Wasilla, Alaska

2022-04-06T19:46:02Z

216.137.250.57: website changed to cityofwasilla.gov : City IT staff is editor

{{short description|City in Alaska, United States}}
{{Redirect|Wasilla|the Ossetian god of the same name|Ossetian mythology|the Arabic word|Tawassul}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name =
| official_name = Wasilla
| native_name = Benteh
| settlement_type = City
| nickname =
| motto = 
| image_skyline = Wasillalake.JPG
| image_caption =
| image_flag = Flag of Wasilla, Alaska.gif
| image_seal = 
| image_map = Matanuska-Susitna Borough Alaska incorporated and unincorporated areas Wasilla highlighted.svg
| mapsize = 260px
| map_caption = Location in [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska|Matanuska-Susitna Borough]] and the state of [[Alaska]].
| pushpin_map = Alaska#North America
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Alaska##Location in North America

| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = [[List of US states|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Alaska]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|Borough]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska|Matanuska-Susitna]]
| government_footnotes =
| government_type =
| leader_title = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name = Glenda Ledford<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rockey|first=Tim|title=Wasilla has a new mayor|newspaper=[[Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman]]|url=https://www.frontiersman.com/news/wasilla-has-a-new-mayor/article_0415e3f8-1b20-11eb-b4ef-cfc81c0ebc13.html|date=October 30, 2020|access-date=November 2, 2020}}</ref>
| leader_title1 = [[Alaska Senate|State senator]]
| leader_name1 = [[David S. Wilson|David Wilson]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| leader_title2 = [[Alaska House of Representatives|State rep.]]
| leader_name2 = [[Colleen Sullivan-Leonard]] (R)
| established_title = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date = February 26, 1974<ref>{{Cite book |title=1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory |location=Juneau |publisher=Alaska Municipal League and [[Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development|Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs]] |date=January 1996 |page=159 }}</ref>

| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_02.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
| area_magnitude =
| area_total_km2 = 34.01
| area_land_km2 = 32.10
| area_water_km2 = 1.90
| area_total_sq_mi = 13.13
| area_land_sq_mi = 12.40
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.73

| population_as_of = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 9054
| population_est =
| pop_est_as_of =
| population_density_km2 = 282.01
| population_density_sq_mi = 730.40
| timezone = [[Alaska Time Zone|Alaska (AKST)]]
| utc_offset = −9
| timezone_DST = AKDT
| utc_offset_DST = −8
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 104
| elevation_ft = 341
| coordinates = {{coord|61|34|54|N|149|27|9|W|region:US-AK|display=inline,title}}

| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code = 99629, 99654, 99687
| area_code = [[Area code 907|907]] Exchanges:
352,357,373,376,864
| area_code_type = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 02-83080
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = {{GNIS 4|1411788}}
| website = [http://www.cityofwasilla.gov cityofwasilla.gov]
| footnotes =
| pop_est_footnotes =
| unit_pref = Imperial
}}

'''Wasilla''' ([[Denaʼina language|Dena'ina]]: ''Benteh''<ref>https://uafanlc.alaska.edu/Online/G977K1985a/G977K1985a_02.PDF {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>) is a city in [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska|Matanuska-Susitna Borough]], [[United States]] and the [[List of cities in Alaska|fourth-largest city]] in [[Alaska]]. It is located on the northern point of [[Cook Inlet]] in the [[Matanuska-Susitna Valley]] of the [[Southcentral Alaska|southcentral]] part of the state. The city's population was 9,054 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]], up from 7,831 in 2010.<ref name="2020 Census Data">
{{cite web
| url = https://live.laborstats.alaska.gov/cen/2020-census-data.html
| title = 2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places
| format = Web
| publisher = State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development
| access-date = October 31, 2021
}}
</ref> Wasilla is the largest city in the borough and a part of the [[Anchorage metropolitan area]], which had an estimated population of 398,328 in 2020.<ref name="2020 Census Data" />

