Boroughs in Alaska with the most pre-war homes
Pre-war homes—those built before 1939—are architectural gems. They are sturdy, charming, and often what people are referring to when they look at the prevalent colorless, linear designs of today and lament "they just don't make them like they used to."
In some ways, that's a good thing. Pre-war homes often contained materials we know to be hazardous today, like asbestos and lead. But their signature characteristics, including hardwood floors, nickel accents, ornate crown molding, and high ceilings, are among the features many people look for in a dream home.
Preserving the history of these properties, many of which you'll find on the National Register of Historic Places, is labor that often extends beyond the scope of an individual homeowner. Depending on where these homes are located, special permission by local historic commissions may be required before renovations can be done in an effort to preserve their historic architectural integrity.
Stacker compiled a list of boroughs in Alaska with the most pre-war homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Boroughs are ranked by the highest percent of homes that were built before 1939 based on 2020 5-year estimates.
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#30. Kusilvak Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 0.0%
- Homes built since 2000: 20.7%
- Median year built: 1986
- Total homes: 2,219
#29. Northwest Arctic Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 0.2%
- Homes built since 2000: 11.8%
- Median year built: 1984
- Total homes: 2,742
#28. Bethel Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 0.4%
- Homes built since 2000: 21.4%
- Median year built: 1987
- Total homes: 6,029
#27. Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 0.5%
- Homes built since 2000: 38.8%
- Median year built: 1993
- Total homes: 42,018
#26. Anchorage
- Homes built before 1939: 0.5%
- Homes built since 2000: 15.8%
- Median year built: 1982
- Total homes: 118,293
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#25. Southeast Fairbanks Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 0.7%
- Homes built since 2000: 25.7%
- Median year built: 1987
- Total homes: 3,911
#24. Kodiak Island Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 0.8%
- Homes built since 2000: 17.1%
- Median year built: 1984
- Total homes: 5,450
#23. Kenai Peninsula Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 1.0%
- Homes built since 2000: 27.4%
- Median year built: 1988
- Total homes: 31,330
#22. Fairbanks North Star Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 1.1%
- Homes built since 2000: 22.9%
- Median year built: 1984
- Total homes: 44,270
#21. Valdez–Cordova Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 1.4%
- Homes built since 2000: 26.9%
- Median year built: 1980
- Total homes: 2,902
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#20. Dillingham Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 1.4%
- Homes built since 2000: 15.7%
- Median year built: 1984
- Total homes: 2,462
#19. Denali Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 1.5%
- Homes built since 2000: 21.5%
- Median year built: 1987
- Total homes: 1,664
#18. Valdez–Cordova Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 1.9%
- Homes built since 2000: 7.7%
- Median year built: 1986
- Total homes: 3,287
#17. Lake and Peninsula Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 1.9%
- Homes built since 2000: 14.5%
- Median year built: -
- Total homes: 1,431
#16. Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 2.0%
- Homes built since 2000: 15.0%
- Median year built: 1984
- Total homes: 4,081
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#15. Aleutians West Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 2.8%
- Homes built since 2000: 9.2%
- Median year built: 1982
- Total homes: 2,013
#14. Bristol Bay Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 3.4%
- Homes built since 2000: 10.0%
- Median year built: 1982
- Total homes: 871
#13. Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 3.4%
- Homes built since 2000: 17.3%
- Median year built: 1985
- Total homes: 3,450
#12. Nome Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 4.3%
- Homes built since 2000: 12.1%
- Median year built: 1983
- Total homes: 4,092
#11. Yakutat
- Homes built before 1939: 4.6%
- Homes built since 2000: 19.2%
- Median year built: 1982
- Total homes: 417
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#10. North Slope Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 4.7%
- Homes built since 2000: 9.3%
- Median year built: 1983
- Total homes: 2,581
#9. Haines Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 5.3%
- Homes built since 2000: 23.8%
- Median year built: 1990
- Total homes: 1,692
#8. Sitka
- Homes built before 1939: 5.5%
- Homes built since 2000: 15.5%
- Median year built: 1979
- Total homes: 4,229
#7. Juneau
- Homes built before 1939: 6.1%
- Homes built since 2000: 15.0%
- Median year built: 1981
- Total homes: 13,792
#6. Hoonah–Angoon Census Area
- Homes built before 1939: 6.4%
- Homes built since 2000: 16.6%
- Median year built: 1983
- Total homes: 1,623
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#5. Aleutians East Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 7.3%
- Homes built since 2000: 11.1%
- Median year built: 1982
- Total homes: 1,199
#4. Wrangell
- Homes built before 1939: 10.7%
- Homes built since 2000: 11.4%
- Median year built: 1978
- Total homes: 1,451
#3. Ketchikan Gateway Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 11.8%
- Homes built since 2000: 11.6%
- Median year built: 1976
- Total homes: 6,427
#2. Skagway
- Homes built before 1939: 13.7%
- Homes built since 2000: 16.5%
- Median year built: 1983
- Total homes: 644
#1. Petersburg Borough
- Homes built before 1939: 17.1%
- Homes built since 2000: 11.1%
- Median year built: 1979
- Total homes: 1,800
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