Government Hill (Anchorage)

Government Hill is a neighborhood in the northwest part of Anchorage, Alaska, sitting in between Anchorage's downtown area and the western reaches of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, specifically the portion formerly known as Elmendorf Air Force Base. The neighborhood is named for the "hill" it sits on of about 115 feet (35 m) bearing the same name, which is actually a bluff which rises alongside the northern banks of Ship Creek. The origins of the name date to 1915, when a federal land reserve was created in the area for the Alaska Engineering Commission, then heavily involved in constructing the Alaska Railroad nearby.

The neighborhood sits alongside Knik Arm in north Anchorage. It is very ethnically diverse. Numerous Korean emigrants to Anchorage over the years have made Government Hill their first home in the city. Many residents work either in downtown Anchorage or at JBER, which flank the neighborhood to the south and north, respectively. Both are within walking distance.

Government Hill is often called Anchorage's oldest and first neighborhood. The U.S. government withdrew the area from inclusion as part of the Anchorage townsite, and instead created a reserve for housing workers from the railroad and other federal entities doing work in the area. The AEC constructed 13 houses in the southwest corner of the area in 1915. This area was listed as Government Hill Federal Housing Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Loop Road had appeared by the 1920s, which connected Anchorage with the extensive farms by then operating north and northeast of the town. Robert Atwood, describing his early years in Anchorage in his autobiography, referred to Loop Road as the only interesting drive to be had in the area. The farms would be acquired by the federal government in the late 1930s to create Elmendorf as well as Fort Richardson.

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