Established at the intersection of the [[Alaska Railroad]] and Old Carle Wagon Road, the city prospered at the expense of the nearby mining town of [[Knik-Fairview, Alaska|Knik]]. Historically entrepreneurial, the economic base shifted in the 1970s from [[small-scale agriculture]] and recreation to support for workers employed in [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]] or on Alaska's North Slope oilfields and related infrastructure. The [[George Parks Highway]] turned the town into a [[bedroom community|commuter suburb]] of Anchorage.<ref>{{cite book |access-date=October 24, 2008
|title=Alaska Economic Trends|publisher=Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
|url=http://state.ak.us/trends/}}</ref>

Wasilla gained international attention when [[Sarah Palin]], who [[Early political career of Sarah Palin|served as Mayor of Wasilla]] before her election as [[Governor of Alaska]], was chosen by [[John McCain]] as his [[running mate]] for [[Vice President of the United States]] in the [[2008 United States presidential election]].

Wasilla is named after Chief Wasilla, a local [[Dena'ina people|Dena'ina]] [[Alaska native|chief]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofWasilla.com/index.aspx?page=82 |title=Wasilla History |date=September 23, 2008 |publisher=city of Wasilla |access-date=March 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407094506/http://www.cityofwasilla.com/index.aspx?page=82 |archive-date=April 7, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> "Wasilla" is the anglicized spelling of the chief's Russian-given name, {{lang|ru|Васи́лий}} {{lang|ru-Latn|Vasilij}}, which corresponds to the English name [[Basil (name)|Basil]].<ref name="Bright2004">{{cite book |last=Bright |first=William |author-link=William Bright |title=Native American placenames of the United States |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA551 |access-date=April 11, 2011 |year=2004 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=978-0-8061-3598-4|page=551}}</ref>

==History==
Glacial ice sheets covered most of the northern hemisphere during the last glacial period, between 26,500 and 19,000–20,000 years ago,<ref>{{cite journal|title=The Last Glacial Maximum |first1=Peter U. |last1=Clark |author2=Arthur S. Dyke |author3=Jeremy D. Shakun |author4=Anders E. Carlson |author5=Jorie Clark |author6-link=Barbara Wohlfarth |author6=Barbara Wohlfarth |author7-link=Jerry X. Mitrovica |author7=Jerry X. Mitrovica |author8=Steven W. Hostetler |author9=A. Marshall McCabe |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |doi=10.1126/science.1172873 |pmid=19661421 |volume=325 |issue=5941 |pages=710–714 |year=2009 |bibcode=2009Sci...325..710C |s2cid=1324559 }}</ref> until they disappeared between 10,000 and about 7,000 years ago.<ref name="archdig">{{cite news |url=http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/story/6659592p-6546429c.html |title=Archaeological dig perplexes; Trapper Creek: Team from Nevada didn't discover what it had been expecting |work=Anchorage Daily News |author=Hollander, Zaz |date=June 29, 2005 |access-date=October 23, 2008 }}</ref> Early humans moved through the area and left evidence of their passage.<ref name="archdig" /> The Matanuska-Susitna valley was eventually settled by the [[Dena'ina people|Dena'ina]] [[Alaska native]]s 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 languages|Athabaskan]] groups extending down Canada's western coast. The area around downtown Wasilla was known to the Dena'ina as {{lang|tfn|Benteh}}, which translates as "among the lakes". 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.members.tripod.com/knik_alaska/id2.htm |title=About Knik |publisher=Wasilla Knik Historical Society |date=March 2006 |access-date=October 23, 2008 }}</ref>

