About Girdwood

Girdwood is a very small coastal town (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Alaska. With a population of 1,884 people and just one neighborhood, Girdwood is the 26th largest community in Alaska.

Girdwood is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 85.44% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Girdwood is a town of professionals, service providers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Girdwood who work in office and administrative support jobs (13.05%), food service (11.20%), and management occupations (10.44%).

Of important note, Girdwood is also a town of artists. Girdwood has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Girdwood's character.

Girdwood is an extremely popular destination for tourists and seasonal residents. So much of the population is seasonal such that the town's population swells significantly during the vacation season, and drops again when the season ends. Because of this, much of the local economy is centered around tourism; some businesses may be operated only during the high season. During the low season, year-round residents will notice that the city is a substantially quieter place to live.

For a small town, there is also a high proportion of single, often educated, people living in Girdwood. This is not typical for most smaller communities in America, and adds a feeling of vibrancy to Girdwood.

One of the nice things about Girdwood is that is it nautical, meaning that parts of the town are somewhat historic and on the ocean, or touch tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Because of this, visitors and locals will often go to these areas to take in the scenery or to enjoy waterfront activities.

As is often the case in a small town, Girdwood doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Girdwood Information and Demographics

The population of Girdwood is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 14.96% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 42.87% of adults in Girdwood have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.

The per capita income in Girdwood in 2000 was $34,556, which is wealthy relative to Alaska and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $138,224 for a family of four. However, Girdwood contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Girdwood home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Girdwood is White, followed by Native American. Important ancestries of people in Girdwood include German, Irish, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Italian, French, and Scotch-Irish.

The most common language spoken in Girdwood is English. Some people also speak Spanish.