you are in Alaska, the Marine Highway System connects most of the coastal communities, so it is possible to get to Petersburg via the ferry from other cities in Alaska.
By Cruise Ship: Petersburg does not have a deep water port and is not frequented by the large cruise lines. There are a number of small cruise ships that do include Petersburg on their itinerary.
By Road: Petersburg has no road connection to the rest of Alaska or the Lower 48. However, it is possible to load your car on to the Alaska Marine Highway ferry and "drive" to Petersburg.

Top Things to Do in Petersburg, Alaska:

Visit LeConte Glacier. The southernmost tidewater glacier in North America, is known for its “shooters”; these icebergs calve off underwater and shoot up to the surface.
Go Whale Watching. Frederick Sound is the summer home of hundreds of humpback whales, sea lions, and other marine life. It is not uncommon to see humpback whales engaged in “bubblenet” feeding, a cooperative feeding behavior unique to these whales.
Walk the Docks. Petersburg has three working commercial fishing harbors. Walking the docks and watching boats gear up for an fishing opening offers a unique look into an important local industry.
Look for Rosmaling. Many shops and homes reflect the town's Norwegian heritage in design, color, and touches of decorative folk painting called Rosemaling.
Other nearby attractions: Stikine River, Anan Creek Bear Observatory, and Five Finger Lighthouse.

Annual Events:

Little Norway Festival. Petersburg's four day celebration of Norwegian Constitution Day, May 17th, is the communities signature event. The festival includes a style show featuring Norwegian bunader (traditional Norwegian folk costumes worn by men and woman), a kaffe hus showcasing Norwegian pastries, dance and music performances, parade, and marauding Vikings and Valkyries.

Alaska Rainforest Festival. Held the second weekend in September. The festival is a non-profit event with the goal of bringing participants closer to the natural world through education, exploration and the arts while learning more about our rainforest and the ocean that surrounds it. Events include lectures, walking tours, workshops, and visiting artists and authors. More information here.

History: 

Native Alaskans used the area surrounding Petersburg at least 2,000 years ago, and at low tide you can walk among the remains of their ancient fish traps and petroglyphs near town. The heart-shaped style and design of the fish traps are unique to our area and found nowhere else in the world. A pair of totem poles, located downtown, tells the story of Tlingit ancestors traveling down the Stikine River to settle and live in the area.

The first European resident was Peter Buschmann, a Norwegian immigrant who arrived in the late 1890s and homesteaded on the north end of Mitkof Island. The ice from nearby LeConte Glacier was ideal for packing fish and the Wrangell Narrows provided a natural harbor.

Buschmann built the Icy Strait Packing Company cannery, a sawmill, and a dock between 1890 and 1900. His family's homesteads grew into Petersburg, which was populated largely by people of Scandinavian origin.

In 1910, the City of Petersburg incorporated. The original incorporation petition was denied because some of the signatories were women; Petersburg had to refile its petition and this time only men were allowed to sign.

American civil rights activist, Elizabeth Peratrovich, a member of the Tlingit Nation, was born in Petersburg in 1911. Peratrovich worked for equality for Alaska Natives and was instrumental in securing passage of the nation's first anti-discrimination law by a state or territory. In 2020, the US Mint issued a $1 coin with her likeness to commemorate her historic achievements.

In 1965, when Pacific American Fisheries, who had purchased the original cannery, was facing bankruptcy; a group of local fishermen purchased the facility. The plant become the cornerstone of the company that evolved into what is now known as Icicle Seafoods, one of the largest seafood companies in Alaska.

In 1975, the City of Kupreanof, originally known as West Petersburg, incorporated and is the smallest second class city in Alaska with 26 residents.

Petersburg has grown into one of Alaska's major fishing communities and one of the top commercial fishing ports in the nation. In 2011, over 110 million pounds of seafood crossed the dock. 

In 2013, the City of Petersburg dissolved in favor of the Petersburg Borough, which is now the official form of government. The City of Kupreanof remains and is located within the borough.