Juneau Economic Development Council: History and Government

History and Government

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Juneau's rich history began centuries ago when Native Alaskans established villages in the Juneau region. Petroglyphs in the Berners Bay area, totems poles throughout Juneau and the many local Native people are just a few of the reminders of the Native Tlingit culture's continuing legacy.

Written history of the Juneau area began with the arrival of Russian, European and American explorers, adventurers, gold-seekers, trappers and traders, but things really started to get interesting in 1880 when Chief Kowee of the Auk tribe showed Joseph Juneau and Richard Harris where to find gold.

The 160 acre site that they established marked the first time in Alaska history when a town was founded because of a gold strike. Fortunately Juneau became strong enough to resist turning into a ghost town, the fate of so many gold boom sites. Juneau was named as the capital of the Territory of Alaska in 1906 and the State of Alaska in 1959.

The gold-bearing ore miners were able to just pick out of local streams was quickly exhausted, but hard rock mining was established in both Juneau and neighboring Douglas at the Treadwell, A-J and Alaska-Gastineau mines. The hard rock era lasted until World War II and fueled a thriving local community.

In the roughly 80 years between the founding of Juneau and statehood, Juneau underwent major development first as a 'gold town,' then as a government center. Today, Juneau acts as a regional hub for Southeast Alaskan communities from Metlakatla in the south to Yakutat in the north.

The Juneau-Douglas City Museum is a great place to learn more about the history of Juneau, as is the Juneau History Page on the City and Borough of Juneau's homepage. The Sealaska Heritage Foundation is an excellent resource for those interested in the history of Southeast Alaskan Native cultures.

Form of Government:

In Alaska, municipalities are arranged into boroughs, a term which is roughly equivalent to “county” or “parish” in the rest of the country. Some boroughs are “unified” with city governments, meaning that there is only one level of administration. The City of Juneau was incorporated as a home-rule city shortly after statehood in 1960, and the Greater Juneau Borough was incorporated as a first class borough in 1963. The two government structures were unified in 1970.

The practical meaning of this form of government is that there are not multiple local agencies to consult for such things as building permits, extension of water and sewer lines or paying your property taxes.

Since there is no state sales tax in Alaska, each municipality sets its own level. Local sales tax is set at an even 5%.

The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly has nine members with the Mayor as presiding officer. It is a “Strong Manager” form of government, meaning that the City Manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of city operations.