Anchorage, United States · UTC-8 ☆

Anchorage is in the America/Anchorage timezone (AKST/UTC-9, DST to UTC-8 in summer). Alaska’s largest city has a population of around 290,000.

Anchorage sits at 61 degrees north latitude, which means the seasons behave dramatically. In June, there are nearly 19.5 hours of daylight, and the sky never goes fully dark at night. In December, there are fewer than 6 hours of daylight, and the sun barely clears the Chugach Mountains to the south.

The city runs on Alaska Time, America/Anchorage, UTC-9 in winter and UTC-8 during daylight saving. Adak, in the Aleutian Islands, is one hour further behind.

Alaska adopted its current timezone in 1983, consolidating most of the state from two zones into one. Before that, the state’s vast east-west span meant multiple timezones. The consolidation was practical: it simplified coordination across a state where everything is connected by air, given the absence of road links between many communities.

A real city in Alaska

Anchorage accounts for roughly 40 percent of Alaska’s entire population. It is a genuinely urban place, with coffee shop culture, a significant arts community, and the operational hub for Alaska Airlines and much of the North Pacific cargo traffic. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is one of the busiest cargo airports in the world.

The summer daylight affects Anchorage’s social rhythm in ways visible to any visitor. People are outdoors at 10pm, restaurants fill late, and the economy of outdoor activity, hiking, fishing, biking, extends into the evening in ways impossible in winter.

9am in Anchorage is 6pm in London during European winter.

Sources

• IANA Time Zone Database - America/Anchorage
• Municipality of Anchorage