Matanuska-Susitna Valley (/mætəˈnuːskəsuːˈsɪtnə/; known locally as the Mat-Su or The Valley) is an area inSouthcentral Alaska south of theAlaska Range about 35 miles (56 km) north ofAnchorage, Alaska.[1]It is known for the world record sized cabbages and other vegetables displayed annually in Palmer at theAlaska State Fair.[2]It includes the valleys of theMatanuska,Knik, andSusitna Rivers.[3]11,000 of Mat-Su Valley residents commute to Anchorage for work (as of 2008).[4]It is the fastest growing region inAlaska and includes the towns ofPalmer,Wasilla,Big Lake,Houston,Willow,Sutton, andTalkeetna.[1] The Matanuska-Susitna Valley is primarily the land of theDena'ina andAhtnaAthabaskan people.[5]
The valleys are shaped by three mountain ranges: theAlaska Range, theTalkeetna Mountains and theChugach Mountains.[3] The Matanuska-Susitna Valley was carved byglaciersleaving thousands of lakes.[6]The Mat-Su rivers and lakes are home to the spawning grounds ofchinook,coho,sockeye,pink, andchum salmon.[7]The area is home to 31state parks and campgrounds.[8]
The 23,000-square-mile (60,000 km2)Matanuska-Susitna Borough[9] (the Alaskan equivalent of a county)[3] governs the Mat-Su Valley.According to the 2020 Census, the borough's population is 107,081, a 21.7% increase since 2010.[10]
The City of Wasilla was founded onDena'ina land when theAlaska Railroad was constructed in 1917. Knik, also on Dena'ina land, was the first boom-town in the valley and predates Wasilla. In 1893 the Alaska Commercial Company was built at Knik, and in 1898 Knik was settled by trappers and gold miners.
Talkeetna began in the late 1890s, with the construction of a trading station and later the Alaska Railroad. Today, Talkeetna serves as a tourist hotspot, and the starting point for mountaineers who climb Denali.[11]
The Mat-Su Valley was explored by Russians in 1818.
In 1935, as part of theNew Deal 203 families from the Midwest travelled to Alaska and started theMatanuska Valley Colony.[12] Families were specifically chosen from the states ofMinnesota,Wisconsin andMichigan, due to their similarly cold winter climates.[13]
The 1939Slattery Report on Alaskan development identified the region as one of the areas where new settlements would be established through Jewishimmigration. This plan was never implemented.
The region is also home to theMatanuska-Susitna College[14]and theMat-Su Valley Frontiersman newspaper.[15]
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