The City and Borough of Sitka is a city-borough located on the west side of Baranof Island in the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean (part of the Alaska Panhandle), in the U.S. state of Alaska. The borough seat is Sitka, the only incorporated section. Sitka is the state’s fourth-largest city in terms of population and the nation’s largest city in terms of area.

Its small downtown area is easily explored on foot. If you can walk a half dozen blocks from the cruise ship dock, you won’t need a shore excursion to see most of the sights in town. The name Sitka (derived from Sheetka, a contraction of the Tlingit name Shee At’ika) means “People on the Outside of Shee,” Sheet’-ka X’aat’ (often expressed simply as Shee) being the Tlingit name for Baranof Island. The town is sometimes referred to as “Sitka-by-the-Sea.”

The latitude of Sitka is 57.053N. The longitude is -135.33W. It is in the Alaska Standard time zone. Elevation is 26 feet. The estimated population, in 2003, was 8,876. Sitka Alaska fishing is some of the best in North America. There is an abundance of salmon and halibut in the area, in addition to various other types of fish. Because of this, there are a multitude of Sitka charters that will help you make the most of your Sitka Alaska fishing trip. Let’s visit a few of them.

Sitka Alaska Fishing with Big Blue Charters Big Blue Charters offers a variety of packages, which include your Sitka charter, room and meals. They have an arrangement with some of the downtown Sitka hotels, which allows you to get the best lodging rates for your Sitka Alaska fishing trip. Sights include cone-shaped Mt. Edgecombe, an onion dome cathedral, the gorgeous campus of Sheldon Jackson College, and a bishop’s residence dating from the Russian colonization of Alaska.

Sitka is one of the state’s most beautiful cities. Its art galleries, cultural festivals, and the Sheldon Jackson Museum collection legitimize Sitka’s rivalry with Homer and Juneau as Alaska’s cultural center. In the last century, Sitka was actually referred to as the “Paris of the Pacific,” bigger than either Seattle or San Francisco.

Sitka is also home to the Raptor Rehabilitation Center where injured birds are nursed back to health. You can either take a paid guided tour or check it out yourself for free. An interesting summer event is the Alaska Logging Championship, held around Independence Day”perfect for the flannel shirt brigade. For fun and a good workout, try a halibut sport fishing charter.

Hiking and biking are popular, and outdoors people flock to the Mt. Edgecombe Trail, the Mt. Verstovia Trail, and the Indian River Trail. More than twenty-two forest service cabins dot the area for those who want to really leave it all behind.

The city boasts a huge population of boat enthusiasts. The waterways are filled with sailboats and kayaks, and you may see locals poring over tide maps planning routes during their free time. Finally, the yearly Summer Music Festival attracts classical musicians from around the world. Sitka preserves the Russian look of Alaska’s initial European invasion and, more deeply, the story of the cultural conflict between Alaska Natives and the newcomers, and the Natives’ resistance and ultimate accommodation to the new ways.

Here, 18th-century Russian conquerors who had successfully enslaved Aleuts to the west met their match in battle against the rich, powerful, and sophisticated Tlingit. A visit to Sitka reveals the story of that war, and also the cultural blending that occurred in the uneasy peace that followed under the influence of the Russian Orthodox church — an influence that remained even after the Russians sold Alaska to the U.S. in 1867 (that exchange also happened here), and that continues today.

Besides its historic significance, Sitka also is fun to visit. Somehow it has retained a friendly, authentic feel, despite the crush of thousands of visitors. Perhaps because cruise-ship travelers must ride shuttle boats to shore, or because Sitka is a slightly inconvenient, out-of-the-way stop on the Alaska Marine Highway’s main-line ferry routes, the city’s streets haven’t been choked by solid rows of seasonal gift shops, as has occurred in Ketchikan, Skagway, and a large part of Juneau. It remains picturesque, facing Sitka Sound, which is dotted with islands and populated by feeding eagles. Tourism is important here, but Sitka’s own residents remain the center of the business and cultural world. The process of being “spoiled” hasn’t begun.

Even beyond the town and its rich history, Sitka is a gateway to a large, remote portion of Southeast Alaska, in the western coastal islands. This area contains some of Tongass National Forest’s least-used outdoor opportunities. The ocean halibut and salmon fishing are excellent and not overexploited, and the bird- and wildlife-watching is exceptional.