Palmer, Alaska

Palmer, Alaska
—  City  —
Palmer depot with a narrow gauge locomotive.
Motto: Alaska at Its Best
Location of Palmer, Alaska
Coordinates: 61°36′7″N 149°7′2″W
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Matanuska-Susitna
Government
• Mayor	DeLena Johnson
Area
• Total	3.8 sq mi (9.7 km2)
• Land	3.8 sq mi (9.7 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	233 ft (71 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	5,937
• Density	1,562.3/sq mi (612.1/km2)
Time zone	Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
• Summer (DST)	AKDT (UTC-8)
ZIP code	99645
Area code	907
FIPS code	02-58660
GNIS feature ID	1407737
Website	www.cityofpalmer.org

Palmer is the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the state of Alaska, USA. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,937.

The first people to live in the Matanuska Valley, where Palmer is located, were the Dena’ina and Ahtna Athabaskans. They moved throughout the area, living a subsistence lifestyle and trading with other native groups. Their trade routes were along the Matanuska River. Russians came to Alaska in 1741 and brought the Russian Orthodox religious tradition to the indigenous peoples of the region. In the mid-1880s, an entrepreneur named George W. Palmer built a trading post on the Matanuska River, near present-day Palmer. The town was later named after this Alaskan pioneer.

In the late 19th century, the U.S. government began to take interest in the Matanuska coal fields located north of Palmer. This interest sparked financiers to consider constructing the Alaska Central Railroad in 1904. The advent of WWI created a need for high quality coal to fuel US battleships and by 1917 the US Navy had constructed rail from the port of Seward to the Chickaloon coal deposits. At the end of WWI,the US Navy distributed land in the coal fields to war veterans and additional land was opened to homesteading. Farmers, miners and homesteaders began to populate the area. The Palmer Post Office was opened July 6, 1917 under the name of Warton. With railroad accessibility, new markets for agriculture began to open up for farmers in the Matanuska Valley.

In one year Palmer transformed from a mere whistle stop rail siding to a planned community with modern utilities and community services. Eleven million dollars from Federal Emergency Relief Administration was spent to create the town of Palmer and relocate 203 families from the hard hit Iron Range region of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Families traveled by train and ship to Palmer, arriving in May 1935. Upon their arrival they were housed in a tent city during their first Alaskan summer. Each family drew lots for 40-acre (160,000 m²) tracts and their farming adventure began in earnest. The failure rate was high, but many of their descendants still live in the area and there are still many operating farms in the Palmer area, including Vanderwheele and Wolverine farms. In 1971, The National Outdoor Leadership School started operating wilderness education courses in the nearby Talkeetna and Chugach mountain ranges from a local historic farmhouse, now listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.

In addition to an agrarian heritage, the colony families brought with them Midwest America's small-town values, institutional structures, and a well-planned city center reminiscent of their old hometowns in Minnesota. Many of the structures built are now in a nationally recognized historic district. Construction of the statewide road system and the rapid development of Anchorage has fueled growth around Palmer. Many Palmer residents commute 45 minutes to work in Anchorage.

Geography

The view traveling toward Anchorage from Palmer. Pioneer Peak is to the left with Twin Peaks to the right of Pioneer. The "Ghost Forest" is shown in the foreground. These trees died from the subsidence that occurred in the area as a result of the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964.

Palmer is located at 61°36′7″N 149°7′2″W (61.601879, -149.117351).

Palmer is 68 km (42 mi) northeast of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway. It lies on the north shore of the Matanuska River, not far above tidewater, in a wide valley between the Talkeetna Mountains to the north and the Chugach Mountains to the south and east. Pioneer Peak rises over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above the town, just a few miles south. East of Palmer is Lazy Mountain, and standing behind that is Matanuska Peak. Lazy Mountain, Matanuska Peak, and Pioneer Peak are all a part of the Chugach Range. North of Palmer are the Talkeetna Mountains. Hatcher Pass, a local favorite for hiking, is located in this mountain range about 22 miles (35 km) from Palmer.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), all of it land. Palmer and Wasilla are the two major old-town cores of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Population of the area has grown dramatically in the past decade; Borough officials estimate the local population at 8,000.

Climate

The climate of Palmer tends to be rather cool during the summer. The average temperature is in the 50s, although warmer days can reach high temperatures into the 70s and occasionally the low 80s. The warmest month of the year is July, during which the average maximum temperature is 66.9 °F (19.4 °C). September is the wettest month of the year, with an average rainfall of 2.59 inches (66 mm). Summertime weather is typically cloudy, although sunny skies are not uncommon. The winters in Palmer can be bitterly cold with average temperatures in the 10s(F). The coldest month is January, during which the temperature has an average minimun of 6.4 °F (−14.2 °C). Occasionally the temperature will dip into the -20s, but Palmer doesn't typically experience the extreme cold (-50s(F) and below) of the Alaska Interior, as about 50 miles (80 km) from the coast, the ocean effect regulates the temperature from reaching any extremes. Palmer gets about 50 inches of snowfall in the winter. Palmer is flanked by two glaciers, the Matanuska Glacier and the Knik Glacier. Wind blows off of these glaciers and funnels into the town. If there is a substantial snowfall, it will often sit for several days before most of it is blown away.

