Victoria, capital of British Columbia, is located near the southern tip of Vancouver Island. With abundant parkland, it’s known for outdoor activities. Named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and, at the time, British North America, Victoria is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest, with British settlement beginning in 1843. Known as the "The Garden City", Victoria is also an attractive city and a popular tourism destination with a thriving technology sector that has risen to be its largest revenue-generating private industry.

Ketchikan is an Alaskan city facing the Inside Passage, a popular cruise route along the state's southeastern coast. The city is named after Ketchikan Creek, which flows through the town, emptying into the Tongass Narrows a short distance southeast of its downtown. Civic boosters have dubbed the community the "Salmon Capital of the World". The Misty Fiords National Monument is one of the area's major attractions, and the Tongass National Forest has long been headquartered in Ketchikan, mostly in the city's historic Federal Building.

Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. The port of Skagway is a popular stop for cruise ships, and the tourist trade is a big part of the business of Skagway. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad, part of the area's mining past, is now in operation purely for the tourist trade and runs throughout the summer months. Skagway is also part of the setting for Jack London's book The Call of the Wild and for Joe Haldeman's novel Guardian.