County:
Zip Code:
Latitude / Longitude: 60° 54′ 25 N, 149° 4′ 41 W
Elevation:
Time Zone: Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: Many streams in the area were probably prospected. It was a terminus of the Alaska Railroad. In 1964, the town was destroyed by a tsunami after a magnitude 9.2 earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean. It is possible that most of the surviving buildings were knocked down due to safety concerns, though a few cabins probably remain hidden in the woods.
Remains:
Current Status: Kern is a ghost town in the Municipality of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska, located off of the Seward Highway. It was destroyed by a tsunami in 1964.
Remarks: Kern was located south of Girdwood, Alaska. The town is now entirely overgrown by the Chugach National Forest, and no buildings are visible from the highway. Its remnants are located somewhere along the first southbound pulloff from the Seward Highway after passing Girdwood, as well as near the Alaska Railroad. There is still a marker that reads “Kern.” The roads can still be seen, but the entire settlement is overgrown, and avalanches have buried and destroyed much of the town. Kern is located near Kern Creek.
