Valdez is located on the north shore of Port Valdez, a deepwater fjord in Prince William Sound. It lies 120 air miles east of Anchorage, or 305 miles by the Richardson and Glenn Highways. It is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline. The Port of Valdez was named in 1790 by Senor Fidalgo for the celebrated Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdez y Basan. due to its excellent ice-free port, a town developed in 1898 as a debarkation point for men seeking a route to the Klondike gold fields. Valdez soon became the supply center of its own gold mining region, and incorporated as a City in 1901. Tsunamis generated by the 1964 earthquake destroyed the original City, killing several residents. The community was rebuilt in a more sheltered location nearby. During the 1970's, construction of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline terminal and other cargo transportation facilities brought rapid growth to Valdez.

Valdez is a fishing port, both for commercial and sport fishing. Freight moves through Valdez bound for the interior of Alaska. Sightseeing of the marine life and glaciers, together with both deep-sea freshwater fishing, and heli skiing support a tourist industry in Valdez. The oil from the Trans-Alaska pipeline is loaded onto ships at the Valdez oil terminal. The natural setting for Valdez is one of the most beautiful on Earth, and it has been called the Switzerland of Alaska.

Wikipedia articles for Valdez

• #015 Valdez (Valdez-Cordova CA)
• Valdez, Alaska
• List of North American ports
• Valdez High School
• Valdez