Originaly village of Tlingits Indians. City was incorporated on October 4, 1880, not too long after Chief Kowee led prospectors Joseph Juneau and Richard Harris to discovered gold in the area, which led to the development of the settlement as a gold-mining town. Mine were closed during WW II in 1944 because shortages of men. Juneau has about 30 000 citizens now and is the most sleeping capital. Some stores are willing to open just when cruise is coming. I was there only by ferry .... Town has been the capital of Alaska since 1906. Former capital was Sitka. Juneau is limited by high mountains and gulf so it has to be a little city forever.
Only access here is by boat or air. Ferry terminal is about 20km north from town. You can take a cab or walk for 2km to the closest bus stop. From here you can also go to Mendenhall Glacier. the price is just one $1.25. Several trails provide access to stunning overlooks of Mendenhall and the valley beyond. The two trails on each side provide scenic overlooks, and access onto the glacier from the end of West Glacier Trail is for experienced climbers with the proper equipment. The Glacier is between ferry terminal and city. But a little bit in inland. Ice gigant is vanish pretty fast - cca 8-10 m per year. But still is 20km long.