Welcome to Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska A Proud Part of the Genealogy Trails Group Welcome to the Genealogy Trails website for the Matanuska-Susitna Burough, Alaska. Our goal is to help you track your ancestors through time by transcribing genealogical and historical data and placing it online for the free use of all researchers. This is a continuation of our original Illinois Trails History and Genealogy Project and we are excited about this opportunity to expand into other states. We welcome your feedback and comments, and of course, your data contributions. If you have transcribed data that you would like to have posted on this website, please send it to us. If you would like to be kept informed of our state and county website updates, subscribe to our mailing lists This Site is Available for Adoption! We are looking for a coordinator for this site.... folks who share our dedication to putting data online and are interested in helping this project be as helpful and useful to researchers as it can be. If you are interested in joining our group as host of this site, view our Volunteer Page for further information and contact Kim. Location and Climate The Borough is comprised of the lush farmlands of the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys, approximately 42 miles northeast of Anchorage. It lies at approximately 61.600000° North Latitude and -149.100000° West Longitude . The area encompasses 24,681.5 sq. miles of land and 578.3 sq. miles of water. The average temperatures in January range from 6 to 14; in July, 47 to 67. Annual precipitation is 16.5 inches. History, Culture and Demographics By 1920, gold, coal mining, and construction of the Alaska railroad sustained the local population. The Matanuska Valley was settled by homesteaders who led an agricultural lifestyle in the 1930s. Construction of the statewide road system and the rich farmlands fueled population growth. Today, Borough residents enjoy a more rural lifestyle close to metropolitan Anchorage. The population of the community consists of 8.6% Alaska Native or part Native. Low housing costs, the rural lifestyle, and a reasonable commute to Anchorage for employment and services has made the Mat-Su Borough one of the fastest growing areas of Alaska in recent years. Communities located within the Borough include: Big Lake, Buffalo Soapstone, Butte, Chase, Chickaloon, Farm Loop, Fishhook, Gateway, Glacier View, Houston, Knik River, Knik-Fairview, Lake Louise, Lakes, Lazy Mountain, Meadow Lakes, Palmer, Petersville, Point MacKenzie, Skwentna, Susitna, Sutton-Alpine, Talkeetna, Tanaina, Trapper Creek, Wasilla, Willow and Y. Economy and Transportation The economy is diverse, and residents are employed in a variety of retail, professional services, city, borough, state and federal occupations. Top employers are Mat-Su Schools, Valley Hospital, Wal-Mart, Carrs/Safeway and Fred Meyer. About one-third of the Borough's labor force commutes to Anchorage for employment. 244 borough residents hold commercial fishing permits. The area accesses both the Glenn and George Parks Highways. Commercial airlines serve the nearby Anchorage International Airport, but a local municipal airport supports private and chartered services. The Alaska Railroad provides for delivery of ocean freight Online Data [Coming Soon!] Biographies Births Cemeteries Census Data Deaths History Obituaries Marriages Military Data Newspapers   Email Us   Adjacent boroughs and census areas Denali Borough, Alaska - north Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska - northeast Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska - east Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska - south Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska - south Bethel Census Area, Alaska - west Copyright © 2007 by: Genealogy Trails Submitters retain all copyrights