[[File:Knik town site cabin.jpg|thumb|left|Cabin at the [[Knik Site]]]]
In 1917, the U.S. government planned the [[Alaska Railroad]] to intersect the Carle Wagon Road (present Wasilla-Fishhook Road) which connected Knik and the mines.<ref name="chamber">{{cite web|url=http://www.wasillachamber.org/wasilla/community.htm |title=About Wasilla, Alaska |publisher=Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce |year=2007 |access-date=October 23, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917135805/http://www.wasillachamber.org/wasilla/community.htm |archive-date=September 17, 2008 }}</ref> Knik businesses and residents rushed to buy land nearby, 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 {{lang|ru|Васи́лий}} {{lang|ru-Latn|Vasilij}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.cfm?Comm_Boro_Name=Wasilla&Data_Type=Overview |title=Wasilla: Community Overview|work=Community Database Online|publisher=Alaska Division of Community Advocacy|access-date=October 23, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 567 |author=Orth, Donald Orth |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|year= 1967}}</ref> As Knik declined into a [[ghost town]], Wasilla served early [[fur trade|fur trappers]] and miners working the gold fields at Cache Creek and Willow Creek. More than 200 farm families from the [[Upper Midwest]] were moved into the Matanuska and Susitna valleys in 1935 as part of a U.S. government program to start a new farming community to counteract this trend; their linguistic influence is still audible in the region.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/70162272.html |last=Bauer |first=Scott |title=Palin's speech has '30s roots, don't cha know: UW linguists' research article |work=[[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] |date=November 15, 2009 }}</ref>

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 Palmer area to Wasilla and the surrounding area. Wasilla was incorporated as a city in 1974.<ref name=cityClimate>{{cite web|access-date=September 1, 2008 |url=http://www.cityofWasilla.com/index.aspx?page=119 |title=Visitors: What's the Climate Like? |date=August 19, 2008 |quote=Agriculture and natural resources sustained growth and the city was incorporated in 1974. |publisher=city of Wasilla, Alaska }}</ref> All non-[[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|borough]] municipalities throughout Alaska are designated cities.<ref>[http://www.legis.state.ak.us/cgi-bin/folioisa.dll/stattx07/query=*/doc/%7Bt12865%7D? §29.04.010 and §29.04.030] of the Alaska Code. Retrieved October 23, 2008.</ref>

In 1994, a statewide initiative to move Alaska's capital to Wasilla was defeated by a vote of about 116,000 to 96,000.<ref name=NYT_ElectionWest_19941110>{{cite news |access-date=September 9, 2008 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/10/us/the-1994-elections-state-by-state-west.html |title=The 1994 Elections: State by State; West |date=November 10, 1994 |work=[[The New York Times]] |first1=Raymond |last1=Hernandez |first2=Robert D. |last2=Hershey Jr |first3=Lynette |last3=Holloway
|first4=Randy |last4=Kennedy |first5=Stephen |last5=Labaton |first6=Tamar |last6=Lewin |first7=Neil A. |last7=Lewis |first8=Norimitsu |last8=Onishi |first9=Eric |last9=Schmitt |first10=Keith |last10=Bradsher }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |access-date=September 9, 2008 |url=http://www.elections.alaska.gov/result94.htm#bal3 |title=Alaska's 1994 General Election Results Summary |publisher=Alaska Division of Elections |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080801054315/http://www.elections.alaska.gov/result94.htm |archive-date=August 1, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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 a boom in residential and commercial real estate development.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/jan03.pdf |date=January 2003 |title=Alaska Economic Trends |publisher=Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development }}</ref> The local real estate market slowed in 2006. In 2008, suburban growth and dwindling snow forced organizers of the [[Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race]] to bypass Wasilla permanently, due to a [[climate change|warming climate]].<ref name=iditarod>{{cite news |last=D'Oro |first=Rachel |url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Jan10/0,4670,IditarodChanges,00.html |title=Warming Forces Iditarod Changes |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=January 10, 2008 |work=Fox News |access-date=September 17, 2008 }}</ref> The race had its start in Wasilla from 1973 to 2002, the year when reduced snow cover forced a "temporary" change to [[Willow, Alaska|Willow]].<ref name=iditarod/>

==Geography==
Wasilla is located at {{Coord|61|34|54|N|149|27|9|W|type:city}} (61.581732, −149.452539).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2011-04-23 |date=2011-02-12 |title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990 }}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town 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.

Located near Wasilla Lake and [[Lake Lucille]], Wasilla is one of two towns in the [[Matanuska-Susitna Valley|Matanuska Valley]]. The community surrounds Mi. 39–46 of the [[George Parks Highway]], roughly {{convert|43|mi|abbr=on}} by highway northeast of [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]]. Nearly one third of the people of Wasilla drive the 40-minute commute to work in Anchorage every day.<ref name=CommunityProfile>{{cite web |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url=http://www.cityofWasilla.com/profile/profile_05.asp |title=Community Profile: At Work |date=July 9, 2008 |publisher=city of Wasilla, Alaska |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080308083356/http://www.cityofwasilla.com/profile/profile_05.asp |archive-date=March 8, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Six miles to the southeast is [[Mount POW/MIA]].

===Climate===
Wasilla has a climate similar to that of [[Anchorage]], classified as a [[subarctic climate]] (''Dfc'') by [[Köppen-Geiger climate classification]], although with slightly warmer daytime maxima and colder nighttime minima due to its inland location. On average, over the course of the entire year, there are 30–31 days of sub-{{convert|0|°F|1}} lows, 37–38 days of {{convert|70|°F|1}}+ highs, and 1.4 days of {{convert|80|°F|1}}+ highs. The average annual [[precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] is {{convert|17|in|mm}}, with {{convert|52|in|m|2}} of snowfall.

{{Weather box|width = auto
|location = Wasilla, Alaska
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 23.7
|Feb high F = 28.6
|Mar high F = 36.9
|Apr high F = 49.1
|May high F = 61.1
|Jun high F = 67.7
|Jul high F = 69.6
|Aug high F = 67.4
|Sep high F = 58.6
|Oct high F = 42.9
|Nov high F = 28.2
|Dec high F = 25.7
|year high F =46.7
|Jan low F = 8.2
|Feb low F = 11.8
|Mar low F = 18.8
|Apr low F = 28.2
|May low F = 36.7
|Jun low F = 44.5
|Jul low F = 49.2
|Aug low F = 46.8
|Sep low F = 39.7
|Oct low F = 26.9
|Nov low F = 13.2
|Dec low F = 10.1
|year low F =27.9

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.8
|Feb precipitation inch = 0.9
|Mar precipitation inch = 0.5
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.7
|May precipitation inch = 0.8
|Jun precipitation inch = 1.6
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.5
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.7
|Sep precipitation inch = 2.7
|Oct precipitation inch = 1.8
|Nov precipitation inch = 1.2
|Dec precipitation inch = 1.0
|year precipitation inch=17.2

|Jan snow inch = 8.4
|Feb snow inch = 8.9
|Mar snow inch = 5.8
|Apr snow inch = 2.5
|May snow inch = 0.1
|Jun snow inch = 0
|Jul snow inch = 0
|Aug snow inch = 0
|Sep snow inch = 0
|Oct snow inch = 4.7
|Nov snow inch = 8.7
|Dec snow inch = 12.8
|year snow inch =52.1
|source 1 = NOAA (1981–2010 normals),<ref>{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USC00509759.normals.txt |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Station Name: AK WASILLA 3 S STATE AP |access-date=2013-03-09}}</ref> Weatherbase (precip, snow)<ref name=weatherbox1>{{cite web
| url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=957905&refer=&units=us | title =Historical Weather for Wasilla, Alaska USA | access-date =November 7, 2008 | publisher =weatherbase.com }}</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1930= 51
|1940= 96
|1950= 97
|1960= 112
|1970= 300
|1980= 1559
|1990= 4028
|2000= 5469
|2010= 7831
|2020= 9054
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=June 4, 2015 }}</ref>
}}
Wasilla first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village of 51 residents. Of these, all 51 were White.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://akgenweb.com/census/censuspdfs/1930AK3rdDistrictPartC.pdf |title=1930 Census, 3rd District of Alaska, Part C |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |via=AKGenWeb }}</ref> It has returned in every successive census and formally incorporated in 1974.

