Deltana: Farming and Missile Defense on Alaska's Interior Plains
Deltana is a census-designated place near Delta Junction in the interior of Alaska, with roughly 2,251 residents spread across a broad area of cleared agricultural land and boreal forest. The Delta Agricultural Project, launched in the 1970s and 1980s, carved farmland from the wilderness here, producing barley, hay, and other crops suited to the short but intense growing season. Some of Alaska's largest farms operate in this corridor.
Fort Greely, a U.S. Army installation adjacent to the Delta Junction area, plays a central role in the national missile defense system. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense interceptors stationed there are designed to counter intercontinental ballistic missile threats. The military presence provides civilian jobs and a degree of economic stability that purely agricultural communities in the Interior often lack.
The Richardson Highway connects Deltana to Fairbanks, about 95 miles to the northwest, and to Valdez to the south. The Alaska Highway junction at Delta Junction marks the official end of that historic route from Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Winters are harsh, with temperatures frequently reaching minus 30 or colder, and summer days can stretch past 20 hours of sunlight.
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Deltana is a census-designated place near Delta Junction in the interior of Alaska, with roughly 2,251 residents spread across a broad area of cleared agricultural land and boreal forest. The Delta Agricultural Project, launched in the 1970s and 1980s, carved farmland from the wilderness here, producing barley, hay, and other crops suited to the short but intense growing season. Some of Alaska's largest farms operate in this corridor.
Fort Greely, a U.S. Army installation adjacent to the Delta Junction area, plays a central role in the national missile defense system. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense interceptors stationed there are designed to counter intercontinental ballistic missile threats. The military presence provides civilian jobs and a degree of economic stability that purely agricultural communities in the Interior often lack.
The Richardson Highway connects Deltana to Fairbanks, about 95 miles to the northwest, and to Valdez to the south. The Alaska Highway junction at Delta Junction marks the official end of that historic route from Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Winters are harsh, with temperatures frequently reaching minus 30 or colder, and summer days can stretch past 20 hours of sunlight.
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