View source for Wrangell, Alaska

{{short description|Consolidated city-borough in Alaska, United States}}
{{distinguish|text=the [[Wrangell Mountains]] or [[Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve]], farther northwest in Alaska}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Wrangell, Alaska
| native_name        = <div style="padding-top:0.25em;">{{native name|tli|Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw
}}{{br}}{{native name|ru|Врангель}}</div>
| settlement_type    = [[consolidated city–county|Unified]] [[Borough (Alaska)|Borough]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border                 = infobox
| total_width            = 290
| caption_align            = center 
| image_style            = border:1;
| perrow                 = 1/2/3
| image1 = Overview of the town of Wrangell, AK June 7th 2016.jpg
| caption1 = View of the city in 2016
| image2 = Stikine River delta in Alaska.jpg
| caption2 = [[Stikine River]] delta
| image6 = IFA Ferry MV Stikine.JPG
| caption6 =Ferry M/V ''Stikine'' arriving 
| image5 = Wrangell Alaska Post Office.jpg
| caption5 = Post Office and Customs House
| image4 = Fishing boat at Wrangell Harbor.jpg
| caption4 = Fishing boat docked at harbor
| image3 = Shakes glacier in southeast Alaska.jpg
| caption3 =Shakes Glacier in the [[Stikine-LeConte Wilderness]]
}}
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Wrangell, Alaska.png
| image_shield       = 
| motto              = 
| nickname           = 
| etymology          = <!-- location -->
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|United States|size=23px}}
| subdivision_type1  = State
| subdivision_name1  = {{Flag|Alaska|size=23px}}
| subdivision_type2  = 
| subdivision_name2  = 
| subdivision_type3  = 
| subdivision_name3  = <!-- maps and coordinates -->
| image_map          = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = Alaska#North America
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Wrangell within Alaska
| coordinates        = {{coord|56|23|06|N|132|05|11|W|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = <!-- government type, leaders -->
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = Patricia Gilbert
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = {{Start date|1834}}
| established_title1 = English
| established_date1  = 1839
| established_title2 = American
| established_date2  = 1867
| established_title3 = Incorporated
| established_date3  = 1903 (as a city); May 30, 2008 (as a borough)
<!-- area -->| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_02.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
| dunam_link         = 
| area_total_km2     = 9004.37
| area_total_sq_mi   = 3476.61
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2555.99
| area_water_sq_mi   = 920.61
| area_urban_sq_mi   = 71
<!-- elevation -->| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 69
<!-- population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="2020 Census Data"/>
| population_total   = 2127
| population_density_km2 = 0.32
| population_density_sq_mi = 0.83
| population_demonym = <!-- time zone(s) -->
| timezone1          = [[Alaska Time Zone|AKST]]
| utc_offset1        = -9
| timezone1_DST      = [[Alaska Daylight Time|AKDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = -8
| timezone2          = 
| utc_offset2        = 
| timezone2_DST      = 
| utc_offset2_DST    = <!-- postal codes, area code -->
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 99929
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = [[Area code 907|907]]
| geocode            = 
| iso_code           = 
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS]] codes
| blank_info         = [https://archive.today/20200212093239/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US02275 02-275], {{FIPS|02|86380}}
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature IDs
| blank1_info        = {{GNIS4|1415843}}, {{GNIS4|2418874}}
<!-- website, footnotes -->| website            = {{URL|wrangell.com}}
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_land_km2      = 6620.00
| area_water_km2     = 2384.38
| named_for          = [[Ferdinand von Wrangel]]
| image_seal         = Seal of Wrangell, Alaska.jpg
}}

'''Wrangell'''<ref name="DCRA"/> ({{langx|tli|Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw}}, {{langx|ru|Врангель|Vrangel'}}) is a [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|borough]] in [[Alaska]], [[United States]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]] the population was around 2,127,<ref name="2020 Census Data">{{cite web | url = https://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/cen/2020-census-data.html | title = 2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places | format = Web | publisher = State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development | access-date = October 31, 2021}}</ref> down from 2,369 in 2010.<ref name="QF">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02/02275.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 18, 2014|archive-date=October 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019221951/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02/02275.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Incorporated as a [[consolidated city–county|Unified]] [[Home Rule]] Borough<ref name="DCRA" /> on May 30, 2008, Wrangell was previously a city in the Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area,<ref name="DCRA" /> which was afterwards renamed the [[Petersburg Census Area]] (the [[Petersburg Borough, Alaska|Petersburg Borough]] was formed from part of this census area). Its [[Tlingit language|Tlingit]] name is {{lang|tli|Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw}} ("Ḵaachx̱ans Little Lake" with {{lang|tli|áa-kʼw}} 'lake-diminutive'). The Tlingit people living in the Wrangell area, who were there centuries before Europeans, call themselves the {{lang|tli|Shtaxʼhéen Ḵwáan}} after the nearby [[Stikine River]]. Alternately they use the [[Endonym|autonym]] {{lang|tli|Shxʼát Ḵwáan}}, where the meaning of {{lang|tli|shxʼát}} is unknown.

