Alaska Time Zones (why the switch)

[Markxxx]

Years ago Alaska used to cover 4 time zones. Now I believe it is only two. Why the switch. It used to be Pacific, Yukon, Alaska/Hawaii and Bering Time.

Now if my map is right, just Yukon and Bering.

[Fear_Itself]

From the Alaska State Library FAQ page

**Alaska Time Zone history

On October 30, 1983, when daylight time reverted to standard time, Alaska changed from four time zones to two time zones. Before the change, Alaska’s time zones were:

Pacific time (southeastern Alaska)
Yukon time (Yakutat)
Alaska time (from just east of Cold Bay and west of Yakutat northward, including Nome)
Bering time (the north coast of Alaska and the Aleutian chain)
The change was done to facilitate doing business in Alaska, improve communications and unify residents.
**

This change adopted the two current time zones: Alaska Time for the bulk of the state, and Hawaii/Aleutian Time for the Aleutian Island chain.

Another interesting historical note on this changeover can be found in the archives of the Alaska Science Forum for March 25, 1983, which notes that there were at one time five time zones in use in the state (including Pacific time in some areas of Southeast Alaska) and discusses a proposal to change the entire state to Yukon time:

**One of the proposals being considered would put all of Alaska on its easternmost time zone (Yukon Time). As can be seen in the diagram, this would be equivalent to putting all of the coterminous U.S.A. into its easternmost time zone (Eastern Time). Thus from Boston to Seattle, i.e., cost to coast, there would be only Eastern Standard Time.
**

[hibernicus]

*Originally posted by Fear Itself *
Alaska Science Forum for March 25, 1983, which notes that there were at one time five time zones in use in the state (including Pacific time in some areas of Southeast Alaska)

I agree the wording was confusing, but the article is saying that there were 4 (never 5) time zones in use, of which (GMT-8), known as Pacific Standard Time, was one (in Juneau).
There would have been five if the (GMT-12) had been in use, but in fact the (GMT-11) zone, known as Bering Time, stretched right to the tip of the Aleutian island chain.
The article makes the mistake of using the terms “Time Zone” and “International Date Line” as if they had some non-arbitrary meaning.

[kpm]

My guess is they did this so it is easier to do business with the West coast of the US.

I think around 1/2 of the population of Alaska lives in the Anchorage area. Once you leave that area heading north you are in wilderness for a long time. There are a few small towns but nothing major until you hit Fairbanks.

When the oil boom started they were planning to build a new state capital city north of Anchorage to replace Juneau. Speculators went out and bought up a bunch of land near the proposed area - but they never did move the capital. I believe they decided it cost too much to build an entire new city from scratch.