This is an old revision of this page, as edited by DonKofAK (talk | contribs) at 01:36, 24 October 2008 (→Economy: Added overview/introduction with reference to "Alaska Economic Trends" website.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 01:36, 24 October 2008 by DonKofAK (talk | contribs) (→Economy: Added overview/introduction with reference to "Alaska Economic Trends" website.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) "Wasilla" redirects here. For the Sarmatian god of the same name, see Wasilla (god). City in Alaska, United States| Wasilla, Alaska | |
|---|---|
| city | |
 | |
 U.S. Census Map | |
| 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 |
| Website | www.cityofwasilla.com |
Wasilla is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. Wasilla is the largest city in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and part of the Anchorage metropolitan area which has an estimated population of 362,340 in 2007. The U.S. Census Bureau recorded the city's population at 5,469 in 2000 and estimated it at 9,780 in 2007.
Established at the intersection of the Alaska Railroad and Old Carle Wagon Road, the site brought the decline of the nearby mining town of Knik. The completion of the George Parks Highway transitioned the town into a work commuting city of Anchorage. Historically entrepreneurial, the economic base shifted from small-scale agriculture and recreation to providing rural living for workers employed in Anchorage or on Alaska's North Slope oilfields & related infrastructure in the '70's. Several state and federal agencies have offices in Wasilla, including the Alaska Departments of Environmental Conservation, Labor and Divisions of Public Assistance, Social Services.
Wasilla gained national attention when Sarah Palin, who served as mayor before her election as Governor of Alaska, was chosen by John McCain as his vice-presidential running mate in the 2008 United States presidential election.
Wasilla is named after respected local Dena'ina Indian, Chief Wasilla.
History
Glacial ice sheets covered most of the northern hemisphere until they disappeared between 10,000 and about 7,000 years ago. Early humans moved through the area and left evidence of their passage. The Matanuska-Susitna valley was eventually settled by the Dena'ina Alaska natives who utilized the fertile lands and fishing opportunities of Cook Inlet. The Dena'ina are one of the eleven sub-groups comprising the indigenous Athabaskan Indian groups extending down Canada's western coast. Russians occupied Alaska from 1741, occupying strategic trading posts in Lower Cook Inlet until Alaska's sale to the United States in 1867. Near the mouth of the Matanuska River, the town of Knik was settled about 1880. In 1900, the Willow Creek Mining District was established to the north and Knik thrived as a mining settlement.
In 1917, the U.S. Government planned the Alaska Railroad to intersect the the Carle Wagon Road (present Wasilla-Fishhook Road) which connected Knik and the mines. Knik businesses and residents rushed to purchase plattes and the town declined. Wasilla Station was named for the nearby Wasilla Creek. Local miners used the name "Wassila Creek", referring to Wassila, a chief of the Dena'ina. There are two sources cited for the name, one being derived from a Dena'ina word meaning "breath of air" while another stating Dena'ina derived it from the Russian name "Vasili." As Knik declined into a ghost town, Wasilla served early fur trappers and miners working the gold fields at Cache Creek and Willow Creek. The area was a supply base for gold mines near Hatcher Pass through World War II. Until construction of the George Parks Highway around 1970, nearby Palmer was the leading city in the Matanuska Valley. Wasilla was at the end of the Palmer-Wasilla highway and the road to Big Lake provided access to land west of Wasilla. The Parks Highway put Wasilla at mile 40-42 of what became the major highway and railroad transportation corridor linking Southcentral Alaska to Interior Alaska. As a result, population growth and community development shifted from the area around Palmer to Wasilla and the surrounding area. Wasilla was incorporated as a city in 1974. All non-borough municipalities throughout Alaska are designated cities.
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. About that time, the Matanuska Valley began to recover from an economic collapse, beginning a sustained boom that involved dramatic population growth, increased local employment, and an extremely robust residential and commercial real estate development boom. The local real estate market slowed in 2006. In 2008, suburban growth and dwindling snow resulting from climate change forced organizers of the Iditarod race to bypass Wasilla permanently. The race had its start in Wasilla from 1973 to 2002, the year when reduced snow cover forced a "temporary" change to Willow.