The central (urban) part of Wrangell is located at {{Coord|56|28|15|N|132|22|36|W|scale:10000}}, in the northwest corner of [[Wrangell Island]]. The borough also encompasses the entire eastern half of the former Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area, in addition to the area around [[Meyers Chuck, Alaska|Meyers Chuck]], which was formerly in the [[Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area, Alaska|Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan Census Area]]. It includes [[Thoms Place, Wrangell|Thoms Place]], a former [[census-designated place]] on Wrangell Island.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://labor.alaska.gov/research/alari/images/maps/5_27_0map.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090811003155/http://labor.alaska.gov/research/alari/images/maps/5_27_0map.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 11, 2009|title=Map: Alaska Department of Labor|website=Labor.alaska.gov|access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref>

==History==
{{More citations needed section|date=June 2023}}
[[File:Ridpath's Universal history - an account of the origin, primitive condition and ethnic development of the great races of mankind, and of the principal events in the evolution and progress of the (14747328366).jpg |thumb|left|upright|[[Totem pole]]s in Wrangell]]
[[Tlingit people]] and their ancestors have inhabited this island for thousands of years. According to {{lang|tli|Naanyaa.aayí}} clan traditions, Tlingit people migrated down the Stikine River during a time when the river still flowed underneath glaciers. The population slowly moved down the river, settling in different locations such as {{lang|tli|Tlákw.aan}} "Ancient Village", {{lang|tli|Sʼiknáx̱}} "Across from the Grass", {{lang|tli|Shaal.aan}} "Fish Trap Town", {{lang|tli|Xakw.aan}} "Sandbar Village", and {{lang|tli|Kayáash}} "Platform", {{lang|tli|Hehl}} ({{lang|tli|Xel/Xehl}}) "Foam People", {{lang|tli|Hehl}} being the senior of house of the village.

Later settlements on the coast included {{lang|tli|Chʼuxʼáasʼaan}} "Waterfall Town" (now Mill Creek), {{lang|tli|Ḵeishangita.aan}} "Red Alder Head Village" (site of the Wrangell Institute at Shoemaker Bay), {{lang|tli|Kʼaatsʼḵu Noow}} "Among the Sharps Fort" (now Anita Bay), {{lang|tli|An.áan}} "Village that Rests" (now Anan Bear Viewing Area), and many others. The numerous [[petroglyphs]] found at [[Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park|Petroglyph Beach]] just north of Wrangell, as well as those scattered on the beaches of the many islands in the vicinity, attest to the long Tlingit presence.

It is known that the first peoples' coastal migration to the Stikine River came from the south. The Nass River people had several migrations into the area. The "Git Setti" people tell of their migration story in a totem raised in Wrangell in 1894 called "Kickssetti" Totem.

The saltwater inlet now known as Wrangell Harbor was traditionally called {{lang|tli|Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw}}, literally "{{lang|tli|Ḵaachx̱án}}'s little lake". Before the harbor mouth was dredged and cleared in the late 19th century, the mouth of this inlet would often go dry at low tide, which led to its being called a lake.

{{lang|tli|Ḵaachx̱án}} was a man from the village variously known as {{lang|tli|Ḵaalchʼalʼaan}} (''Kotzlitzan'') or {{lang|tli|Chʼaalʼít.aan,}} meaning "Willow House Village"; or {{lang|tli|Shaax̱ít.aan}} meaning "Driftwood House Village."  The village site today is known as "Old Town" or "Old Wrangell" (located at {{Coord|56|12|28|N|132|16|22|W|type:landmark}}). {{lang|tli|Ḵaachx̱án}} was supposedly a hermit who preferred living away from his relatives, and thus lived in a smokehouse located on the rear shore of the lake named after him.

===19th century===
{{Further|Fort Stikine}}
[[File:Wrangel Village 1868.jpg|thumb|left|Village of Wrangell (Tlingit: Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw) in 1868, present-day Front Street]]
Wrangell was founded by Russians as one of the oldest non-Native settlements in Alaska. They started trading for furs with area Tlingit in 1811 at the site of present-day Wrangell. In 1834, Baron [[Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel]], then head of Russian government interests in [[Russian America]], ordered a stockade built near the {{lang|tli|Naanyaa.aayí}} clan house of [[Chief Shakes]], called {{lang|tli|Shéiksh Hídi}}. This house was located about {{convert|13|mi|km|0}} north of Old Wrangell, on a small island in the middle of what is today Wrangell Harbor. The stockade, named Redoubt Saint Dionysius ({{lang|ru|Редутъ Санктъ Дионисіусъ}}), was founded at the location of present-day Wrangell and stood near the end of the small peninsula that forms the northeastern side of the mouth of the harbor.

The British [[Hudson's Bay Company]] (HBC) leased the fort in 1839 and named the stockade [[Fort Stikine]]. The Tlingit had used the [[Stikine River]] as a trade route to the interior since ancient times, and they protested when the Hudson's Bay Company began to use their trade routes. Two [[epidemic]]s of [[smallpox]] in 1836 and 1840 reduced the Tlingit population in the area by half, as they had no acquired [[immunity (medical)|immunity]], and silenced most of the protest.

The HBC abandoned the fort in 1849 after the area's stocks of [[sea otter]] and [[American Beaver|beaver]] were depleted, thus ending the fur trade. Fort Stikine remained under British rule until Alaska's [[Alaska Purchase|purchase]] by the United States in 1867. In 1868, the U.S. built a military post called '''Fort Wrangell''' at the site, and it remained active until 1877. The community around the post continued to grow through commerce with prospectors in the [[gold rush]]es of 1861, 1874&ndash;77, and 1897. As in [[Skagway, Alaska|Skagway]], businessmen looking to make money off the miners built many gambling halls, dance halls, and bars. Thousands of miners traveled up the Stikine River into the [[Cassiar, British Columbia|Cassiar District]] of [[British Columbia]] during 1874, and again to the [[Klondike, Yukon|Klondike]] in 1897.

