When we think of an urban park, we commonly think of a space that might be at least the size of a family’s sprawling backyard. We might even think of something much larger, such as Central Park in New York City, which is 843 acres! But, did you ever think an urban park could be 495,000 acres?
The Chugach State Park is in south central Alaska, mostly within the municipality of Anchorage. It is a whopping 495,000 acres!!! And yes, it IS an urban park! It has extensive ocean shoreline, abundant lakes, massive glaciers, ice fields, and 157 named mountains. Visitors to this park can ski, snowmobile, hike, camp, fish, swim and enjoy boating, just to name a few activities.
In contrast, the SMALLEST urban park in the world is Mills End Park, located in Portland, Oregon. This park is a small circle 2 feet across with a total of 452 sq. INCHES. It sits in the median strip of SW Naito Parkway in downtown Portland. This park has a tiny tree and residents regularly adorn it with flowers and other little decorations.
Over the years, contributions to the park have included a small swimming pool and diving board for butterflies, statues and even a miniature Ferris wheel. As legend has it, the park is home to a family of leprechauns.