Climate data for Palmer, Alaska
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	52 (11)	54 (12)	56 (13)	76 (24)	81 (27)	87 (31)	86 (30)	85 (29)	73 (23)	66 (19)	59 (15)	54 (12)	87 (31)
Average high °F (°C)	23 (−5)	28 (−2)	37 (3)	48 (9)	60 (16)	66 (19)	68 (20)	65 (18)	57 (14)	42 (6)	28 (−2)	26 (−3)	45.7 (7.6)
Average low °F (°C)	12 (−11)	16 (−9)	22 (−6)	32 (0)	42 (6)	50 (10)	53 (12)	51 (11)	44 (7)	30 (−1)	17 (−8)	15 (−9)	32.0 (0.0)
Record low °F (°C)	−37 (−38)	−32 (−36)	−39 (−39)	−8 (−22)	15 (−9)	33 (1)	36 (2)	26 (−3)	15 (−9)	−8 (−22)	−26 (−32)	−38 (−39)	−39 (−39)
Precipitation inches (mm)	1.06 (26.9)	0.96 (24.4)	0.68 (17.3)	0.34 (8.6)	0.72 (18.3)	1.23 (31.2)	2.05 (52.1)	2.61 (66.3)	2.50 (63.5)	1.56 (39.6)	1.04 (26.4)	1.28 (32.5)	16.03 (407.2)
Source:

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1940	150		—
1950	890		493.3%
1960	1,181		32.7%
1970	1,140		−3.5%
1980	2,141		87.8%
1990	2,866		33.9%
2000	4,533		58.2%
2010	5,937		31.0%
source:

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,937 people, 1,472 households, and 1,058 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,206.3 people per square mile (465.5/km²). There were 1,555 housing units at an average density of 413.8 per square mile (159.7/km²). 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. 14.9% were of German, 10.5% United States or American, 8.9% Irish and 8.7% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

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 age distribution of the population shows 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.

Notable residents

• Ed Walker, last surviving member of Castner's Cutthroats, resided at Alaska Veterans and Pioneers Home in Palmer.

Education

Primary and secondary education in Palmer is a part of the Mat-Su Borough School District. There are two elementary schools within the city limits (Swanson Elementary School and Sherrod Elementary School), one middle school (Palmer Jr. Middle School), and one high school. Palmer High School is of a modest size with about 900 students and approximately 60 staff members. In 1999, Palmer High became the first school in Alaska to offer the International Baccalaureate program. About ten minutes from Palmer are cross-town rivals, Colony Middle and Colony High School. Also in Palmer is Matanuska-Susitna College, an extended college of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Farming

Palmer is home to world record vegetable harvests. The Mat-Su Valley, and Palmer in particular, are known as the farming center for the state of Alaska. Growing conditions here are ideal. Vegetables adapted to cool temperatures thrive, the glacial soils provide organic matter to keep nutrients in the root zone, many insect pests, diseases, and weeds that are common in the lower 48 are not common in Alaska, and there is plenty of sunlight in the summer to help plants grow. In June, Palmer gets 19 hours of daylight every day, so crops can keep growing until midnight. The sunlight also makes crops sweeter. Carrots spend 75 percent of their time making sugar, and 25 percent turning that sugar into starch. Species in the Brassica family grow very well in Palmer. That would include plants like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, collards, various mustards, radishes, rutabagas, and turnips. Potatoes, beets, carrots, spinach, and lettuce also grow very well here. The Vanderweele farm is the biggest vegetable farm in Palmer that sells its crops commercially.

Palmer holds the world records for kale, kohlrabi, rutabaga, romanesco broccoli, turnip, and the green and purple cabbage. The record for the cabbage was set in 2009 at the Alaska State Fair with a weight of 127 pounds. The State Fair is the best place to see the giant vegetables. The primary reason they are able to grow so large is because of the near constant sunlight during the summer months.

Points of interest

Palmer is most noted in Alaska as the location of the annual Alaska State Fair, where Palmer's agricultural spirit lives on. The Alaska State Fair holds contests for largest vegetable in several categories, and many national and even world records have been recorded at the fair, with the cabbage, radish, spinach and lettuce categories usually dominating local interest. In 2008, Scott Robb of Palmer won 1st place and a $2,000 prize for his 79.1 lb (35.9 kg) cabbage.

Palmer hosts a log cabin Visitor Information Center in the heart of downtown that entertains more than 35,000 visitors each year. Each summer, the visitor center employs a fulltime gardener to maintain the 2 acres (8,100 m²) of public gardens that showcase more than 600 locally grown plant varieties. The Palmer Museum of History and Art is located in the Visitor Information Center and offers visitors a chance to view artifacts from Palmer's history, provides maps to historical places to see and stocks guidebooks for more information on local attractions.

The Alaska State Fair just outside of Palmer.

A couple of blocks away from the Visitor Information Center is the United Protestant Church "The Church of a Thousand Trees", (Presbyterian). It was built in 1936-37 and is one of the 17 structures that contribute to the National Register's Matanuska Colony HIstoric District.

The Mat-Su Miners, a franchise in the Alaska Baseball League, a high-level summer collegiate baseball league, play their games at Herman Brothers Field in Palmer. With Division I collegiate players from all over the United States, the Miners have twice captured the coveted National Baseball Congress championship, in 1987 and 1997. Alaska Raceway Park is a nearby dragstrip.

Twelve miles north of Palmer is Hatcher Pass, a scenic mountainous pass that's been established as a state park and is home of the Independence Mine. It serves as a local back-country area for skiers, snowmachiners and hikers as well as a tourist attraction in the summer months.

Sources

• Matanuska Valley Memoir: The Story of How One Alaskan Community Developed, by Hugh A. Johnson and Keith L. Stanton. Bulletin 18, 3rd edition, 1980. Originally published July 1955. Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station: Palmer, Alaska.

External links

• www.palmeralaska.net -- PalmerAlaska.Net
• www.cityofpalmer.org -- City of Palmer website
• www.palmerchamber.org -- Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce
• www.palmermuseum.org -- Palmer Museum of History and Art
• Palmer, Alaska at the Open Directory Project
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