Sarah, Part 1

The Matanuska-Susitna Valley is formed by the Matanuska River Valley and the Susitna River Valley. The Mat-Su is over 23,000 square miles in size and includes the towns of Palmer (population 4,500), Houston (population 1,200), Big Lake (population 2,635) and Wasilla (population 5,469). The valley is bordered by the Alaska Range, the Talkeetna Mountains and the Chugach Mountains.

The Mat-Su was settled in the 1930’s as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal by homesteaders known as the Matanuska Colony, an agriculture colony of 202 families.

The town of Wasilla, established in 1917, is a little over 12 square miles, 43 miles from Anchorage. The population is approximately 85% white, 5% Native American, 4% Hispanic, and 6% multi-racial. Included in the rounding is .59% black. That equals 32 black people.

The breakdown of Wasilla’s 1,979 households includes 50% married couples, 14% female head of household, 31% non-families and the last 5% apparently undecided.

35% of Wasilla’s population commutes to work in Anchorage.

Wasilla was incorporated in 1974.

In 1994 a vote to move the capital of Alaska to Wasilla lost, 116,000 to 96,000.

Wasilla has a Wal-Mart. It is Alaska’s largest store. In 2002 it sold more duct tape than any other Wal-Mart in the world.

Mapquest says it is 4,312 miles from Wasilla to Washington, D.C.

Today, Wasilla, tomorrow, some Alaska and Sarah Palin facts.