[[File:Wrangell, Alaska by LaRoche, c1897.jpg|thumb|right|Bird's eye view, 1897]]
The [[Wrangell Bombardment]] occurred on December 25, 1869, when a [[Stikine people|Stikine Indian]] named Lowan bit off Mrs. Jaboc Muller's third right finger and was killed in an ensuing fight by soldiers who mortally wounded an additional Stikine Indian. The following morning, Scutd-doo, who was the father of the deceased, entered the fort and shot the post trader's partner [[Leon Smith (naval commander)|Leon Smith]] fourteen times. Smith died about 13 hours later. The US army made an ultimatum demanding Sccutd-doo's surrender, and following bombardment of the Stikine Indian village, the villagers handed Scutd-doo over to the military in the fort, where he was court-martialed and publicly hanged before the garrison and assembled natives on December 29,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FXeNAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22leon+smith%22+1869&pg=PA53 The Aleut Internments of World War II: Islanders Removed from Their Homes by the United States], Russell W. Estlack, page 53</ref> stating before he was hanged that he had acted in revenge against the occupants of the fort for the killing of Lowan and not against Smith in particular.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/16610507/The_1869_Bombardment_of_%E1%B8%B4aachx_an.%C3%A1ak%CA%BCw_from_Fort_Wrangell_U.S._Army_Response_to_Tlingit_Law_Wrangell_Alaska_Washington_DC_American_Battlefield_Preservation_Program_Juneau_AK_Sealaska_Heritage_Institute_2015_._Part_1 The 1869 Bombardment of Ḵaachx̱an.áakʼw from Fort Wrangell: U.S. Army Response to Tlingit Law, Wrangell, Alaska (Washington DC: American Battlefield Preservation Program; Juneau, AK: Sealaska Heritage Institute, 2015). Part 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019064012/http://www.academia.edu/16610507/The_1869_Bombardment_of_%E1%B8%B4aachx_an.%C3%A1ak%CA%BCw_from_Fort_Wrangell_U.S._Army_Response_to_Tlingit_Law_Wrangell_Alaska_Washington_DC_American_Battlefield_Preservation_Program_Juneau_AK_Sealaska_Heritage_Institute_2015_._Part_1 |date=October 19, 2017 }}, National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection Program, Zachary Jones</ref><ref>[https://alaskaweb.org/govt/1870warsecyltr.html Report of the commander of the department of Alaska upon the late bombardment of the Indian village at Wrangel, in that Territory, to Congress], Secretary of War, March 21, 1870</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=c7XCCQAAQBAJ&dq=%22leon+smith%22+Wrangel&pg=PT87 The War Canoe], Jamie S Bryson</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=tdoYAQAAIAAJ&q=%22leon+smith%22+Wrangel History of Alaska: 1730-1885], Hubert Howe Bancroft, 1886, pages 614-6</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=JEYUAAAAYAAJ&q=%22leon+smith%22+Wrangel Journal of the West], Lorrin L. Morrison, Carroll Spear Morrison, 1965, page 310</ref>

In 1877, the first [[Presbyterian]] church in Alaska, the first [[Protestant]] church of any kind in the area, was founded near its current location at 220 Church Street. Reverend [[S. Hall Young]], a colleague of [[Sheldon Jackson]], was assigned to the Wrangell mission and arrived on July 10, 1878.<ref>Young, S. Hall. 1927. ''Hall Young of Alaska''. Fleming Revell.</ref> He worked among both miners and Tlingits. He established the Fort Wrangell Tlingit Industrial School to teach young Tlingit men various American trades, such as printing, boatbuilding, and construction. This institution was a parallel to Sheldon Jackson's Sitka Industrial Training School, which became [[Sheldon Jackson College]]. Young's school was the nucleus of the later [[Wrangell Institute]], a [[Indian boarding school|boarding school]] for [[Alaska Natives]] through the mid-20th century.

S. Hall Young was a friend and companion of the [[naturalist]] [[John Muir]], who lived in Wrangell in 1879–1880.<ref>Muir, John. 1909. ''[[Stickeen: An Adventure with a Dog and a Glacier]]''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.</ref><ref>Muir, John. 1915. ''Travels in Alaska''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.</ref> Muir and Young traveled up the Stikine River, as well as to [[Kake, Alaska|Kake]], [[Glacier Bay]], and elsewhere in [[Southeast Alaska]]. Young and Muir were accompanied by two Stikine elite men, ''Tʼaawyaat'' ("Toyatte", lit. Long Feather), and ''Kaadaashaan'' ("Kadachan"), as well Sitka Charley, as a young man who was their interpreter in [[Chinook Jargon]] and [[English language|English]].

The oldest Catholic Church in Alaska; St. Rose of Lima, was established at Wrangell May 4, 1879.

Having been Tlingit territory and then under the jurisdiction of [[Russian Empire|Russia]], Great Britain, and the United States, Wrangell has the unique status as the only Alaskan city to have been governed under four "flags".

