Noise Levels in 99517, AK | Find Quiet Neighborhoods With Our Sound Map
53 dBA
Average noise across 99517
Quiet office to normal conversation
1,220
Residents above the EPA 55 dBA threshold
33% of 99517 residents
60 dBA
Loudest residential point
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
This map shows modeled outdoor noise across 99517 at 100-meter resolution, combining road, aviation, and rail sources. Green areas measure below 45 dBA. Orange and red exceed the EPA's 55 dBA outdoor threshold linked to long-term health effects. Use the layer toggles to view each source on its own or all together.
What the numbers sound like
- 30 dBAWhisper
- 40 dBASoft rainfall
- 45 dBAQuiet suburban street at night
- 50 dBAQuiet office
- 55 dBAEPA outdoor threshold: light traffic 100 ft away
- 60 dBANormal conversation an arm's length away
- 65 dBABusy restaurant
- 70 dBAHighway traffic 50 ft away
- 80 dBACity bus interior
Population Above the EPA Outdoor Threshold
The EPA's 55 dBA outdoor reference level is a common benchmark for residential noise exposure, especially for activity interference, annoyance, and long-term community noise concerns. About 1,220 99517 residents, or 33.1%, live above that level. By land area, 37.4% of 99517 is above 55 dBA.
62.6% below 55 dBA
37.4% above 55 dBA
See how noise in 99517 compares to similar-sized zip codes.
Noise by Part of 99517
Average noise levels for 99517 residents, grouped by direction from the center of 99517. The highest population-weighted average is in eastern 99517; the lowest is in northwestern 99517, where just 4% of residents live in blocks above the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, a fifth of the share in the loudest section.
Eastern 99517
56.4 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Southeastern 99517
56.2 dBA · Moderate-loud
Normal conversation an arm’s length away
Northern 99517
53.1 dBA · Moderate-loud
Quiet office to normal conversation
Southwestern 99517
51.1 dBA · Moderate
Quiet office to normal conversation
Northwestern 99517
46.5 dBA · Mostly quiet
Quiet office
To the human ear, noise in eastern 99517 sounds about 99% louder than in northwestern 99517, a 9.9 dBA gap. Every 10 dBA roughly doubles perceived loudness. Within any of these directions, two homes a quarter mile apart can still differ by 10 or more dBA depending on how close they sit to a major highway.
How far back from Northern Lights Blvd (anchorage) do you need to be?
Northern Lights Blvd (anchorage) produces an estimated 69 dBA at its loudest centerline points. Noise drops logarithmically with distance, with the exact rate depending on what's between you and the road. Tree cover, walls, terrain, and pavement type all matter. At roughly a quarter mile back, traffic fades into the noise level of a soft rainfall.
At source
69 dBA
Highway traffic 50 ft away
165 ft
56 dBA
Quiet office to normal conversation
330 ft
48 dBA
Quiet office
660 ft
41 dBA
Soft rainfall
¼ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
½ mile
35 dBA
Soft rainfall
Calculated from the model's calibrated attenuation formula. About 0% of 99517 sits under tree canopy (about average for zip codes) and roughly 0% is impervious surface like pavement and rooftops. Both are folded into the per-place decay rate above. Heavier canopy pulls noise down faster with distance; impervious surfaces slow the drop.
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Airport Noise
Ted Stevens Anchorage International (ANC) sits southwest of 99517. The U.S. Department of Transportation models aviation noise around this airport from federal traffic data, and the model uses those federal measurements rather than synthetic predictions.
Blocks under the approach and departure paths carry combined road-plus-aviation noise, with some exceeding 50 dBA on the map's Overall layer. Blocks on the opposite side of 99517, particularly to the northeast, show no measurable aviation contribution. Use the Aviation toggle on the map above to isolate the airport's footprint.
How Noise Is Distributed Across 99517
The bar chart below shows the share of 99517 residents in each noise band. About 73% of residents live below the EPA's 55 dBA threshold, and roughly 0% live in blocks above 60 dBA. Long-term exposure in that range is linked to elevated stress hormones and cardiovascular risk.
How 99517 Compares
99517 sits at the quieter end of the spectrum. Below: how 99517's average outdoor noise and share of residents above the EPA threshold compare with 99501, 99518, 99503, and 99506.
Average noise level (dBA)
99517's 52.6 dBA pop-weighted average is at the quieter end of the spectrum. Alaska as a whole averages 46.7 dBA and the U.S. averages 52.0 dBA. Both are lower than 99517 because most of either area is rural land away from major roads.
Share of residents above 55 dBA
About 33.1% of 99517 residents live in blocks where outdoor levels exceed the EPA's 55 dBA threshold. That's in the middle of its peer group. Measured by land area instead, 37.4% of 99517's footprint sits above 55 dBA, against a Alaska average of 11.4% and a national average of 28.1%.
What This Means if You're Moving to 99517
- Distance from highways matters more than the neighborhood name. Two homes in the same zip code can differ by 20 dBA if one sits 100 meters from Northern Lights Blvd (anchorage) and the other 500 meters away. The model captures this at 100-meter resolution, so noise exposure changes block by block.
- Tree canopy can help reduce modeled noise exposure. Roughly 0% of 99517 is under tree cover (about average for zip codes), and the dominant land cover is . Both are measured from federal USDA Forest Service and USGS satellite imagery at 30-meter resolution. Streets with 60% or higher canopy show 3 to 5 dBA lower noise than comparable streets with bare ground or pavement, which is why the per-place decay rate above already accounts for it.
- Airport noise is directional. Ted Stevens Anchorage International's approach paths concentrate aviation noise to the southwest. Neighborhoods to the northeast of downtown show no measurable contribution from the airport.
