Petersburg District Court is the district court of Petersburg Borough and is in the First judicial district of Alaska. The main road running through Petersburg is SR 7 which becomes Nordic drive.

Petersburg is known as Little Norway since its beginnings as a settlement by Norwegian fishermen over 100 years ago. One Norwegian in particular was responsible for the founding of this city. He arrived in the 1890's and settled on Mitkof island where he built a sawmill, a dock and a cannery which is operating to this day. However, his families homesteads spilled over into what became Petersburg named after him. The city is now known for its Low crime rate and affordable housing. Quite often visitors to this city take a ride on a some airborne vehicle over the nearby Le Conte Glacier. It is not unusual to see icebergs floating by the town in Frederick sound. Visitors in the Summer are often treated to the sight of some of the over 500 whales who spend the warm months here. Drawing on its Norwegian heritage the town annually holds its Little Norway festival when it celebrates Norwegian Constitution Day in May. The festival is replete with food and craft booths throughout downtown streets, music on the streets and Vikings and Valkyries roaming the streets on the search for victims. There is also a Scandinavian pageant, Kaffe Hus with Norwegian pastries and goodies, a herring toss and a community salmon,halibut and black cod bake at Sandy Beach.