Hyder

The town of Hyder, Alaska is both the geographically easternmost town in Alaska, as well as the southernmost town in Alaska that can be reached by car. However, one cannot drive to Hyder from the rest of Alaska.

Hyder is what is called an “inaccessible district,” or a practical or pene-exclave. The Annals of the American Association of Geographers defines an inaccessible district as “parts of the territory of one country that can be approached conveniently—in particular by wheeled traffic—only through the territory of another country.” There are several famous national-level inaccessible districts around the world, such as Jungholz or the Kleinwalsertal in Austria (can only be accessed from Germany), or Os de Civís, Spain (can only be accessed from Andorra).

Because it is so remote from any other census-designated place in the state, Hyder, with a population of about 87, is often lumped in with its Canadian next-door neighbor, Stewart, British Columbia. The citizens of Hyder are heavily reliant on Canadian services like electricity, food, and emergency services. All establishments in Hyder accept both American and Canadian currency (except for the U.S. Post Office). Hyder even uses British Columbia’s 250 area code instead of Alaska’s 907. And even though Hyder is technically in the Alaska Time Zone, its residents set their clocks to British Columbia’s Pacific Time.

The most major difference between the two towns is probably the fact that almost everyone in Hyder is well-armed, due to looser gun restrictions in the United States than in Canada.