Ketchikan, Alaska is known as the salmon capital of the world and a paradise for sport fishermen and naturalists alike. Ketchikan has a population of 14,500 and is built along a steep hillside, with sections of the town built right over the water on pilings. Creek Street preserves the historic bordello area where Dolly's House Museum is located and a wooden boardwalk meanders along a salmon spawning creek.
Ketchikan is home to one of the largest collection of totem poles and a visit to one of the several parks is essential for anyone interested in Native art. Ketchikan's name supposedly comes from the native term "Katch Kanna", which roughly translates: "spread wings of a thundering eagle" and rightly named, for you only need to look along the water line and you're likely to see many bald eagles on waterside perches.
