Matanuska-Susitna Valley
Encyclopedia
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast...
about 35 miles north of Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
.
It is known for the world record sized cabbages and other vegetables displayed annually in Palmer at the Alaska State Fair
Alaska State Fair
The Alaska State Fair is an annual state fair held in Palmer, Alaska. USAThe 2011 Alaska State Fair, which marked the event’s 75th birthday, was held August 25 to September 5 with the theme “75 Years and Growin’.”-History:...
.
It includes the valleys of the Matanuska
Matanuska River
The Matanuska River is a river, approximately 75 miles long, in Southcentral Alaska, United States. It drains a broad valley south of the Alaska Range known as the Matanuska-Susitna Valley....
, Knik
Knik River
The Knik River is a 25-mile-long river in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its source is at Knik Glacier, from which it flows northwest and west and empties into the head of Cook Inlet's Knik Arm, near the mouth of the Matanuska River....
, and Susitna
Susitna River
The Susitna River is a long river in the Southcentral Alaska. It is the 15th largest river in the United States of America, ranked by average discharge volume at its mouth. The river stretches from the Susitna Glacier to Cook Inlet....
Rivers.
11,000 of Mat-Su Valley residents commute to Anchorage for work.
It is the fastest growing region in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and includes the towns of Palmer
Palmer, Alaska
Palmer is the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the state of Alaska, USA. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,937....
, Wasilla
Wasilla, Alaska
Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...
, Big Lake
Big Lake, Alaska
Big Lake is a census-designated place in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Houston
Houston, Alaska
Houston is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,202 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Houston is located at ....
, Willow
Willow, Alaska
Willow is a census-designated place in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 1,658.-History:...
and Talkeetna
Talkeetna, Alaska
Talkeetna is a census-designated place in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 772.-Geography:...
.
The valleys are shaped by three mountain ranges: the Alaska Range
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast...
, the Talkeetna Mountains
Talkeetna Mountains
The Talkeetna Mountains are a mountain range in Alaska. The Matanuska and Susitna River valleys, with towns such as Trapper Creek, Talkeetna, Wasilla, Palmer, Sutton, and Chickaloon, roughly bound the Talkeetnas in the westerly parts of the range. Sovereign Mountain rises to 8849 feet in the...
and the Chugach Mountains
Chugach Mountains
The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about 500 km long, running generally east-west. Its highest point is Mount Marcus Baker, at , but most of its...
. The Matanuska-Susitna Valley was carved by glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s
leaving thousands of lakes.
The Mat-Su rivers and lakes are home to the spanning grounds of chinook
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, is the largest species in the pacific salmon family. Other commonly used names for the species include King salmon, Quinnat salmon, Spring salmon and Tyee salmon...
, coho
Coho salmon
The Coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". It is the state animal of Chiba, Japan.-Description:...
, sockeye
Sockeye salmon
Sockeye salmon , also called red salmon or blueback salmon in the USA, is an anadromous species of salmon found in the Northern Pacific Ocean and rivers discharging into it...
, pink
Pink salmon
Pink salmon or humpback salmon, Oncorhynchus gorbuscha, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon.- Appearance :...
, and chum
Chum salmon
The chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family. It is a Pacific salmon, and may also be known as dog salmon or Keta salmon, and is often marketed under the name Silverbrite salmon...
salmon.
The area is home to 31 state park
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
s and campgrounds.
The 23,000 square mile Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
-National protected areas:* Chugach National Forest * Denali National Park and Preserve ** Denali Wilderness * Lake Clark National Park and Preserve ** Lake Clark Wilderness -Demographics:...
, (the Alaskan equivalent of a county) governs the Mat-Su Valley.
According to the 2010 Census, the borough's population is 88,995, a 50% increase since 2000.
The Mat-Su Valley was originally inhabited by Athabaskan Indians and was explored by Russians in 1818. In 1935, as part of the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
200 families from the Midwest traveled to Alaska and started the Matanuska Valley Colony.
Palmer was originally inhabited by Athabaskan Indians. In 1880 a trading station was built and the area was settled by gold miners in 1913.
Wasilla was originally inhabited by the Dena'ina Indians. The city began when the Alaska Railroad
Alaska Railroad
The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...
was constructed in 1917. In 1915, Knik was settled by trappers and miners. Talkeetna began in the 1890s, with the construction of a trading station and later the Alaska Railroad. Today, Talkeetna serves as the starting point for mountaineers who climb Denali.
The region is also home to the Matanuska-Susitna College
Matanuska-Susitna College
Matanuska–Susitna College in Palmer, Alaska, north of Anchorage, is part of the University of Alaska Anchorage system. The college began in 1958 as Palmer Community College, changing its name in 1963 to correspond to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough where it is located. It is commonly called Mat-Su...
and the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman
The Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman is a newspaper serving the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of Alaska. It is owned by Wick Communications, publishing every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday...
newspaper.
The Susitna Valley is also home to the annual Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival, a large camping-oriented music festival. 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of the Festival.
See also
- Anchorage metropolitan areaAnchorage metropolitan areaThe Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of the Municipality of Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna Borough in south central Alaska....
- Matanuska FormationMatanuska FormationThe Matanuska Formation consists of more than of sedimentary strata exposed in the northern Chugach Mountains, Matanuska Valley, and southern Talkeetna Mountains of South-Central Alaska. The Matanuska Formation contains strata from Early Cretaceous to Late Cretaceous . Parts of the formation...
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AlaskaMatanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska-National protected areas:* Chugach National Forest * Denali National Park and Preserve ** Denali Wilderness * Lake Clark National Park and Preserve ** Lake Clark Wilderness -Demographics:...