Healy - Part I

How do you define a city?  There are many aspects that attribute to what a city is like.  Due to all of the various factors about a place, it often makes it difficult to fully describe a city.  Cities can be described by location, populations, general demographics, and a multitude of other information. I have done my best to define and describe Healy, AK by general facts, statistics, and similar information below.  Healy, AK by location is at 63.86˚N latitude and -148.97˚ longitude.  By comparison, Columbiaville, MI is at 43.16˚N latitude.  This is a difference of approximately 20˚ farther north.  Healy is in central Alaska on the main road system between Anchorage and Fairbanks, the two largest cities in Alaska.  Anchorage is approximately 240 miles (4 hour drive) to the south, whereas Fairbanks is about 110 miles (2 hour drive) to the north.  On the drive north to Fairbanks are the cities of Anderson, Clear, and Nenana.  To the south on the way towards Anchorage are Cantwell, Talkeetna, Houston, Wasilla, and Palmer. Healy is primarily known as the location of Denali National Park.  The northern entrance of the park is 10 miles south of Healy.  Many National Park employees live in Healy or the nearby McKinley Village.  Healy is in the Denali Borough of Alaska and is home to Tri-Valley School, the largest traditional school within the Denali Borough School District (DBSD).  The DBSD also includes Cantwell School to the south, Anderson School in the north, and Denali PEAK, a Correspondence/ Home school program whose main office is located in Anchorage.  The district offices of the DBSD are located in Healy, across from the Tri-Valley School. The primary businesses with the community are Tri-Valley School, Denali National Park, Usibelli Coal Mine, Princess Lodges and Tours, and a multitude of private lodges and Bed and Breakfasts.  The area plays host to a large number of tourists from the months of May to September.  The area of McKinley Village near the National Park has a strip of tourist shops, restaurants, and other small private businesses that are open only during the prime season and then shut down from the end of September until May.  This strip of stores is the length of a typical city block and is located directly across from the Princess Lodge Resort.  The Princess Resort also closes down during the off season.  The whole area literally boards up the doors and windows of all of the businesses through the winter and it’s reminiscent of a ghost town of the old west.