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| Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska | |
 Ruth Glacier
| |
 Location in the state of Alaska | |
 Alaska's location in the U.S. | |
| Incorporated | January 1, 1964[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Named for | Matanuska River and Susitna River |
| Seat | Palmer |
| Largest CDP | Knik-Fairview |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
25,258 sq mi (65,418 km²) 24,608 sq mi (63,734 km²) 650 sq mi (1,683 km²), 2.6% |
| Population - (2020) - Density |
107,801 |
| Congressional district | At-large |
| Time zone | Alaska: UTC-9/-8 |
| Website | www.matsugov.us |
Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough; Russian: Матануска-Суситна) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its county seat is Palmer, and the largest community is the census-designated place of Knik-Fairview.
The borough is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area, along with the municipality of Anchorage on its south.
The Mat-Su Borough is so designated because it contains the entire Matanuska and Susitna rivers. These rivers empty into Cook Inlet, which is the southern border of the Mat-Su Borough. This area is one of the few agricultural areas of Alaska.
Geography[]
Mount Bradley in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, 2014
The borough seat is Palmer,[3] and the largest community is the census designated-place of Knik-Fairview, Alaska.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,081, up from 88,995 in 2010. It is the fastest growing subdivision in Alaska.[4]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 25,258 square miles (65,420 km2), of which 24,608 square miles (63,730 km2) is land and 650 square miles (1,700 km2) (2.6%) is water.[5]
Adjacent boroughs and census areas[]
- Denali Borough, Alaska - north
- Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska - northeast
- Copper River Census Area, Alaska - east
- Chugach Census Area, Alaska - east
- Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska - south
- Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska - south
- Bethel Census Area, Alaska - west
- Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska - west
National protected areas in the borough[]
- Chugach National Forest (part)
- Denali National Park and Preserve (part)
- Denali Wilderness (part)
- Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (part)
- Lake Clark Wilderness (part)
Demographics[]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 5,188 | ||
| 1970 | 6,509 | 25.5% | |
| 1980 | 17,816 | 173.7% | |
| 1990 | 39,683 | 122.7% | |
| 2000 | 59,322 | 49.5% | |
| 2010 | 88,995 | 50.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[10] | |||
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 59,322 people, 20,556 households, and 15,046 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km2). There were 27,329 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 87.55% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 5.50% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 4.57% from two or more races. 2.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 20,556 households, out of which 42.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 20.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 32.20% under the age of 18, 7.40% from 18 to 24, 31.10% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 5.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.10 males.
Schools in the borough are administered by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District.
Politics and government[]
The midway area of the Alaska State Fair, held annually in Palmer during late August and early September
Matanuska-Susitna Borough was the most populous of fifteen county-equivalents in America carried by Ross Perot in the 1992 presidential election;[12] Republicans have carried the borough in every other election since 1968.
Vern Halter is the mayor of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The borough has a strong-manager form of government. Mike Brown is the borough manager. Long-time Manager John Duffy retired in 2010.[13]
Sarah Palin was previously the mayor of Wasilla, the largest city in the borough.
Communities[]
Cities[]
- Houston
- Palmer
- Wasilla
Census-designated places[]
- Big Lake
- Buffalo Soapstone
- Butte
- Chase
- Chickaloon
- Eureka Roadhouse
- Farm Loop
- Fishhook
- Gateway
- Glacier View
- Knik River
- Knik-Fairview
- Lake Louise
- Lazy Mountain
- Meadow Lakes
- North Lakes
- Petersville
- Point MacKenzie
- Skwentna
- South Lakes
- Susitna
- Susitna North
- Sutton-Alpine
- Talkeetna
- Tanaina
- Trapper Creek
- Willow
Other locations[]
- Alexander Creek
Cyber attack[]
In July 2018, the borough's computer systems, including the library and animal shelter, were hit by a ransomware attack, forcing employees to do without computers, using electric typewriters where available.[14] The borough declared a state of emergency[15] and incurred over $2 million in costs.[16] The method is thought to have been a targeted phishing e-mail; data left by the malware indicated Mat-Su was the 210th target attacked.[17]
Gallery[]
See also[]
- Matanuska-Susitna Valley
- List of Airports in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
- Matanuska Formation
- Deshka Landing Fire
References[]
- ^ "History". Matanuska-Susitna Borough Joint Land Use Study. 2009. http://projects.whpacific.com/MATSUJLUS/History/default.aspx.
- ^ 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 12.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx.
- ^ "2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places" (Web). State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development. https://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/cen/2020-census-data.html.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu.
- ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/ak190090.txt.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/AK,US/POP010220.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov.
- ^ Geographie Electorale
- ^ Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Matsugov.us. Retrieved on 2013-08-02.
- ^ "Town dusts off typewriters after cyber-attack". BBC News. August 1, 2018. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45032132.
- ^ Leroy Polk; Beth Verge (August 2, 2018). "'This is not somebody in his mother's basement': Massive cyberattack prompts Mat-Su disaster declaration". KTUU. https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Massive-cyber-attack-prompts-Mat-Su-to-officially-declare-a-disaster-489784421.html.
- ^ Zaz Hollander (October 12, 2018). "Price tag for cyberattack on Mat-Su Borough now tops $2 million". Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/mat-su/2018/10/11/price-tag-for-mat-su-cyberattack-now-tops-2-million/.
- ^ Chris Baraniuk (January 9, 2019). "In Depth: The cyber-attack that sent an Alaskan community back in time". BBC News. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20190108-the-cyber-attack-that-sent-an-alaskan-community-back-in-time.
External links[]
 |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Matanuska-Susitna Borough. |
- [1] official government website
- [2] Borough Facebook
- [3] Borough newsroom
- Borough map, 2000 census: Alaska Department of Labor
- Borough map, 2010 census: Alaska Department of Labor
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Denali Borough | Southeast Fairbanks Census Area |
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| Bethel Census Area and Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | 
|
Copper River Census Area | ||
   Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska | ||||
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| Municipality of Anchorage and Kenai Peninsula Borough | Chugach Census Area |
Template:Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
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| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |