Houston, Alaska - Lakes and Winter Sports for Everyone

This Houston shouldn't be mistaken with the largest city in Texas. It's not that they don't have the same name, but just remember that there's a city in Alaska also called Houston. Got that? Now, here are some facts that will help you improve your geographic knowledge. It's not big at all, nor does it have a space center. Let's start from the beginning. The space that this city occupies is in the state of Alaska, United States, right along the pristine Little Susitna River. The area was known in the beginning of the 20th century for the Herning Trail which was created to haul supplies throughout the area.. The trail received the name "Houston Siding" from a navigation chart for the Alaskian rail sysytem  in 1917 and that's how the city the city was coined after Congressman William Cannon  of Tennessee, who has the same surname as the town. Nowadays the city has a total population of about 1,200 inhabitants (twice more than in 1990) and a total area of 23.5 square miles (61 km2), including 1.2 square miles of water. Houston, Alaska, was incorporated as a third-class in 1966, but the city upgraded as a second-class city in 1973. Coal mining was first developed in the region, around 1917-18, but closed down after WWII. After the extension of dirt paved roads as well as the power grid,Houston was settled by a permanent population. In 1998 geologists set out in search of  natural gas  and found huge deposits of methane but negotiations for its sale were unsuccessful.

Today recreation activity and tourism are leading factors in the region. There are many place to see and things to do, visitors can stop at the tourist information office and find out the best spot to go along with some of the popular activities to take advantage of. Hanging out at the lakes, fishing or relaxing is one of those things. Catching trout is quite common in most of the lakes, both breed the silver and the rainbow trout. Some of the campgrounds will give you and yours a fun filled night or day as well with many fire pits to roast marshmallows on and playgrounds for the kids.

There are many beaten paths for trekking  and riding ATVS, and many of them lead to the Recreation Area, where you should be careful especially in the winter, as it is an avalanche hazard area. You can visit Cirque Lake, a lovely glacier lake surrounded by glacially carved terrain, within Summit Lake State Recreation Site. If you follow the trail around Summit Lake you will see amazing vistas, including views over the Willow Creek Drainage, the Susitna Valley, and the Alaska Range. Skiing, snow boarding, and snowshoeing are activities that attract people during the winter.

Twin Lakes, just 18 minutes south of downtown Houston, is a great opportunity for fishing, camping or picnicking.  The lake is packed with a variety of fish like big bass, striper, and catfish.  It features eight floating decks, training platforms, and more. At Cheri Lake, which is 3.4 miles away from Houston, fishermen can catch northern pike, rainbow trout and dolly varden.

Another popular trail system is situated near the rivers and is especially , popular during winter months. There is another quite busy trail in the summer near Nancy lakes.  

Annual events in the area include the Pike Derby, a fishing event sponsored by the  city of Houston during the winter and a community celebration called Founder's Day, with live entertainment as well.