Juneau,Alaska's capital boasts more than just politics

If it seems like everything in Juneau is political, you may be right -- an average of one of every two people who live in the state capital are employees of the state.

But political issues aside, such as trying to move the Legislature from Southeast Alaska's largest city, Juneau is a scenic, historical city.

Juneau has a huge tourism-based economy as well, but most of that comes from cruise ships and tour groups -- many of which do not include Alaskans. A short flight from Anchorage opens up this enchanted city, though.

The city was originally fishing grounds for Tlingit Indians. In the late 1800s, a Tlingit named Koweek, of the Auk Tlingit tribe, provided ore samples to a Sitka engineer, and the rush for gold instantly kicked off.

A 160-acre townsite was staked on the beach in the late 1800s, and the stampede to Juneau officially began. The discovery of gold in Quartz Gulch and Silver Bow Basin led to formation of the first real Alaska city.

Juneau was established as Alaska's capital in 1906, after the government was transferred from Sitka. Today, it remains the capital, despite many efforts to have it moved to central Alaska, including the Mat-Su Valley.

Federal, state and local government is far and away the largest employer in Juneau. Tourism is the largest private-sector employer, while commercial fishing and mining are also big industries in the Juneau area.