Past controversies
Sarah Palin served as mayor from 1996 to 2002. Since Republican presidential nominee John McCain chose her as his running mate in August of 2008, Wasilla's past policies and the record of former Mayor Palin have been subjected to a greater amount of public scrutiny. News sources alleged during Palin's tenure, Wasilla billed rape victims for rape kit examinations. The City of Wasilla reviewed records which showed two rape kits requested in fiscal year 2000 were paid for by the state. After Palin hired a well known professional lobbyist, Wasilla residents became among the highest per capita recipients of earmark benefits in the nation, receiving in excess of six million dollars at a time when its population was approximately 6,000 citizens. In 2005, Wasilla received national attention when a bridge providing secondary access to Wasilla was dubbed one of the two "bridge to nowhere" projects by fiscal conservatives. As of September 2008, the bridge that would benefit landowners 10 to 20 miles southwest of Wasilla, known as the Knik Arm Bridge, was in the planning and review stages, estimated to cost $1 billion. Landowners in the Matanuska Valley would experience little change in transportation economics, but their lands would experience a substantial increase in competition from better-located lands which were previously inaccessable from Anchorage.
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 city has an area of 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 (5.64%) is water.
The Dena'ina (Tanaina) Indians called the area Benteh, meaning 'among the lakes'.
Located near Wasilla Lake and Lake Lucille, Wasilla is one of two cities in the Matanuska Valley. The community surrounds Mi. 39-46 of the George Parks Highway, roughly 43 highway miles (69 km) northeast of Anchorage. Nearly one third of the people of Wasilla drive the 40-minute commute to work in 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
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 112 | — | |
| 1970 | 300 | 167.9% | |
| 1980 | 1,559 | 419.7% | |
| 1990 | 4,028 | 158.4% | |
| 2000 | 5,469 | 35.8% | |
| 2007 (est.) | 9,780 | ||
| Population 1960-2000. | |||
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,469 people (up from 4,028 in 1990), 1,979 households, and 1,361 families residing in the city. The population density was 466.8 people per square mile (180.2/km²). There were 2,119 housing units at an average density of 180.9/sq mi (69.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.46% White, 0.59% Black or African American, 5.25% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 1.32% from other races, and 5.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 3.68% of the population.
There were 1,979 households out of which 43.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.6% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,226, and the median income for a family was $53,792. Males had a median income of $41,332 versus $29,119 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,127. About 5.7% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older.
Economy
Wasilla began as a transportation logistics & trade center serving natural resource extraction (mining, trapping & timber) followed by small-scale agricultural activity circa 1935; around 1975, construction of the Parks Highway substantially reduced travel time to Anchorage, encouraging the transition to a satellite bedroom community where workers commute to Anchorage for employment. Local service employment has increased in recent years.
About 35 percent of the Wasilla workforce commutes to Anchorage. 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; commercial fishermen work seasonally in Lower Cook Inlet and distant Bristol Bay or the Gulf of Alaska & Prince William Sound (there are no commercial fisheries in Upper Cook Inlet).
Arts
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.
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."
Government
The Wasilla city council is made up of six members who are elected at-large by residents to designated seats. They serve for three years, unless appointed to fill a vacant seat. The Office of Mayor is elected separately. A run-off election will be held if no candidate for Mayor receives more than 40% of the votes cast. Run-off elections are not held for city council seats. All positions are part time.
Education and health
Wasilla is served by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. It has four high schools:
- Burchell High School
- Mat-Su Career and Technical High School
- MidValley High School
- Wasilla High School
In January 2006 a new hospital, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center, opened. It is outside the city limits halfway between Wasilla and its twin town of Palmer.
Transportation
The Glenn Highway connects Wasilla to Anchorage and communities on the Kenai Peninsula, the Glenn, along with the George Parks Highway link the Matanuska Valley to northward to the rest of the state and Canada. The Alaska Railroad serves Wasilla.
The city-owned Wasilla Airport, with a paved 3,700 foot (1,130 m) runway, provides air taxi services. Wasilla also has eight public-use seaplane bases located on area lakes. Private-use air facilities registered with the FAA include 43 land-based airstrips, eight additional seaplane bases, two heliports and one STOLport.
Religion
- Wasilla Assembly of God was founded in 1951 and is a member of the Assemblies of God denomination. The church's founding pastor was Paul Riley, and its current pastor is Ed Kalnins, who took over in 1999. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, a former member of the church, renamed the street on which the church is located Riley Avenue in honor of Riley.