===20th century===
[[File:Scow loaded with salmon at the Alaska Packers Association cannery, Wrangell, Alaska, 1918 (COBB 114).jpeg|thumb|left|upright|Scow loaded with salmon at the [[Alaska Packers Association]] cannery in Wrangell, 1918]]
[[File:Alaska - Wrangell - NARA - 23942649.jpg|thumb|right|Wrangell, 1940s]]
[[Fish traps]] were constructed in the late 1890s on the nearby mouth of the [[Stikine River]] and in the [[Zimovia Strait]]. These contributed to the growth of the fishing and fish canning industries in Wrangell, which provided much of the economic life for the town before the rise of logging in the 1950s. The fish traps caused severe damage to the Stikine River salmon runs, reducing the number of fish that managed to spawn and causing a decline in salmon runs and fishing in the region. After statehood, the new government decommissioned all fish traps in Alaska. The fishing industry remained strong, and continues to be the primary occupation of many residents.

The weekly [[newspaper]], ''[[The Wrangell Sentinel]]'' was founded in 1902 and printed its first issue on November 2 of the same year. The newspaper remains in publication with only a few short periods of inactivity. It is the oldest continuously published [[newspaper in Alaska]].

[[File:Scowload of salmon at cannery dock, Wrangell, Alaska, August 1918 (COBB 116).jpeg|thumb|Scow with salmon is unloaded at a cannery's dock in Wrangell, 1918]]
The renowned Bear Totem Store, built in the 1920s by Walter Waters, housed innumerable examples of Tlingit arts and crafts, as well as a number of irreplaceable [[totem pole]]s. Waters began his business career carrying mail by boat from Wrangell to [[Sulzer, Alaska|Sulzer]]. During this period, he traveled throughout southeast Alaska as a fur buyer. While on business travels, Waters began to acquire Indian artifacts and make valuable contacts with Indian artisans. This eventually enabled him to open his curio shop, The Bear Totem Store. A severe fire in the early 1950s burned much of the downtown area, destroying the Bear Totem Store and most of its contents. Few historic buildings remained after the fire. The disaster dramatically changed the face of Wrangell, and with new buildings the past was lost.

Logging, fishing and tourism are the current mainstays of the Wrangell area economy. One of the last two major sawmills in Southeast Alaska is operated by the Silver Bay Logging Company just south of the city proper.

The community has always been a center of the Tlingit {{lang|tli|Kaach.àdi}}, {{lang|tli|Kiks.ádi}} and {{lang|tli|Naanyaa.aayí}} clans and the only home of the {{lang|tli|Kayaashkiditaan}}, {{lang|tli|Sʼiknax̱.ádi}}, {{lang|tli|X̱ookʼeidí}}, {{lang|tli|Kaasx̱ʼagweidí}}, and {{lang|tli|Taalḵweidí}} clans.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Traditional Tlingit Map and Tribal List
| publisher = Tlingit Readers, Inc.
| url = http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/ANCR/Southeast/TlingitMap/
| access-date = June 21, 2009
}}</ref> [[Chief Shakes]] Tribal House, which is known in Tlingit as {{lang|tli|Shéiksh Hídi}} "Shakes House", is a replica of traditional Tlingit houses. It was constructed by CCC crews in the 1930s in the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], according to traditional knowledge and methods. It stands at the original location of Shakes House, on Shakes Island inside Wrangell harbor. Today the [[Wrangell Cooperative Association]], a Tlingit IRA council and the federally recognized tribe for the area, maintains Shakes Island and the House, as well as Totem Park near the city center.

===21st century===
[[File:Shakes Island.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Totem pole]]s at the Shakes house]]
[[File:Wrangell downtown.JPG|thumb|right|Wrangell downtown]]
In an election held on May 6, 2008, to decide whether to upgrade from city to borough status, 63.99% of the votes were in favor of borough status.<ref name=incvote>{{cite web |title=2008 Wrangel Incorporation Election: May 6, 2008: Official Results |date=May 30, 2008 |work=Division of Elections |publisher=State of Alaska |url=http://www.elections.alaska.gov/08WRAI/08wrai_results.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408062424/http://www.elections.alaska.gov/08WRAI/08wrai_results.pdf |archive-date=April 8, 2010}}</ref> On May 30, 2008, Wrangell was reincorporated as the City and Borough of Wrangell.<ref name="DCRA">{{cite web | url = http://dcra.commerce.alaska.gov/DCBD/municipal%20Certificates/Boroughs/Wrangell_Borough.pdf | title = Certificate of Incorporation of the City and Borough of Wrangell | date = May 30, 2008 | publisher = [[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development]], Division of Community and Regional Affairs (DCRA) | access-date = May 4, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100615143831/http://dcra.commerce.alaska.gov/DCBD/Municipal%20Certificates/Boroughs/Wrangell_Borough.pdf | archive-date = June 15, 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Canadian American Donald McConachie Sr. was the first mayor of the CBW. He was succeeded by Jeremy M. Maxand, but was elected in 2012 as mayor again after Maxand declined to seek reelection.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://juneauempire.com/state/2012-10-04/wrangell-race-tips-mcconachie-2-votes#.UHzpr8VX0oh|agency=Juneau Empire|title=Wrangell race tips to McConachie - by 2 votes|date=October 4, 2012|access-date=October 15, 2012|first=Mark|last=Miller}}</ref>

The Wrangell Cooperative Association has commissioned a team to restore Chief Shakes House and the totems at Totem Park. It consists of a master carver, Wayne Price, and six assistants, four of them women, accepted after intensive training in the use of the traditional [[adze]] tool.<ref>[http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12233&Itemid=80 Kate Spielberger, "Wrangell carvers making history renovating site"], AP, Juneau, Alaska, in ''Indian Country News'', November 2011, accessed November 7, 2011</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Wrangell Elephants Nose.JPG|thumb|"Elephant's Nose" point on [[Woronkofski Island]] from Wrangell]]
Wrangell is located on the northern tip of [[Wrangell Island]], an island in the [[Alaska Panhandle]]. It is {{convert|155|mi|km|-1}} south of the Alaskan capital of [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]]. It is across the narrow [[Zimovia Strait]] from the mouth of the [[Stikine River]] on the Alaska mainland. The town is named after the island, which was named after [[Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel]], a Russian explorer and the administrator of the [[Russian-American Company]] from 1830 to 1835.

