Alaska's capital is Juneau, a city of approximately 32, 000 people located in the southeastern part of the state. It is the second largest city in Alaska and the only state capital in the United States that can only be reached by boat or plane. Juneau was founded in 1880 as a gold-mining camp and became the capital of Alaska in 1906. It is home to the Alaska State Capitol, the Alaska State Library, and the Alaska State Museum.