Biohazard and Crime Scene Remediation in Cordova, AK

Cordova is an incorporated port city in the Chugach Census Area of Alaska, lying near the mouth of the Copper River at the head of Orca Inlet on the east side of Prince William Sound.

Cordova was founded in 1906 as the terminus of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway, built to carry high-grade copper ore from Kennecott, and it was incorporated on July 8, 1909.

The city was named for Puerto Cordova, the name Spanish explorer Salvador Fidalgo gave the inlet in 1790, although the inlet itself was later renamed Orca Inlet.

From 1911 to 1938, more than 200 million tons of copper ore were transported through Cordova from the Kennecott mines to the north.

Cordova was once known as the Razor Clam Capital of the World, with commercial harvests reaching as high as 3.5 million pounds before the industry collapsed after the 1964 Good Friday earthquake.

In March 1989 the Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef north of Cordova, and the resulting oil spill severely affected the area's salmon and herring populations and the local fishing economy.

No roads connect Cordova to any other Alaskan community besides Eyak, so the city is reached only by plane or by the Alaska Marine Highway ferry.

Cordova had a population of 2,609 at the 2020 census, up from 2,239 in 2010, with 1,008 households and a median age of 39.4 years.

The city covers 75.14 square miles, of which 61.35 square miles are land and 13.80 square miles are water, and its ZIP code is 99574.

The area around Cordova was historically home to the Eyak people, and the last fluent Eyak speaker, Marie Smith Jones, died in 2008, though Eyak traditions continue in the region.