Alaska, USA
Alaska B&Bs are multiplying as visitors flock to this immense state
Alaska bed and breakfasts are on the increase as visitors from the USA and the rest of the world flock to "America's Last Frontier". With its rugged landscape and climate, an Alaska B&B, lodge or inn run by a warm-hearted host is the just the answer when you are looking for a home away from home. Your bed and breakfast host is bound to tell you a little of the history of Alaska. The area was bought from Russia on October 18, 1867, for $7,200,000. It finally became an organized territory in 1912 and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. The name "Alaska" is derived from the Aleut word meaning "the mainland", or more literally "the object towards which the action of the sea is directed".
The sheer size of Alaska is hard to imagine: It is one-fifth the size of the rest of the United States. It is this that people come on cruise ships to see, or they fly in on commercial airlines or floatplanes. Many people opt for Alaska bed and breakfast accommodation when visiting this 
vast state. Alaska has the USA’s highest mountain, the biggest glaciers, the largest wilderness, the best fishing and the wildest nature reserves. Combined with an exceedingly low population, tourists find Alaska irresistible. There are Alaska B&Bs springing up in many regions to accommodate the rising number of visitors.
Here is an interesting fact that hosts at Alaska bed and breakfast, inns and lodges are fond of telling visitors: Did you know that Alaska is the only U.S. state extending into the eastern hemisphere? And Alaska bed and breakfast owners have fascinating tales to tell about the native population, which includes Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts. About half of all Alaska natives are Eskimos. (The word “Eskimo” refers to Alaska natives; Inuit is used for Eskimos living in Canada.)
In 1968, a large oil and gas reservoir near Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Coast was discovered. The Prudhoe Bay reservoir, with an estimated recoverable 10 billion barrels of oil and 27 trillion cubic feet of gas, is twice as large as any other oil field in North America. Obviously the oil 
industry attracts many business visitors to Alaska and they are increasingly accommodated in bed and breakfasts near oilfields and refineries. Other important industries are fisheries, wood and wood products, furs, and tourism, all of which justify even more B&Bs. The bed and breakfast industry in Alaska is thriving.
Alaska bed and breakfast visitors, and those staying at Alaska inns and lodges, usually visit the Denali National Park and Mendenhall Glacier in North Tongass National Forest. Another attraction for B&B visitors is the large totem pole collection at Sitka National Historical Park.