As of the census of 2000,<ref>{{cite web |access-date=August 30, 2008 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=wasilla&_cityTown=wasilla&_state=04000US02&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y |title=Wasilla, Alaska |department=Census 2000 Demographic Profile Highlights |work=American FactFinder |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212051554/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=wasilla&_cityTown=wasilla&_state=04000US02&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&show_2003_tab=&redirect=Y |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> there were 5,469 people (up from 4,028<ref>{{cite web |access-date=September 12, 2008 |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&_name=wasilla&_state=04000US02&_county=wasilla&_cityTown=wasilla&_zip=&_sse=on&_lang=en&pctxt=fph |title=Wasilla city, Alaska |work=American FactFinder |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212045724/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=Search&_name=wasilla&_state=04000US02&_county=wasilla&_cityTown=wasilla&_zip=&_sse=on&_lang=en&pctxt=fph |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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 per square mile (69.8/km2). The [[Race (U.S. census)|racial makeup]] of the city was 85.5% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 5.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 5.9% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] of any race were 3.7% 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 community of Wasilla, the age distribution of the population shows 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 Wasilla 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 town 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.

==Income and poverty==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the median household income in Wasilla from 2010 to 2014 was $62,622, with a per capita income of $28,704 and a poverty rate of 11.2% in the same year. The estimated rent burden in Wasilla was 31.7% (2011).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://address-data.com/d/AK/Wasilla |title=Wasilla, AK |website=Address-Data.com }}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Downtown Wasilla, AK.jpg|thumb|upright=2.0|Panoramic view of Main Street looking south as it passes through a smaller business district than what is found along the Parks Highway.]]
Wasilla began as a transportation logistics and 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 (approximately 43 miles away), encouraging the transition to a satellite bedroom community where workers commute to Anchorage for employment.<ref>Interview Neil Fried, AK DOL economist @ 907 269-4861</ref> Local service employment has increased in recent years.<ref name="labor.state">{{Cite web |url=http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/ |title=2011 Alaska Economic Trends |publisher=Alaska Department of Labor |date=January 3, 2011 |access-date=January 7, 2011}}</ref>

About 35 percent of the Wasilla workforce commutes to [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]].<ref name=CommunityProfile/> The local economy is diverse, and residents are employed in a variety of city, borough, state, federal, retail and professional service positions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://labor.state.ak.us/trends/jan03.pdf |title=January 2003 Trends |access-date=January 7, 2011}}</ref> 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]] and [[Prince William Sound]] (there are no commercial fisheries in Upper Cook Inlet).<ref name="labor.state" />

==Recreation==
[[File:Wasillalake.JPG|thumb|The southern and western reaches of Wasilla Lake (shown here) are within city limits. Nearby [[Lake Lucille]] is also within city limits. Both lakes are easily accessible from the Parks Highway and various city streets.]]
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."<ref name=Museum>{{cite web |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url=http://museumofalaska.org/about_us.htm |title=About Us |publisher=[[Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry]] }}</ref>

In 2010, the Menard Center lost a tenant when the [[Arctic Predators]] did not play as a member of the [[Indoor Football League]].<ref name="IFLAP">{{cite news |last=Armstrong |first=Joshua |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/LP7-Sugababes/dp/B002HORC8U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1248240079&sr=1-1 |title=IFL officially adds three teams |work=[[Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]] |date=September 4, 2009 }}</ref>

==Government==
[[File:Wasilla City Hall.jpg|thumb|Wasilla City Hall, August 2008]]
The Wasilla City Council is the city's legislature. It enacts laws and policy statements, sets the property tax rate, and approves the budget and funds for city services. It has six members, elected at-large by Wasilla residents for three year terms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofwasilla.com/index.aspx?page=521 |title=City Council |work=Department/Divisions |publisher=City of Wasilla |access-date=February 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407082731/http://www.cityofwasilla.com/index.aspx?page=521 |archive-date=April 7, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[mayor]] is elected separately. A run-off election is 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.

While Wasilla has an [[Alaska State Troopers]] presence, Wasilla falls under the jurisdiction of the Wasilla Police Department, founded in 1993, and employs 25 sworn officers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityofwasilla.com/departments/police|title=Police {{!}} City of Wasilla, AK|website=www.cityofwasilla.com|access-date=2019-11-30}}</ref> Emergency services and fire protection are provided by the [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough]] under Central Mat-Su Fire Department.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.matsugov.us/cmsfd|title=Central Mat-Su Fire Department|last=Wagner|first=Michelle|website=Matanuska-Susitna Borough|language=en-gb|access-date=2019-11-30}}</ref>