Per the [[2010 United States census]], the borough has a total area of {{convert|3462|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|2541|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|921|sqmi|km2}} is water.<ref name="2010 Census Counties">
 {{cite web
 | url = https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/counties_list_02.txt
 | title = Counties (2010): Alaska
 | format = [[Text file|TXT]]
 | work = 2010 Census Gazetteer Files
 | publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]]
 | access-date = January 24, 2013
}}
</ref><ref name="2010 Census Places">
 {{cite web
 | url = https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/2010_place_list_02.txt
 | title = Places (2010): Alaska
 | format = [[Text file|TXT]]
 | work = 2010 Census Gazetteer Files
 | publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]]
 | access-date = January 24, 2013
}}
</ref>
The former City of Wrangell, as of the [[2000 United States census|2000 census]], had a total area of {{convert|70.844|sqmi|km2|1}}, of which {{convert|45.278|sqmi|km2|2}} was land and {{convert|25.566|sqmi|km2|1}} was water.<ref name="2000 Census Places">
 {{cite web
 | url = https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/places2k.zip
 | title = Places (2000)
 | format = [[Zip (file format)|Zipped]] [[Text file|TXT]]
 | work = 2000 Census Gazetteer Files
 | publisher = [[United States Census Bureau]]
 | access-date = January 24, 2013
}}
</ref>

===Adjacent boroughs and census area===
* [[Petersburg Borough, Alaska]]
* [[Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area, Alaska]]
* [[Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska]]
* [[Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine]], [[British Columbia]], Canada - east

==Climate==
According to the [[Köppen climate classification]] system, Wrangell has an [[oceanic climate]] (''Cfb''). Summers are mild and rainy with cool nights. Winters are moderately cold, though not very cold by Alaskan standards.

{{Weather box
|width=auto
|location = Wrangell, Alaska (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1917–present)
|single line = Y
| Jan record high F = 62
| Feb record high F = 65
| Mar record high F = 61
| Apr record high F = 77
| May record high F = 86
| Jun record high F = 91
| Jul record high F = 92
| Aug record high F = 85
| Sep record high F = 82
| Oct record high F = 72
| Nov record high F = 66
| Dec record high F = 60
| year record high F = 92
|Jan avg record high F = 49.0
|Feb avg record high F = 48.7
|Mar avg record high F = 51.9
|Apr avg record high F = 62.0
|May avg record high F = 69.6
|Jun avg record high F = 76.2
|Jul avg record high F = 74.8
|Aug avg record high F = 74.8
|Sep avg record high F = 65.3
|Oct avg record high F = 58.3
|Nov avg record high F = 50.5
|Dec avg record high F = 49.0
|year avg record high F = 79.2
|Jan high F = 36.3
|Feb high F = 38.5
|Mar high F = 42.3
|Apr high F = 49.5
|May high F = 57.9
|Jun high F = 61.2
|Jul high F = 63.7
|Aug high F = 63.3
|Sep high F = 57.5
|Oct high F = 49.2
|Nov high F = 41.2
|Dec high F = 37.3
|year high F = 49.8
|Jan mean F = 32.5
|Feb mean F = 34.3
|Mar mean F = 37.3
|Apr mean F = 43.4
|May mean F = 50.8
|Jun mean F = 55.3
|Jul mean F = 58.0
|Aug mean F = 57.5
|Sep mean F = 52.7
|Oct mean F = 45.2
|Nov mean F = 37.8
|Dec mean F = 33.9
|year mean F = 44.9
|Jan low F = 28.8
|Feb low F = 30.1
|Mar low F = 32.3
|Apr low F = 37.4
|May low F = 43.7
|Jun low F = 49.3
|Jul low F = 52.2
|Aug low F = 51.8
|Sep low F = 47.9
|Oct low F = 41.3
|Nov low F = 34.5
|Dec low F = 30.5
|year low F = 40.0
|Jan avg record low F = 11.3
|Feb avg record low F = 17.2
|Mar avg record low F = 20.3
|Apr avg record low F = 28.8
|May avg record low F = 35.5
|Jun avg record low F = 42.3
|Jul avg record low F = 46.7
|Aug avg record low F = 45.8
|Sep avg record low F = 39.3
|Oct avg record low F = 31.1
|Nov avg record low F = 23.5
|Dec avg record low F = 17.8
|year avg record low F = 7.1
|Jan record low F = -10
|Feb record low F = -8
|Mar record low F = 0
|Apr record low F = 16
|May record low F = 22
|Jun record low F = 30
|Jul record low F = 32
|Aug record low F = 31
|Sep record low F = 22
|Oct record low F = 18
|Nov record low F = 1
|Dec record low F = -7
|year record low F = -10 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 8.01
|Feb precipitation inch = 6.13
|Mar precipitation inch = 6.09
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.94
|May precipitation inch = 4.79
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.29
|Jul precipitation inch = 5.36
|Aug precipitation inch = 6.99
|Sep precipitation inch = 11.49
|Oct precipitation inch = 13.91
|Nov precipitation inch = 10.01
|Dec precipitation inch = 9.20
|year precipitation inch = 91.21

