Taku/Campbell - Anchorage, AK

After the United States officially took over the Alaskan Territory in 1912, the Anchorage area took a few years to build up. Quick development occurred when the Alaska Engineering Commission completed a railroad port in 1923 in the area. The economy was based on the railway through the 1930s, at which point military and air transportation became the heavy focus.

Anchorage was hit with $3 million in damage when the world’s second-largest recorded earthquake struck the town in 1964. In 1968, after a few years of repairing the damages, oil was discovered in Prudhoe Bay. The rise of the oil economy caused Anchorage to grow quickly, resulting in expanding communities such as Taku.

The Taku neighborhood has its restaurants spread throughout the area, so at least two restaurants cover each corner. One favorite local restaurant is Sara’s Sandwiches. This hometown sub eatery has everything from fresh locally baked sub rolls and croissants to fresh avocados and sprouts. Located on Arctic Boulevard, this eatery sits in the northwest corner of the Taku neighborhood.

Another popular place to eat is Harley’s Old Thyme Café on Old Seward Highway. Harley’s offers countless tasty home-cooked meal options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try the Southern-style chicken dumplings for lunch, and don't leave without enjoying the famous Harley’s B. B. B. (Big Boy Breakfast), which includes ham, bacon, sausage, mushroom, onions, and eggs all scrambled together and topped with cheddar cheese.

Bars or nightclubs aren't found within the neighborhood limits, but Taku residents can find nightlife within minutes. The Bear Tooth Theatre Pub & Grill offers great food and drink on one side with a full movie theater on the other. The Peanut Farm features over a dozen beers on tap and an exciting atmosphere when your favorite sports team is playing. Those looking for some evening entertainment should check out TBA Theatre on Homer Drive. This home of musicals and plays offers six to seven shows every year, including classics such as "Macbeth" and "Dracula" as well as more unique pieces such as "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

A major mode of transportation, the People Mover, offers 14 routes run by a fleet of 52 safe and comfortable buses. These buses travel over two million miles every year, moving people all around Anchorage. The residents of Taku have a highly convenient transit depot on the south side of the neighborhood called the Dimond Transit Center, where routes 1, 2, 7, 9, and 60 all converge. The Dimond Transit Center routes, which are a maximum drive of 2 miles from any point in Taku, can take you just about anywhere in Anchorage.

Route 60 runs north along Old Seward Highway straight into downtown Anchorage; Route 9 also runs north to downtown but along Arctic Boulevard; and Route 2 takes you downtown also along Lake Otis Parkway. Route 7 takes you through the Jewel Lake neighborhood, to the Ted Stevens International Airport, through the Spenard neighborhood, and right into downtown Anchorage. Route 1 travels along Lake Otis Parkway and provides access to the eastern neighborhoods of Anchorage, such as U-Med and Northeast Anchorage, and it also passed by a university and several medical centers.

Roughly measuring 2 square miles, the Taku neighborhood caters to bicyclers and even ambitious walkers. With the wide array of restaurants, coffee shops and entertainment spread across the neighborhood, residents are likely within walking or biking distance, provided the temperatures allow pedestrian travel.

The Taku neighborhood also offers close proximity to major roadways. Alaska Route 1, also known as Seward Highway, provides a quick and convenient way in and out of the neighborhood and the city itself. On the west side of Taku, opposite of Seward Highway, runs Walter J. Hickel Parkway. This road turns into Minnesota Boulevard north and south of the Taku neighborhood, but it can take also drivers into downtown or south out of the city.

Located on 76th Street in Taku, the Taku Lake Park offers a wide variety of amenities to residents. The park includes playgrounds for children 5 years of age and younger, a skateboarding park, two tennis courts, several fitness areas, picnic tables and shelters, and cross-country ski trails.

For fishing enthusiasts, Taku Lake Park also features a fishing dock on the lake stocked with silver salmon and rainbow trout. This park is also pet-friendly.

While the cost of living in Taku is nearly 20 percent above the national average cost of living, it falls just under 5 percent below the cost of living in Anchorage overall, making it relatively affordable. The majority of homes in Taku are owner-occupied. However, median rent in Taku sits at $1,177, which makes renting more expensive in Taku than in both Anchorage and Alaska overall.

One specialty shop unique to the Taku neighborhood, Boot Country, specializes in all types of boots. This business sells work boots, fashion boots and Western-style boots, and it even repairs boots. Boot Country is located on the south end of Old Seward Highway.

Although the Dimond Shopping Center falls just south of the Taku neighborhood, it offers great shopping opportunities for Taku residents. With nearly 80 stores in the shopping center, the mall has everything you might need, including classics such as Aeropostale and Kay Jewelers.