==Education and health==
Wasilla is served by the [[Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District]]. It has five high schools:<ref>{{cite web |title=High School Listings |publisher=[[Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District]] |url=http://www.matsuk12.us/RunScript.asp?Page=6&p=ASP\Pg6.asp |access-date=September 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804130410/http://www.matsuk12.us/RunScript.asp?Page=6&p=ASP%5CPg6.asp |archive-date=August 4, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Burchell High School
* Mat-Su Career and Technical High School
* MidValley High School
* Wasilla High School
* Colony High School
[[File:Wes3.jpg|thumb|right|The original, one-room [[Wasilla Elementary School]]]]
There are also career training and technical colleges in Wasilla.

In January 2006 a new hospital, [[Mat-Su Regional Medical Center]], opened. It is outside the city limits halfway between Wasilla and its [[twin cities|twin town]] of [[Palmer, Alaska|Palmer]].<ref name=Hospital>{{cite web |access-date=September 1, 2008 |url=http://www.matsuregional.com/getpage.php?name=history&sub=About%20Us |publisher=Mat-Su Regional Medical Center |title=Our History |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080326213558/http://www.matsuregional.com/getpage.php?name=history&sub=About%20Us |archive-date=March 26, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Transportation==
The [[George Parks Highway]] in conjunction with the [[Glenn Highway]] connects Wasilla to Anchorage and communities on the [[Kenai Peninsula]]. The Parks also links 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.<ref>[http://www.cityofWasilla.com/index.aspx?page=108 Airport page at city of Wasilla web site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912191918/http://www.cityofwasilla.com/index.aspx?page=108 |date=September 12, 2008 }}. Retrieved September 17, 2008.</ref> The airport was formerly located in the city center before moving to a site on the western edge of the city during the 1980s. An [[electro-mat|anti-moose mat]] was installed around the runway in 2005, giving a light shock to animals which might otherwise wander into the path of moving aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.avweb.com/newswire/11_43a/briefs/190842-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS |title=Electric Mats Protect Runways From Wildlife |publisher=AVweb |access-date=2017-01-23 }}</ref> The old airport site is currently home to a city park. Wasilla also has eight public-use [[seaplane]] bases located on area lakes.<ref name=AirNav>[http://www.airnav.com/airports/get?s=Wasilla List of air facilities in Wasilla] from [[AirNav]]. Retrieved September 17, 2008.</ref> Private-use air facilities registered with the [[FAA]] include 43 land-based [[airstrips]], eight additional seaplane bases, two [[heliport]]s and one [[STOLport]].<ref name=AirNav />

==Parks==
The City of Wasilla operates several parks, including a large campground, boat launch, and dog park on Lake Lucille, Newcomb Park on Wasilla Lake, and other parks, playgrounds, and a skate park.<ref>[http://www.cityofwasilla.com/departments-divisions/parks-and-recreation Division of Parks and Recreation], City of Wasilla.</ref> [[Alaska State Parks]] operates the [[Finger Lake State Recreation Area]], and the '''Little Susitna River Public Use Area''', which features a large campground, river access, and is the gateway to a {{convert|300,800|acre}} public game reserve.<ref>[http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/littlesupuf Little Su PUF] [[Alaska Department of Natural Resources]]</ref>

==In the media==
Wasilla is one of five cities featured in the first season of the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] reality series ''[[Emergency Call (2020 TV series)|Emergency Call]]'', which chronicles real-life [[9-1-1]] calls and the operator-dispatchers who handle them.<ref>{{cite web|last=Thorne|first=Will|title=Luke Wilson to Host 'Emergency Call' Unscripted Series, ABC Sets Fall Premiere|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/luke-wilson-host-emergency-call-abc-series-1234758607/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 3, 2020}}</ref> Wasilla was also the setting of the short-lived MTV reality show [[Slednecks]].

