Kodiak is a coastal fishing community, virtually surrounded by parks and refuges, including Shuyak Island State Park, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. Birding opportunities are world renown, especially for seabirds in winter. Fly-in-fishing and hunting for deer and brown bear is available. Natural and historical attractions include:

• Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, encompassing nearly 1.9 million acres on Kodiak Island and Afognak Island. It is the home of an estimated 2,500 Kodiak bears, plus red fox, land otters, blacktailed deer, mountain goats, bald eagles, and more than 20 other bird species.
  
  
• Fort Abercrombe State Park, one of the first secret radar installations in Alaska during World War II, showing bunkers and other evidence of the Aleutian campaign.
  
  
• Coast Guard Base, positioned on Kodiak for its North Pacific operations. Coast Guard cutters from the country's largest Coast Guard installation patrol from Kodiak to monitor the nation's busiest fishing waters.
  
  
• Commercial fishing port - the second largest in the US, with more than 2,000 commercial fishing vessels. Thirteen seafood processing companies operate year-round.
  
  
• Erskine House (Baranof Museum) - a warehouse built in the 1790s by Alexander Baranof to store furs and then converted to a residence by W.J. Erskine in 1911. This is the oldest building in the state.
  
  
• Russian Orthodox Church - established in 1794, it is the oldest parish in Alaska and is home to handmade brass works, rare paintings and several icons which date back to the Czarist period.
  
  
• Kodiak Island Villages: Several picturesque communities dot the island, offering unparalleled fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities. Restaurants, lodges, hotels, sightseeing tours and charter boat rentals are available in Old Harbor, Larsen Bay, Karluk and Port Lions.

Vital Stats:

• Population: 7,229
  
  
• Location: Eastern tip of Kodiak Island, south of Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula in the Gulf of Alaska; one hour by jet from Anchorage.
  
  
• Access: Scheduled jet service, state ferry, air taxi service.
  
  
• Dining, accommodations, etc.: Four hotels/motels (200+ rooms), eight bed and breakfasts. 15 restaurants (seating for 700). Food, all conveniences, most supplies, shops, and two hospitals.
  
  
• Transportation: Charter airplane and boat, car and van rental, taxi service.