Alaska is the largest state in the United States. Total land area at 570,380 square miles but only has around 653,000 full time residents. Alaska was purchased from Russia on March 30, 1867. Juneau is the capital of Alaska and is located on the southeast panhandle is best described as a cooler version of Seattle. The southeast panhandle is the only area in Alaska in which the average daytime high temperature is above freezing during the winter months.