Interesting Facts

In 1957 oil was first discovered near the Swanson River in Kenai, Alaska. Today Kenai's oil producing role is small, but it is still called the "Oil Capital of Alaska." Alaska accounts for 25% of all the oil produced in the United States.
Kenai is one of Alaska's oldest communities, with evidence of human occupation dating back to 8,000 BC.
Mount Marathon is the second oldest footrace in America. In the early 1900s two homesteaders made a bet that one of them couldn't run and down the mountain in an hour. Every July racers gather and try to do what the homesteader failed at. He didn't make it, but the current course record is just under 45 minutes.
The westernmost and northernmost national forest is the Chugach. At 5.6 million acres, it is the second largest national forest in the United States.
5. Kechemak Bay State Park was Alaska's first state park. Its 400,000 acres include mountains, glaciers, forests and ocean.
Kachemak Bay's tides are the second largest in the world. The average vertical difference between high and low waters is 15 feet, with an extreme of 28 feet.
Tiny Hope, Alaska is the best-preserved gold rush community in the south-central part of the state. Many of the old mining buildings are still standing despite the Good Friday Earthquake in 1964.
In 1867 U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents per acre, for Alaska. Many Americans called the purchase "Seward's Folly," but the town of Seward bears its name proudly.
The Kenai Peninsula is sparsely populated. Divided evenly among the 46,759 year-round residents, each person could have 400 acres of land.
No matter where you travel on the Kenai Peninsula, bring your rain gear. The town of Seward, backed up against Mount Marathon, averages 67 inches of rain per year, while Kenai only averages 19 inches per year. September is the month that receives the most rain, but there are the fewest rainy days. Conversely, April receives the least rain but has the most rainy days.