Kodiak is the largest commercial fishing port in Alaska, and Kodiak Island is the largest island. The city of Kodiak (population 14,000) is located on the northeastern tip. Conditions in the Gulf of Alaska influence the weather here, and fog, rain, and winds are common. Rainfall can be as much as 80 inches a year.
Kodiak was the first capital of Russian America in 1784, and displays the blue onion-shaped domes of the Holy Resurrection Russian Orthodox Church from that era. The Baranov Museum, in the Erskine House on the harbor, exhibits early Russian and Alaskan artifacts, and American household furnishings from the early twentieth century. Going back earlier in time, the Alutiiq Museum and Archeological Repository showcases 7,000 years of native culture with displays, galleries, exhibits, and a diorama of typical village life.
The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge occupies the southwestern two-thirds of the island and preserves the habitat of the giant Kodiak brown bear (Ursus arctos).
About 2,400 of these huge animals, which can grow up to about 1,500 pounds, live on the island, which is also inhabited by Sitka black-tailed deer, tundra voles, sea lions, and bald eagles. The refuge is accessible only by plane and boat. Visitors can take narrated tours of the island.
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