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Matanuska-Susitna Borough

 

 

This borough is up for adoption...

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Communities [populations in brackets]:

Big Lake [2,635] Buffalo Soapstone [699]
Butte [2,561] Chase [41]
Chickaloon [213] Farm Loop [,067]
Fishhook [2,030] Gateway [2,952]
Glacier View [249] Houston [1,202]
Kanatak Knik
Knik-Fairview [7,049] Knik River [582]
Lake Louise [88] Lakes [6,706]
Lazy Mountain [1,158] Meadow Lakes [4,819]
Palmer [4,533] Petersville [27]
Point MacKenzie [111] Skwentna [111]
Susitna[37] Sutton-Alpine [1,080]
Talkeetna [772] Tanaina [4,993]
Trapper Creek [423] Wasilla [5,469]
Willow [1,658] Y [956]
Remainder of Borough [5,101]

The Borough is comprised of the lush farmlands of the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys, approximately 42 miles northeast of Anchorage. The area encompasses 24,682 square miles of land.  There are three incorporated cities within the Borough: Houston, Palmer, and Wasilla.  Additionally, there are several unincorporated communities and 25 Borough recognized community councils.  The majority of the Borough population resides in the "core area" surrounding the cities of Palmer and Wasilla, and within the cities themselves.  The remaining population is spread out among the various unincorporated communities, as well as some remote sites.

By 1920, gold, coal mining, and construction of the Alaska railroad sustained the local population. The Matanuska Valley was settled by homesteaders who led an agricultural lifestyle in the 1930s.

No area of the state comes close to the growth rate in the Mat-Su Borough.  In the 1960's the Mat-Su Borough had a population of just over 5,000 people.  It was still a farming and mining community.  As late as 1980, the population was only 17,816.  Between 1980 and 1990, the Borough population more than doubled from 17,816 to 39,683.  During the past decade, the population grew 49 percent.

Palmer is the Borough seat.

 

 

 


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AKWEB: Alaska Genealogy & History -
This is a statewide list intended for the exchange of genealogical, historical and cultural information about the state of Alaska and the ancestors who lived here. Newbies to genealogical research and/or computer researching in Alaska are welcome. 
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SOUTHCENTRAL is a regional mailing list  encompassing Anchorage Borough, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, and Valdez-Cordova Census Area.  Newbies to genealogical research and/or computer researching in Alaska are welcome.

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