Town file
Hope, Alaska
Hope, Alaska (Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 377, "A Deadly Love Hexagon" (6 April 2023).
- Town
- Hope
- County
- Kenai Peninsula Borough
- State
- Alaska
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 377
- Approximate location
- 60.886, -149.633
Episode 377 / 6 April 2023 / 178 min / full
A Deadly Love Hexagon
"We're going to Hope, Alaska; it's in south central Alaska, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough" about 0:05:32
The case: Murder of Kent Leppink (May 1996). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2023
- Population
- 105
- Median age
- no median age published
- Median home value
- $247,400
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,150
- Cost of living
- 94.4
- Religious
- 33%
History, in brief
- The first gold rush in Alaska happened in Hope, before the Klondike rush and before Anchorage was founded. about 0:06:42
- Gold was discovered in Sixmile Creek in 1895; the news reached Seattle and 3,000 people headed north almost immediately. about 0:07:31
- The town was named after Percy Hope, a 17-year-old prospector who happened to be the next person off a boat when the miners decided to name it after the next arrival. about 0:08:12
- Hope soon had hotels and stores and was a boom town like Deadwood or Tombstone. about 0:09:04
- By 1898 the Klondike gold rush had drawn the miners away to bigger veins. about 0:09:15
- Many original buildings are still in use, including the original schoolhouse, now the library. about 0:09:24
- Today Hope is a woodland area with a general store, rentable cabins and people living in the woods. about 0:09:36
- The school district is kindergarten to 12th grade and has about 15 children in all 12 grades. about 0:09:48
The reviews read out
"A child checked them in and gave little information; the shared bathrooms were really cold and the shower situation uncomfortable, with the shower rack sitting on the floor. On the positive side, the property, creek and pond were beautiful, the cabins cute and cosy, and the coffee shop, restaurant and live music were welcome."about 0:10:34
"Waking up to beautiful surroundings was a plus, but they expected a separate bedroom rather than all the beds in one room; it worked out, and the rooms and bathrooms were clean with a great cafe in the morning."about 0:12:05
2 stars
"The listing did not say in capital letters on the main page that the cabins had no toilets and used a shared bathroom, which mattered to a senior making several night trips; they thought they were booking a hotel or resort, not a camping experience."about 0:12:51
"Peaceful, tranquil, quiet, relaxing and beautiful, but watch out for attack bees; the salad was not their best dish, though the staff and people were very kind."about 0:15:02
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Chugiak, Alaska34 miles
- Palmer, Alaska52 miles
- McCarthy, Alaska229 miles
- Kodiak, Alaska235 miles
- Fairbanks, Alaska280 miles
- Sitka, Alaska572 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.