Urban towns are all those towns with 1990 U.S. Census populations of 2,500 or more.
Communities are also designated as urban even though their populations are under 2,500 if they lie within an "urbanized area." Urbanized areas are defined as all communities and places connected by highway to urban centers with populations of 6,000 or more and lying within a 20-mile radius of the urban center (for centers from 6,000 to 20,000 population) or a 40-mile radius (for centers of more than 20,000). The radius is measured from the center of the city as denoted by the city location point on maps, rather than from the city limits. An exception to the radius rule is that the Anchorage "urbanized area" does not extend north of Knik Arm nor south of Turnagain Arm.
The cities of 6,000 to 20,000 population are Ketchikan, Kenai, Kodiak and Sitka. The cities above 20,000 are Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.
A.2 Local/nonlocal decision rules
Localness to halibut and sablefish management areas is determined using the following three rules:
An example of an inland community that is local to a fishery is Aleknagik. It is within 25 miles of Bristol Bay, and is connected to the coast by both road and navigable waterway. It is therefore local to halibut Area 4E.
An example of an inland community that is not local to any halibut or sablefish management area is Pedro Bay, on Lake Iliamna. It is less than 25 miles to Cook Inlet from Pedro Bay, but it is over a mountain range and there are no roads. In the other direction, it is nearly 120 direct miles from Pedro Bay to the coast of Bristol Bay, so Pedro Bay is not local to the management areas of that coastline either, although waterways do exist between the two.
(3) If a community is determined to be local to a management area as defined above, and there is another management area adjacent, then localness to the adjacent area is determined by the following rule: If the community is a coastal community, and it is within 25 straight-line miles of the adjacent area boundary, it is local to the adjacent area.
An example of localness to adjacent management areas can be found in Southeast Alaska. Halibut Area 2C encompasses all of the coast of the Southeast archipelago; therefore, all communities in Southeast Alaska are local to Area 2C. Area 3C has it's southern boundary at Cape Spencer, so Southeast coastal communities that lie within 25 miles of Cape Spencer are also local to 3A. Under these rules, Pelican is local to both Areas 2C and 3A, and Ketchikan is local only to Area 2C.