Kenai, Alaska AK Hotels/Motels/Lodging

This is the current conditions weather report for Kenai. The report was made 24 minutes ago, at 02:26 UTC. The wind was blowing at a speed of 6 miles per hour / 9.3 kilometers per hour from the northeast (030°). The temperature was 19°F / -7°C, with a dew-point at 19°F / -7°C. The temperature felt like 12°F / -11°C. The atmospheric pressure was 29.44 inHg / 998 hPa. The relative humidity was 86%. The skies were overcast with light snow.

Kenai is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 7,464.

In 1869, after the Alaska Purchase the United States Army established a post called Fort Kenay. It was soon abandoned.

In 1888 a prospector named Alexander King discovered gold on the Kenai Peninsula. The amount of gold was small compared to the later gold finds in the Klondike, Nome and Fairbanks.

In 1894, the Holy Assumption of the Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church was built in the village. It is still in use today.

The establishment of shipping companies in the early 1900's broadened Kenai into a port city. Canning companies were established and helped fuel the commercial fishing boom that was the primary activity through the 1920's. In 1937, construction of the Kenai Airport began.

In 1940, homesteads were opened in the area. The first dirt road from Anchorage was constructed in 1951; pavement would not arrive until 1956 with the construction of the Kenai Spur highway.

A military base, Wildwood Airforce Station, was established in 1953 and served as a major communications post. Though now defunct, the building presently serves as the Wildwood Correctional Facility.

In 1957, oil was discovered at Swanson River, 20 miles northeast of Kenai. This was the first major oil discovery in Alaska. In 1965, offshore oil discoveries in Cook Inlet caused a period of rapid growth.

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