| Jan snow inch = 18.4
| Feb snow inch = 12.4
| Mar snow inch = 7.9
| Apr snow inch = 0.8
| May snow inch = 0.0
| Jun snow inch = 0.0
| Jul snow inch = 0.0
| Aug snow inch = 0.0
| Sep snow inch = 0.0
| Oct snow inch = 0.1
| Nov snow inch = 5.8
| Dec snow inch = 12.6
| year snow inch = 58.0
|source 1 = [[NOAA]] (Precipitation 1981–2010)<ref name=9120normals>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00509919&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020
|publisher=[[NOAA]]
|date=May 27, 2023
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527022028/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00509919&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|archive-date=May 27, 2023}}</ref><ref name=8110normals>{{Cite web
|url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly&stations=USC00509919&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|title=Summary of Monthly Normals 1981–2010
|publisher=[[NOAA]]
|date=May 27, 2023
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527022017/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly&stations=USC00509919&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|archive-date=May 27, 2023}}</ref>
|source 2 = WRCC<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak9919 |title=WRANGELL (509919) |access-date=November 18, 2015 |publisher=Western Regional Climate Center }}</ref>
|date=November 2015
}}

===National protected areas===
[[File:Southeast Alaska Conservation Council.jpg|thumb|Southeast Alaska Conservation Council]]
* [[Tongass National Forest]] (part)
** [[South Etolin Wilderness]]
** [[Stikine-LeConte Wilderness]] (part)

==Economy==
{{more citations needed section|date=October 2021}}
[[File:Wrangell Commercial Fishing Boats.JPG|thumb|right|Fishing boat at Wrangell dock]]
The primary industry of the city is [[fishing]]. A commercial fishing fleet is harbored in Wrangell and several sports fishing guiding services operate here as well taking tourists and wilderness adventurers to remote locations on the great Stikine River branching eastward into [[British Columbia]]. Boatyards have increased in scale allowing storage and repairs of larger vessels. The city has a picturesque golf course with a view of [[Mount Wrangell]]. Like many S.E. Alaskan communities state government spending is important to the local economy, though not to the extent of [[Juneau, Alaska|Juneau]]-the state capitol. The Federal government also kicks in a share with the forest service, postal service and homeland security operations expenditures.
The southernmost terminus of the vast [[Juneau Icefield]] is just north of the Stikine with several glaciers flowing down to the river and saltwater at [[LeConte Bay]]. Though the number of [[Chinook salmon]] has been devastated by commercial over-harvesting recently and the fishery was largely closed in spring 2018, hope for its recovery abounds since fisheries have crashed in S.E. Alaska recurrently over history and recovered.[[File:Salmon tree Wrangell Alaska.jpg|thumb|Salmon tree Wrangell Alaska]]

[[File:Worker preparing crabs for shipment or sale, Wrangell, Alaska, September 3, 1910 (COBB 272).jpeg|thumb|left|Preparing crabs for shipment at Andrew Arneson's place, September 1910]]
Whales live seasonally in the waters of the [[Alexander Archipelago]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Alexander-Archipelago|title=Alexander Archipelago &#124; island group, Alaska, United States|website=Britannica.com|access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref> and visit Wrangell searching for herring and salmon creating good photo opportunities. The former vast Alaska Pulp Corporation logging operations at Wrangell closed down in the mid-1990s unable to meet water quality standards though cutting hundreds of millions of board feet of lumber annually. Wrangell has three marinas on the northwest side of the island and the southernmost; Shoemaker Bay, is undergoing renewal construction in September 2018.

[[File:Machine for tarring gillnets, Wrangell, Alaska, August 1918 (COBB 115).jpeg|thumb|upright|F.W. cannery tanks and equipment for tarring gillnets in Wrangell, 1918]]
A Tlingit cultural center and museum is located on the waterfront of Wrangell. In order to keep a small-town rural aesthetic, the city turned down the prospect of building a state prison and home-porting a naval vessel. The Stikine Inn was remodeled to fine shape, and an inter-island ferry business was established with service to [[Prince of Wales Island (Alaska)|Prince of Wales Island]]. Sunrise Aviation, an air work and tourism float plane service, continues to provide service anywhere in the region, though helicopter journeys to high mountain glaciers need to be scheduled from [[Ketchikan, Alaska|Ketchikan]] to the south 100 miles (Ketchikan is from the Tlingit word Kootchikan meaning place of stinky fish).

Baron Von Wrangell sent Lieutenant Dionysius Zarembo to establish a trading post on Stikine Strait in 1833 to beat the Brits. Tlingits apparently were receptive to British and Russian traders.

Today nearby [[Zarembo Island]] has an elk and moose population visited by hunting guides and parties from Wrangell.

[[Alaska Airlines]] has twice daily service to [[Seattle]] as well as Juneau, Ketchikan, [[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]], and other southeastern destinations. The [[Alaska Marine Highway]] system has a terminal with a ferry dock near the Stikine Inn. In the back of a restaurant downtown there is a marijuana sales business. Wrangell's seafood processing plant, though small and consuming much of the city's water supply seasonally, employs workers from [[Mexico]], Russia, and [[Somalia]].
[[File:Stikine_River_Delta.jpg|thumb|left|Stikine River Delta]]
Wrangell has several churches and bars and a pizza store though no citywide free wireless internet for tourists or business travelers yet. The local Native Corporation—the [[Sealaska Corporation]], contributes to the cost of local health care provisioning.