==Notable people==
*[[John Gourley]] (born 1981), frontman of American band [[Portugal.The Man]]
* [[Troy Adams]] (born 1961), interior designer
* [[Chad Carpenter]] (c. 1968), cartoonist, creator of the comic strip ''[[Tundra (comic strip)|Tundra]]''<ref>{{Cite press release |url=http://www.housemajority.org/item.php?id=item20080827-618 |author=Wes Keller |title=Tundra Creator Honored as Alaska's Cartoon Laureate |publisher=Alaska State Legislature's House Majority |date=August 27, 2008 |access-date=September 1, 2008 |author-link=Wes Keller |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905233429/http://www.housemajority.org/item.php?id=item20080827-618 |archive-date=September 5, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Larry Csonka]] (born 1946), Former [[Miami Dolphins]] Pro Bowl Running Back, NFL Hall of Famer
* [[Lyda Green]] (born 1938), the third and most recent female president of the [[Alaska Senate]]
* [[Levi Johnston]] (born 1990), media personality, former fiancé of Bristol Palin
* [[Lisa Kelly (trucker)|Lisa Kelly]] (born 1980), of the [[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]] program ''[[Ice Road Truckers]]''
* [[Vic Kohring]] (born 1958), state legislator implicated in the [[Alaska political corruption probe]]<ref name=KohringADN>{{Cite news |first=Lisa |last=Demer |author2=Kyle Hopkins |title=Kohring neither defiant nor remorseful |newspaper=[[Anchorage Daily News]] |date=October 31, 2007 |url=http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/kohring/story/9418965p-9335214c.html |access-date=November 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102111808/http://www.adn.com/news/politics/fbi/kohring/story/9418965p-9335214c.html |archive-date=November 2, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Tom Mechler]] (born 1956), chairman since 2015 of the [[Republican Party of Texas]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intelius.com/results.php?ReportType=1&formname=name&qf=Thomas&qmi=R&qn=Mechler&qcs=Amarillo%2C+TX&focusfirst=1 |title=Thomas R. Mechler |publisher=intelius.com |access-date=March 17, 2015 }}</ref>
* [[FOB Ramrod kill team#Spc. Jeremy N. Morlock|Jeremy Morlock]], a U.S. Army soldier who murdered three civilians in Afghanistan<ref>{{cite news |author=Charley Keyes |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/04/us.soldier.solitary/index.html?hpt=T1/ |title=Whistle-blowing soldier moved to solitary confinement |publisher=CNN |access-date=January 7, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Robin Hindery |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110324/ap_on_re_us/us_afghan_probe_22/ |title=US soldier gets 24 years for murders of 3 Afghans |agency=Associated Press |date=March 24, 2011 |access-date=March 26, 2011 }}</ref>
* [[Dorothy G. Page]] (1921–1989), hailed by some as the "mother" of the Iditarod Trail sled dog race
* Members of the [[Sarah Palin#Personal life|Palin family]]:
** [[Sarah Palin]] (born 1964), former mayor of Wasilla, former [[Alaska Governor]], and 2008 [[Republican Party (United States) vice presidential candidates, 2008|Republican vice presidential candidate]]
** [[Todd Palin]] (born 1964), professional snowmobile racer, four-time [[Iron Dog]] race champion, former husband of Sarah Palin
** [[Bristol Palin]] (born 1990), [[Sexual abstinence|Teen Abstinence]] Ambassador for the [[Candie's Foundation]], daughter of Todd and Sarah Palin<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.candiesfoundation.org/ |title=Candie's foundation |date=November 16, 2010 |access-date=January 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100320013956/http://www.candiesfoundation.org/ |archive-date=March 20, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Gail |title=Bristol Palin's New Gig |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 6, 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/opinion/07collins.html |access-date=May 14, 2009 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Portal|Alaska}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Wasilla}}
* [http://www.cityofWasilla.com City Website]
* {{curlie|/Regional/North_America/United_States/Alaska/Localities/W/Wasilla}}
* [http://www.frontiersman.com Local Newspaper]
* [http://www.newsmatsu.com Online news of the Mat-Su Valley]
{{Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska}}
{{Alaska}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Wasilla, Alaska| ]]
[[Category:1917 establishments in Alaska]]
[[Category:Anchorage metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Cities in Alaska]]
[[Category:Cities in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1917]]
[[Category:Sarah Palin]]

Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Wasilla, Alaska