KETCHIKAN -- Residents of the community of Whale Pass on northern Prince of Wales Island are hoping to become Alaska's newest city.
The Ketchikan Daily News reports that the state Local Boundary Commission of Friday released its review of the petition to make Whale Pass a second-class city. The commission recommended the petition be approved and scheduled for a local election.
Whale Pass has 65 permanent residents and the petition says the community is growing in both population and visitors.
If approved by voters in the area, the City of Whale Pass would cover 14 square miles of land and 12 square miles of water. The city would have no taxes and would be led by a seven-member council and a mayor.