Bonnie Demerjian,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wrangell-alaska-bonnie-demerjian/1113773707?ean=9780738574981|title = Wrangell, Alaska (Images of America Series)&#124;Paperback|website=Barnesandnoble.com}}</ref> Garrison Gibson,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/god-cosmology-and-nothingness-theory-and-theology-in-a-scientific-era-garrison-clifford-gibson/1122557877?ean=9781365539107|title=God, Cosmology and Nothingness - Theory and Theology In a Scientific Era&#124;NOOK Book|website=Barnesandnoble.com|access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref> and other writers live in the city. It has guided kayak tours in summer and some of the most accessible coastal forest wilderness hiking, camping and climbing of S.E. Alaska. It is possible to follow the historic route in kayaks to the Stikine River Delta where the orphan warrior Chief Gush X'een and his band of Tlingits defeated boatloads of invading Nisga'a warriors from the south. Rather than becoming a slave the defeated Nisga'a Chief surrendered his hat and title of ''[[Shakes (Tlingit leaders)|Shakes]]'' to Gush X'een.

The former mill site of the Alaska Pulp Corporation that was dismantled has some use sending logs and boulders via ships and a prospect for development as a cruise ship site with multipurpose western theme shops and dark ale brewery for export. The city has expanded its electrical power lines a mile and a half south on Isheyami Drive to allow a concrete production facility to power up (they bring in sand via barge from the Stikine River).

==Politics==
Voters in Wrangell lean strongly [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], having elected a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] only once, in 1964.  Wrangell has accurately reflected the choice of Alaska's statewide presidential election winner in every election since the state's admission to the union in 1960.

{{PresHead|place=Wrangell, Alaska|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://rrhelections.com/index.php/2018/02/02/alaska-results-by-county-equivalent-1960-2016/|title=RRH Elections|website=rrhelections.com|date=February 2, 2018 |access-date=December 24, 2021}}</ref>}}
<!--{{PresRow|Year|Winner|GOP #|Dem #|3rd #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|360|286|0|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|210|494|0|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|365|305|47|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|422|255|38|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|461|327|58|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|626|292|131|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|795|308|25|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|812|365|35|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|592|289|484|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|698|248|277|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|1,041|195|106|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|693|164|33|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|858|356|31|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|738|362|43|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|757|273|102|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|827|396|54|Alaska}}
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|745|359|32|Alaska}}
{{PresFoot}}

==Demographics==
{{update|section|date=October 2021}}
{{US Census population
|1880= 106
|1890= 316
|1900= 868
|1910= 743
|1920= 821
|1930= 948
|1940= 1162
|1950= 1263
|1960= 1315
|1970= 2029
|1980= 2184
|1990= 2479
|2000= 2308
|2010= 2369
|2020= 2127
|estyear=2024
|estimate=2064
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html|title=County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 3, 2025}}</ref>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
Wrangell first appeared as an unincorporated village on the 1880 U.S. Census. There were 106 residents, of which 105 were White and 1 was Creole (Mixed Russian & Native).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1880a_v1-17.pdf |title=Areas, Dwellings and Families: 1880 Census|website=2.census.gov|access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref> In 1890, it counted 316 residents of which a majority, 228, were Native, 71 were White, 15 Creole, 1 Asian and 1 Other. That count included the Chantay farming settlement & Labouchere Cannery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1890a_v8-01.pdf|title=Population and Resources of Alaska: 1890 Census|website=2.census.gov|access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref>

In 1900, it became the 5th largest community in Alaska with 868 residents (though the racial breakdown was unspecified). In 1903, Wrangell formally incorporated. In 1910, it fell to 10th largest city in Alaska and returned 743 residents, with 419 Whites, 249 Natives and 75 Others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/41033927n358-359ch10.pdf |title=Supplement for Alaska : 1890 Census|website=2.census.gov|access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref> In 1920, it had 821 residents and remained the 10th largest city. In 1930, it was the 9th largest city with 948 residents. In 1940, it rose to 8th place. In addition to the 1,162 residents, the census also reported a separate 163 individuals living in the unincorporated areas surrounding Wrangell.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/33973538v1ch11.pdf|title=Alaska : 1939 Census|website=2.census.gov|access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/5823246|title=1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Alaska - First Judicial Division County - ED 1-17, ED 1-18, ED 1-19|series=File Unit: 1940 Census Enumeration District Descriptions - Alaska - First Judicial Division County, 1850 - 1950}}</ref> The combined number of 1,325 would've placed it just ahead of 7th place [[Petersburg, Alaska|Petersburg]] (with 1,323 residents). Beginning in 1950, Wrangell fell out of the list of top 10 largest communities in Alaska. In 2008, Wrangell became a separate city & borough.

