Welcome to Valdez!

DISCOVER VALDEZ

Take in the beauty of the mountains, glaciers, tree-covered land, the bay, and the ocean. Welcome to the ancestral lands of the Suacit. In March 2021, the Valdez Native Tribe’s Board of Directors voted to officially recognize Suacit as the Native place name for Valdez. The name is an Alutiiq/Sugpiat word understood to mean, “people of the place that rises into view.”

The Sugpiat people, who have lived upon and used this land for millennia, still enjoy the bounty it provides today, maintaining their connection with the land and sea. Rivers provide water to drink; the land gives wood, berries, and animals; and the ocean offers fish and urchins.

Enjoy Valdez while you are visiting; hike the hills and mountains, fish the rivers and the sea, think about the people still here and those who came before you; strive to leave the beauty intact for future generations to experience. I hope your visit here will leave forever footprints in your memories.

I acknowledge the lifestyle, customs, work, and land of the Suacit.

SHARON ANDERSON | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR