Palmer, Alaska
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Palmer is a city in and the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 4,533. 2004 estimates give the city a population of 6,163.
Geography
Palmer is 68 km (42 miles) northeast of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.7 km² (3.8 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 4,533 people, 1,472 households, and 1,058 families residing in the city. The population density was 465.5/km² (1,206.3/mi²). There were 1,555 housing units at an average density of 159.7/km² (413.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.94% White, 2.05% Black or African American, 8.18% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.33% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 6.29% from two or more races. 3.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,472 households out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 16.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the city the population was spread out with 33.6% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,571, and the median income for a family was $53,164. Males had a median income of $44,716 versus $25,221 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,203. About 6.0% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
History
Palmer began around 1916 as a railway station on the Matanuska branch of the Alaska Railroad. In 1935, during the Great Depression, the United States government created an agricultural colony in Alaska. 203 families, mostly from Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, arrived in the summer of 1935. The failure rate was high, but many of their descendants still live in the area. Construction of the statewide road system and the rapid development of Anchorage has fueled growth around Palmer. Many Palmer residents commute to work in Anchorage. These days, Palmer is most noted in Alaska as the location of the annual Alaska State Fair, an event in the early fall known for its record-setting giant cabbages, among other attractions.
External links
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| State of Alaska |
|
|---|---|---|
| Capital | Juneau | |
| Regions | Aleutian Islands | Bush Alaska | Interior | Kenai Peninsula | Mat-Su Valley | North Slope | Southcentral | Southeast | Southwest | Tanana Valley | Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta | |
| Largest cities | Anchorage | Barrow | Bethel | Fairbanks | Homer | Juneau | Kenai | Ketchikan | Kodiak | Kotzebue | Nome | Palmer | Petersburg | Seward | Sitka | Unalaska | Valdez | Wasilla | |
| Boroughs | Aleutians East | Anchorage | Bristol Bay | Denali | Fairbanks North Star | Haines | Juneau | Kenai Peninsula | Ketchikan Gateway | Kodiak Island | Lake and Peninsula | Matanuska-Susitna | North Slope | Northwest Arctic | Sitka | Yakutat | |
| Census areas | Aleutians West | Bethel | Dillingham | Nome | Prince of Wales-Outer Ketchikan | Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon | Southeast Fairbanks | Valdez-Cordova | Wade Hampton | Wrangell-Petersburg | Yukon-Koyukuk | see also Unorganized Borough | |
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