- Wasilla Bible Church, non-denominational, evangelical church, was described by Time as one of the largest and most influential churches in the city.
- The Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Parish.
Notable residents
- Chad Carpenter, cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Tundra, self-syndicated to over 200 newspapers within the United States and, since 2007, has been syndicated internationally by King Features Syndicate.
- Mahala Ashley Dickerson, Alaska's first African-American lawyer.
- 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.
- Sarah Palin, Alaska Governor, 2008 Republican Vice Presidential candidate, and a former mayor of Wasilla.
- Todd Palin, husband of Sarah Palin
- Members of the indie rock band Portugal. The Man.
References
- "Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Alaska, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2007" (CSV). 2007 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21, 2006. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- labor.state.ak.us/trends/
- http://www.cityofWasilla.com/index.aspx?page=82
- ^ Zaz Hollander (2005-06-29). "Archaeological dig perplexes TRAPPER CREEK: Team from Nevada didn't discover what it had been expecting". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- "Palmer History". Palmer Museum of History and Art. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- "About Knik". Wasilla Knik Historical Society. March, 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "ABOUT WASILLA, ALASKA". Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce. 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
- http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.cfm?Comm_Boro_Name=Wasilla&Data_Type=Overview%7Ctitle=Community Overview|publisher=Alaska Division of Community Advocacy|accessdate=2008-10-23}}
- Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, US Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 by Donald Orth, US Govt. Printing Office 1967.
- "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.
- §29.04.010 and §29.04.030 of the Alaska Code, accessed 2008-10-23.
- "The 1994 Elections: State by State; West". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
- "Alaska's 1994 General Election Results Summary". Alaska Division of Elections, State of Alaska. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
- http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/jan03.pdf
- ^ D'Oro, Rachel. "Warming Forces Iditarod Changes". Associated Press. January 10, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
- Dilanian, Ken; Kelley, Matt. "Palin's town used to bill victims for rape kits". USA Today. September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
- Pemberton, Mary. "Palin's town billed rape victims to get evidence". Associated Press. September 12, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
- Bryson, George. "Ex-Gov. Knowles, Ketchikan mayor say Palin misleads". Anchorage Daily News. September 11, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
- Mayor Dianne Keller. "Billing of sexual assault victims for forensic exams"
- Wasilla, Alaska Benefited from Nearly $27 Million in Earmarks from 1996 to 2002
- The Fairy Tale of Palin the Reformer, Joe Conason , New York Observer, September 9, 2008
- http://www.knikarmbridge.com
- http://www.knikarmbridge.com/documents/RegionalConnection.PDF
- Two 'Bridges to Nowhere' Tumble Down in Congress, CARL HULSE, New York Times, November 17, 2005
- The Fairy Tale of Palin the Reformer, Joe Conason , New York Observer, September 9, 2008
- http://qenaga.org/placenames.html
- ^ "Community Profile: At Work". city of Wasilla, Alaska. July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- "Census Of Population And Housing". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- "Wasilla, Alaska". Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- "Wasilla city, Alaska - Population Finder - American FactFinder". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- Interview Neil Fried, AK DOL economist @ 907 269-4861
- labor.state.ak.us/trends/
- http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/jan03.pdf
- labor.state.ak.us/trends/
- "About Us". Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- "North American Hockey League: Alaska Avalanche". OurSportsCentral.com. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- 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."
- "High School Listings". Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
- "Our History". Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- Airport page at city of Wasilla web site. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
- ^ List of air facilities in Wasilla from AirNav. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
- "About us". Wasilla Assembly of God.
- Gorshi, Eric (September 4, 2008). "Pentecostalism obscured in Palin biography". Associated Press.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coathors=ignored (help) - Thornburgh, Nathan (September 2, 2008). "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record". Time.
- "Main page". Wasilla Sacred Heart Parish.
- 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.
- Gardner, Alan (May 24, 2008). "Chad Carpenter wins Newspaper Panel Award". The Daily Cartoonist. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- Richardson, Jeff (February 8, 2008). "'Tundra' cartoonist finds success in unexpected places". Fairbanks Daily News Miner. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- 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)
External links
| Municipalities and communities of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States | ||
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| Borough seat: Palmer | ||
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs |
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| Former CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities |
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