The Anchorage Pioneer

The Anchorage Pioneer Home was established in 1977 and is a five-story building occupying one third of a city block overlooking an area known as the Park Strip. This greenbelt in the center of the metropolitan Anchorage area divides the business district from the oldest residential area of the city. The Anchorage Pioneer Home sits like a jewel in the crown of this historical community core. Behind the Pioneer Home the city of Anchorage extends to the south and the Chugach Mountains rise majestically to the east, easily visible from most floors of the home. Denali peeks out over the skyscrapers of the downtown area to the north and Cook Inlet lies to the west. The home is comprised of two buildings broken out into three neighborhoods with total accommodations for 169 elders. The neighborhood concept is instrumental in building an atmosphere where loved ones who have dementia are safe and feel appreciated.

Many of the elders in the Anchorage home are great pioneers from the first half of the 20th century who worked as homesteaders, miners, and bush pilots across Alaska. Others were pioneering fathers and mothers who helped turned Anchorage from a railroad tent town to Alaska's center of commerce and culture. These pioneering icons range in age from mid-60's to over 100!