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Wasilla, Alaska
City
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Matanuska-Susitna
Government
• Mayor	Dianne Keller
Area
• Total	12.4 sq mi (32.2 km)
• Land	11.7 sq mi (30.3 km)
• Water	0.7 sq mi (1.8 km)
Elevation	341 ft (104 m)
Population
• Total	5,469
• Density	466.8/sq mi (180.2/km)
Time zone	UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP codes	99600-99699
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-83080
GNIS feature ID	1411788

Wasilla is a city in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.

Wasilla is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, its population was 5,470. The 2005 estimate gives it a population of 8,471, although the city website (July 2008) lists the population as 6,715.

Geography

Wasilla is located at 61°34′54″N 149°27′9″W / 61.58167°N 149.45250°W / 61.58167; -149.45250Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (61.581732, -149.452539).Template:GR

The town has a total area of about 12.4 square miles (32.2 km²). 11.7 square miles (30.4 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it is water. The total area is 6% water.

Wasilla is located midway between the Matanuska Valley and the Susitna Valley, on the George Parks Highway. It lies between Wasilla Lake and Lake Lucille, 43 highway miles (69 km) northeast of Anchorage, about one hour's drive, and about 10 miles (16 km) west of Palmer. About one third of the people of Wasilla commute to work into Anchorage every day.

Climate

January temperatures range from 4 °F (−16 °C) to 29 °F (−2 °C); July temperatures vary from 47 °F (8 °C) to 78 °F (26 °C). The average annual precipitation is 17 inches (430 mm), with 50 inches (130 cm) of snowfall.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,470 people, 1,980 households, and 1,360 families residing in the city. The population density was 470 people per square mile (180/km²). There were 2,120 housing units at an average density of 181/sq mi (70/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85% White, 0.6% black or African American, 5% Native American, 1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1% from other races, and 6% from two or more races. 4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,980 households out of which 44% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50% were married couples living together, 14% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31% were non-families. 24% of all households were made up of individuals and 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.8 and the average family size was 3.3 people.

In the city the population was spread out with 34% under the age of 18, 10% from 18 to 24, 31% from 25 to 44, 19% from 45 to 64, and 7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 100 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,200 and the median income for a family was $53,800. Males had a median income of $41,300 versus $29,100 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,100. 9.6% of the population and 5.7% of families were below the poverty line. 13% of those under the age of 18 and 10% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Description

Approximately 35 percent of the Wasilla workforce commutes to Anchorage, Alaska. The local economy is diverse, and residents are employed in a variety of city, borough, state, federal, retail and professional service positions. Tourism, agriculture, wood products, steel, and concrete products are part of the economy. One hundred and twenty area residents hold commercial fishing permits. Wasilla is home to the Iditarod Trail Committee.

The George Parks Highway, Glenn Highway and other roads connect the city to Anchorage, the remainder of the state and Canada. The Alaska Railroad serves Wasilla. A town airport, with a paved 3,700-foot (1,130 m) airstrip, provides scheduled commuter and air taxi services. Floatplanes land at Wasilla Lake, Jacobsen Lake and Lake Lucille. There are 10 additional private airstrips in the vicinity.

History

The history of Wasilla begins with the history of Knik, the first boom town in the Mat-Su Valley, which by 1915 boasted a population of 500. The town served the early fur trappers and miners working the gold fields at Cache Creek and Willow Creek.

Wasilla was established in 1917 with the construction of the Alaska Railroad. The origin of the town's name is disputed, and it is claimed that the place-name derives from a local Dena'ina Indian named Chief Wasilla, whose name means "breath of air", or that it derives from the Russian name "Vasili" (Basil). Wasilla’s proximity to the gold fields and railroad service lured Knik residents to relocate in the new town-—some of them even dragging their homes and businesses with them. In a few short years, Knik became a ghost town. The current townsite was established in 1917 at the intersection of the Knik-Willow mining trail and the newly constructed Alaska Railroad. It was a supply base for gold, notably at Hatcher Pass, and coal mining in the region through World War II.

The town of Wasilla was incorporated in 1974.

In 1994 a statewide ballot initiative to move the capital of Alaska to Wasilla was defeated by a vote of about 116,000 to 96,000.

In January 2006 a new hospital, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, opened. It is situated outside the city limits halfway between Wasilla and its twin city of Palmer.

Culture

Attractions

The Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla was established in 1967 "to give a home to the transportation and industrial remnants and to tell the stories of the people and the machines that opened Alaska to exploration and growth.

The Alaska Avalanche hockey team of the NAHL play their home games in Wasilla.

Reviews

Charles Wohlforth, in a Frommer's travel guidebook on Alaska, described Wasilla as "the worst kind of suburban sprawl of highway-fronting shopping malls and gravel lots".

