Cordova (/kɔːrˈdoʊvə, ˈkɔːrdəvə/ kor-DOH-və, KOR-də-və) is a city in Chugach Census Area,[a] Alaska, United States.

It lies near the mouth of the Copper River, at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound.

No roads connect Cordova to other Alaskan communities, so a plane or ferry is required to travel there.

A group of surveyors from Valdez laid out a town site and Michael James Heney purchased half the land for the terminus of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway after determining that the neighboring town of Katalla was a poor harbor.

The first lots in the new town site, making up the heart of present-day Cordova, were sold at auction in May 1908.

[8] The area around Cordova was historically home to the Eyak, with a population of Chugach to the west, and occasional visits from Ahtna and Tlingit people for trade or battle.

[9] The last fluent Eyak speaker Marie Smith Jones died in 2008, but the native people, as well as their traditions and lifestyle, continue to thrive in the region.

The 1964 Good Friday earthquake effectively obliterated the industry; in some areas, the ground was thrust up by as much as six feet, exposing the already depleted clam beds.

The racial makeup of the city was 68.3% White, 0.4% Black, 8.7% Native American, 10.7% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander and 7.6% from two or more races.

Westerly winds coming off the North Pacific Ocean are forced upwards by the Chugach Mountains which causes the air mass to cool and creates clouds and precipitation.

The Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival, hosted by the Cordova Chamber of Commerce, takes place each year in early May.

Millions of migrating shorebirds stop in the area to rest and feed before finishing their journey north.

Activities include a parade, talent show, royal crowning ceremony, and various competitions such as an oyster shucking contest, ping pong tournament, and a survival suit race.

[25] Salmon Jam Music Festival serves as one of the main events and a fund raiser for Cordova Arts, where local musicians perform followed by professional acts and takes place over the course of Friday and Saturday nights.

Taste of Cordova, a wild food and Copper River salmon cook off, usually starts the events.

[26] Small Fry activities are educational events for children and families that take place during the races.

The Cordova Historical Museum has exhibits on the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, the local fishing industry, and Alaska Natives.

The Ilanka Cultural Center offers traditional arts and skills still practiced including skin sewing, beadwork; mask, totem, and ivory carving; "putting up" fish and deer; berry-picking and jam-making; and subsistence and commercial fishing.

The Cordova Center hosts a new library, museum, auditorium, conference and meeting space, plus city hall offices.

Various events take place in the walls of this building such as community movie nights in the theater, winter bazaars, art shows, and many more.

[33] 1,900,000 acres (7,700 km2) of the western Sound are designated as the Nellie Juan College Fjord Wilderness Study Area.

[34] Indoor recreation includes the Bob Korn Memorial Pool, and the Bidarki Fitness Center, which has a gym with basketball court upstairs, a weight room, and multiple spaces with cardio training equipment[35] The Meals Reservoir Disc Golf Course is a public disc golf course erected in the summer of 2018, located near Meals Reservoir off Whitshed Rd.

Eccles elementary school is the only public primary education facility in Cordova and had an enrollment of 206 students in 2008.

Public secondary education is served by a single combined junior and senior high school.

[40] Post secondary education is provided by the Prince William Sound College, a community campus of University of Alaska Anchorage.

The independently owned city newspaper, the Cordova Times, established in 1914 is published weekly and distributed every Friday.

KLAM (1450 AM) began broadcasting in 1954 and generally plays classic rock, country, and news and talk shows.

Both stations are owned by Bayview Communications Inc.[43] KCHU, based in Valdez operates a translator at 88.1 FM that serves Cordova public radio programming.

It was previously accessible by railroad however the railway is no longer in use largely due to the 1964 Good Friday earthquake and the resulting destruction it caused to the Million Dollar Bridge.