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,308 people, 907 households, and 623 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|51.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,092 housing units at an average density of {{convert|24.1|/mi2|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the city was 1696 [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 3 [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 358 [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 15 [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 3 [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 8 from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 9.8% from two or more races. 23 of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 907 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,250, and the median income for a family was $54,167. Males had a median income of $43,846 versus $29,205 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $21,851. About 7.3% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Schools==
[[File:Wrangell Alaska City Park.jpg|thumb|Wrangell Alaska City Park]]
Wrangell is a part of [[Wrangell Public Schools]], which operates:
* Evergreen Elementary School
* Stikine Middle School
* [[Wrangell High School]]

The [[Wrangell Institute]] was an [[American Indian boarding schools|American Indian boarding school]] opened in 1932, which closed in 1975.<ref name="nps">{{cite web |title=World War II Aleut Relocation Camps in Southeast Alaska - Chapter 5: Wrangell Institute |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/aleu-mobley-ch5.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=January 6, 2019}} ''Gives a very thorough history of the site and buildings, including illustrations and floorplans''</ref>

==Health care==
The Wrangell Medical Center hospital is owned by the [[Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium]]. The Wrangell Medical Center is a critical access hospital and long-term care facility with a total of 22 beds, 8 for acute care and 14 for long-term care. Emergency care, inpatient care, imaging, lab, and physical therapy are provided by the center. Visiting specialists in internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, optometry, pediatrics, ophthalmology, podiatry, orthopedics, rheumatology, dietetics and dermatology complement local services. SEARHC is currently constructing a new hospital that will be opened in 2021.

Alaska Island Community Services was established in Wrangell in 1989 under the original name Wrangell Community Services, and began providing Core Mental Health Services to the Community of Wrangell. Over the next two decades the delivery of services expanded to include Disability and Senior Services, rehabilitative wilderness experience for youth, Primary Care Health Care, Dental Services, and a Pharmacy Department. As a federally qualified health center, all of the services are provided on a sliding fee discount scale based on federal guidelines.

Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium is a non-profit medical, dental, vision and mental health organization serving the health interests of the residents of Southeast Alaska. In 2017 SEARHC merged with local non-profit Alaska Island Community Services to form AICS, a Division of Searhc.

==Post office==
In 1943 the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned artist [[Austin Mecklem]] and his wife, Marianne Greer Appel, to paint a mural, ''Old Town in Alaska'', intended for the Wrangell post office. The work was completed at their studio in New York state, transported via railway on October 19, 1943, arrived in Wrangell in December 1943 and installed in early 1944.
<ref>{{cite web|title=Post Office Mural-Wrangell, AK|url=https://livingnewdeal.org/projects/post-office-mural-wrangell-ak/|website=Livingnewdeal.org|access-date=April 27, 2016}}</ref>

==Media==
===Newspaper===
In print since 1902, the newspaper for the borough is [[The Wrangell Sentinel]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wrangellsentinel.com/|title=Wrangell Sentinel Homepage|website=Wrangell Sentinel|access-date=June 25, 2022}}</ref> the oldest continuously published newspaper in Alaska. The Petersburg Pilot, published in [[Petersburg, Alaska|Petersburg]] is also for sale in town, along with the [[Juneau Empire]] and the [[Alaska Dispatch]] online.

===Library===
The primary library is the Irene Ingle Public Library.
[https://www.wrangell.com/library wrangell.com/library]

===Radio===
Wrangell is served by two radio stations: [[KSTK]] broadcasts [[Public Radio]] format, and [[KWRG-LP]] has a [[Christian broadcasting|Christian]] format.

==Transportation==
[[Image:Wrangell Ferry MV Matanuska.JPG|thumb|Alaska Marine Highway ferry ''[[MV Matanuska]]'' in Wrangell]]
On Wrangell Island, Wrangell has two forms of transportation: ferry and airplane. The island offers a network of paved roads and miles of logging trails.

===Ferry===
The [[Alaska Marine Highway]] serves Wrangell on its [[Inside Passage]] route with regular northbound and southbound stops linking residents and visitors to the rest of [[Alaska Panhandle|Southeast Alaska]].<ref>{{cite web
| title = State of Alaska ferries
| publisher = [[Alaska Marine Highway System]]
| url = http://WWW.DoT.State.AK.US/amhs/
}}</ref>

===Airport===
[[File:Wrangell_Alaska_Airlines_Combi.JPG|left|thumb|Passengers boarding an [[Alaska Airlines]] airplane at Wrangell Airport]]
There are two daily scheduled [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-700/800]] flights; passenger jet service is operated by [[Alaska Airlines]] at the [[Wrangell Airport]]. One plane arrives in the morning and one plane in the evening. Sunrise Aviation provides float plane service to the region.

===Roads===
[[File:Wrangell_Zimovia_highway_June_7th_2016.jpg|thumb|View of the Zimovia Highway just south of town]]
The primary road is the [[Zimovia Highway]] along the west side of the island for 14 miles. Except for the highway and most roads in town, the rest are unpaved logging trails, forest service roads, and hiking trails. Isheyama Drive, which is on the east side south of the golf course, is paved for two miles. At the former terminus of the road is a view spot of Eastern Passage for pedestrians. Ballard's, named for a fisherman, does not have safe small-boat landing. A logging road runs almost all the way through to Pat's Creek road six miles south to bisect the island east–west to Shoemaker Bay, however a half-mile or less is incomplete according to one forest service timber harvest contract. The ''Reagan Road'' has been suggested as a name for the future street.
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.wrangell.com Official website]

{{Alaska borough seats}}
{{Wrangell Borough, Alaska}}
{{Alaska}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Alaska boroughs]]
[[Category:Former cities in Alaska]]
[[Category:Hudson's Bay Company trading posts]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Wrangell, Alaska| ]]
[[Category:1834 establishments in Alaska]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1834]]
[[Category:Cities in Alaska]]
[[Category:Consolidated city-counties]]