About Seldovia

About Seldovia

“We chose Seldovia as it was a great place for our kids to grow up!”

Find your way

Where is Seldovia?

Seldovia sits at the tip of Kachemak Bay, across the water from Homer at the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula, which reaches all the way down from Anchorage. There is no road in, so you will arrive by air, by passenger tour boat in the summer, or on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry.

Watercolor map of the Kenai Peninsula showing Seldovia at the tip of Kachemak Bay, across the water from Homer
Tap the map to view it full size, or open the Find Me Map to get around town.

Back to the natural beauty of Alaska!

We invite you to a tranquil place where the majesty of glorious mountains, expansive sandy beaches and extensive trails lead you through lush forests and up to the mountain tops — where views of Cook Inlet will take your breath away. The only way to get to Seldovia is by air, passenger tour boats (summertime) or the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, which means you will be here on purpose, and you decided that the extra effort to get off the road system would be worthwhile. You will not be disappointed.

If you are out on our waters, you may often come across orca or humpback whales, many playful sea otters, puffins, and plenty of eagles — and of course the ordinary seagull who is fat with the plentiful salmon scavenging at the fish cleaning table at Seldovia's small boat harbor.

Be sure to visit our Webcams Around Seldovia to view live images from the small boat harbor, the city dock, and the docks across the bay. Thanks to those who sponsor those cameras and keep them live on the internet!

We know you will love the many incredible beauties of Seldovia: our breathtaking scenery, abundant wildlife, and authentic people!

Get your bearings

Town Tour

EstablishedTown settled in the late 1800s · City incorporated 1945
Population2020 Census: 235 in the city of Seldovia, plus 199 in nearby Seldovia Village — and 50 or so resident eagles!
Summer temps40° to 65° F
Winter temps20° to 30° F
TidesFrom minus 5 feet to plus 22 feet
Traffic lightsZero. Not a one!

Arriving in Seldovia

You'll arrive through the SOV Airport, the Seldovia Harbor, the AMHS Ferry Dock, or the Jakolof Bay Dock. Although there are no highways to Seldovia, you can bring your car to town on the M/V Tustumena ferry.

The Harbor

Seldovia's harbor is a vital link between work, recreation, and local access. Transient space is usually available for visitors — call the Harbor Master.

Main Street

Main Street parallels the waterfront and runs the full north-south length of town. We're very pleased to inform you there are no traffic lights in Seldovia!

Business Community

Seldovia has a nice mix of businesses supporting both the local community and the tourist trade. That said, we don't have banks, auto dealers, tattoo parlors, movie theaters, or super stores.

Community Services

Seldovia is fortunate to have virtually all the basic services — water, sewer, power, phone, and internet — that a small community needs.

Herring Bay

History of Seldovia

Seldovia has a rich history. The Seldovia Village Tribe holds a wealth of information about the history of our community, and we're grateful to have it available. For more historical and anthropological information about Seldovia and her people, visit the Seldovia Visitors' Museum, right off the small boat ramp on the corner of Main Street. Admission is complimentary.

1800’s
Athabascan Indians, Aleuts and Eskimos camped at Seldovia for hundreds of years, but its modern history began in the late 1800s. Prehistoric evidence of a village site may lie beneath the Russian Orthodox Church; ancient skeletal remains have turned up around the MacDonald Spit.
1840
Mikhail Dmitrievich Teben'kov, chief manager of the Russian Colonies in North America, sent a captain to explore Cook Inlet, including Seldovia.
1852
Captain Archimandritov named the bay "Zaliv Seldevoy" — "Herring Bay." The Kenaitze Indian name for the bay was Chesloknu.
1867
Alaska was purchased from Russia. Many Russians departed for their mother country, but the heritage of Russian culture still remains in Seldovia.
1870s
Russians and Natives engaged in fur hunting and trading settled here, making Seldovia one of the oldest settlements in the Cook Inlet area. Captain Nathaniel Portlock discovered what may be Alaska's first coal mine, 8 miles south of Seldovia.
1884
The 10th U.S. Census recorded Seldovia's population at 74.
1898
The Post Office in Seldovia was established.
1900s
At the turn of the century, Seldovia was a stop for prospectors en route to the gold fields in the Interior.
1908
The first public school in Seldovia was established.
1910
The first salmon cannery was built. (This was also the year Juneau became Alaska's capital city.)
1920s
A herring boom brought Scandinavians to town; they stayed on to fish salmon, halibut and crab. First record of a 4th of July celebration in Seldovia.
1925
More than fifty fox farms were established in the bays and coves of the peninsula, many using Seldovia as their point of supply. During these years, Seldovia was the commerce center for all of Western Alaska.
1927
Seldovia's canneries were thriving businesses.
1931
A wooden boardwalk was built along the waterfront. Businesses on pilings flourished along the intimate walkway, and Seldovia became known throughout Southcentral Alaska as "the boardwalk town." An original section still remains along the Seldovia Slough today.
1945
Seldovia's first airplane service began — Miller's Seldovia Air Service, a 6-passenger Waco floatplane tethered to the dock. Seldovia was incorporated as a "Second Class City," with 285 residents.
1946
Seldovia's current air strip was built.
1947
A children's ski tow was built on Frank Raby Hill. The first radio telephone transmitter was installed in June, enabling communication between Seldovia and Anchorage.
1962
Seldovia was reclassified as a "First Class City."
1964
The 1964 earthquake changed Seldovia forever. The land subsided four feet, letting high tides wash over the boardwalk and into its buildings. The waterfront was rebuilt on higher ground with fill from the surrounding hills.
1971–72
Construction began on the Susan B. English School. First classes were held August 30, 1972, with a dedication ceremony that September.
1975
Seldovia Native Association sold some logging rights; about 5 million feet of Sitka spruce were milled, with more logging in later years.
Today
Seldovia is an active, fun community with a wonderful school (grades 1–12). It welcomes tourism, makes an attractive retirement place, and supports the sport fishing industry.