Notable current or former residents

• Chad Carpenter, cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Tundra, which is self-syndicated to over 200 newspapers within the United States and, since 2007, has been syndicated internationally by King Features Syndicate.
• April Flowers, female porn star and adult model, grew up in Wasilla.
• Lyda Green, President of the Alaska Senate
• Vic Kohring, a Wasilla legislator who was tried in the wide-ranging federal VECO corruption probe, and found guilty of bribery, conspiracy, and attempted extortion. He gained notoriety for his lack of verifiable residency, sleeping in his legislative office, and wearing a bulletproof vest. Kohring typically won his elections by a 2-1 margin.
• Sarah Palin, Alaska Governor, 2008 Republican Vice Presidential designate, and a former mayor of Wasilla.
• Portugal. The Man, American four-piece indie band.

Name

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Dena'ina (Tanaina) Indians called the area Benteh, meaning 'among the lakes'. Wasilla is surrounded by many lakes including Lake Lucille and Wasilla Lake.

Wasilla was named after a respected local Dena'ina Indian, Chief Wasilla, whose name was derived from the Russian name 'Vasili'.

Wasilla backwards spells out "All I Saw", which some mistakenly believe is the reason for the name.

References

1. "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Alaska" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-09.
2. "Wasilla Facts". City of Wasilla, Alaska. July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
3. ^ "Community Profile: At Work". City of Wasilla, Alaska. July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
4. "Wasilla, Alaska". Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
5. Lahmeyer, Jan (February 11, 2003). "Historical Demographical Data of the Urban Centers: United States of America: Alaska". Population Statistics. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
6. ^ "Wasilla, Alaska". Pinnacle Travel. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
7. "Visitors: What's the Climate Like?". City of Wasilla, Alaska. August 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008=09-01. Agriculture and natural resources sustained growth and the city was incorporated in 1974. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
8. "Moving the Capital: A History of Ballot Measures". Alaska Division of Elections, State of Alaska. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
9. "Our History". Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
10. "About Us". Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
11. "North American Hockey League: Alaska Avalanche". OurSportsCentral.com. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
12. Wohlforth, Charles (August 29, 2008). "Dispatch From Alaska: Palin? Really?". The New Republic. Retrieved 2008-08-30. I had written a Frommer's travel guidebook about Alaska (I live in Anchorage and was on the Municipal Assembly here at the time). In the book, I frankly described Wasilla as a place to skip, 'the worst kind of suburban sprawl of highway-fronting shopping malls and gravel lots.'
13. Representative Wes Keller (August 27, 2008). "Tundra Creator Honored as Alaska's Cartoon Laureate" (Press release). Alaska State Legislature's House Majority. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
14. Gardner, Alan (May 24, 2008). "Chad Carpenter wins Newspaper Panel Award". The Daily Cartoonist. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
15. Richardson, Jeff (February 8, 2008). "'Tundra' cartoonist finds success in unexpected places". Fairbanks Daily News Miner. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
16. Demer, Lisa (October 31, 2007). "Kohring neither defiant nor remorseful". Retrieved 2007-11-03. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |news= ignored (|newspaper= suggested) (help)
17. "Portugal. The Man partners with Equal Vision Records". Equal Vision Records. July 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-01.

• "Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development". State of Alaska.

External links

• City of Wasilla website

Template:Mapit-US-cityscale

v t e Municipalities and communities of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States
Borough seat: Palmer
Cities	Houston Palmer Wasilla
CDPs	Big Lake Buffalo Soapstone Butte Chase Chickaloon Eureka Roadhouse Farm Loop Fishhook Gateway Glacier View Knik-Fairview Knik River Lake Louise Lazy Mountain Meadow Lakes North Lakes Petersville Point MacKenzie Skwentna South Lakes Susitna Susitna North Sutton-Alpine Talkeetna Tanaina Trapper Creek Willow
Former CDPs	Lakes
Unincorporated communities	Alexander Creek Curry (ghost town)
Alaska portal United States portal

v t e State of Alaska
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Regions	The Bush Arctic Aleutian Islands Alaska Peninsula North Slope Southwest Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta Inside Passage Interior Kenai Peninsula Mat‑Su Valley Seward Peninsula Southcentral Southeast Tanana Valley
Largest cities pop. over 25,000	Anchorage Fairbanks Juneau
Smaller cities pop. over 2,000	Bethel Cordova Dillingham Homer Kenai Ketchikan Kodiak Kotzebue Nome North Pole Palmer Petersburg Seward Sitka Soldotna Unalaska Valdez Wasilla Wrangell Utqiaġvik
Boroughs	Aleutians East Anchorage Bristol Bay Denali Fairbanks North Star Haines Juneau Kenai Peninsula Ketchikan Gateway Kodiak Island Lake and Peninsula Matanuska‑Susitna North Slope Northwest Arctic Petersburg Sitka Skagway Wrangell Yakutat Unorganized
Native corporations	Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Bering Straits Native Corporation NANA Regional Corporation Calista Corporation Doyon, Limited Cook Inlet Region, Inc. Bristol Bay Native Corporation The Aleut Corporation Chugach Alaska Corporation Sealaska Corporation Koniag, Incorporated Ahtna, Incorporated The 13th Regional Corporation
Census Areas	Aleutians West Bethel Chugach Copper River Dillingham Hoonah–Angoon Kusilvak Nome Prince of Wales–Hyder Southeast Fairbanks Yukon–Koyukuk
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• Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from August 2008
• Cities in Alaska
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