Glennallen - Copper River Region

Glennallen is the crossroads of the Copper River region of East-Central Alaska. It sits along the Glenn Highway at its junction with the Richardson Highway, 189 road miles east of Anchorage. A number of small communities make up this region including Gakona, Gulkana, Copperville, Tazlina, Silver Springs, Copper Center and Glennallen. None of these communities are large enough to support their own local governments. Local services are administered by the State of Alaska. The combined Copper River region population is less than 4,000 people. Glennallen has a population of 554 and Copper Center stands at 362.

The Copper River region has historically been occupied by the Ahtna native people but the region is unique in that most of the cities were not built on top of established native communities. Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the largest national park in the United States is easily accessible by road as is Chugach National Park.

The Trans-Alaska pipeline runs through the Copper River region on its way to Valdez. Oil services are an important part of the local economy as is transportation, education and tourism.

Data from the US Census Bureau is only available for Glennallen. It showed a population of 554 living in 269 housing units, 75.8% of which are occupied. Median family income was $40,909, per capita income was $17,084 and the unemployment rate was 6.8%. 8.0% of individuals live below the poverty line.