Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough
Borough
Location within the U.S. state of Alaska
Alaska's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 60°25′00″N 151°15′00″W
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Founded	1960
Seat	Soldotna
Area
• Total	16,013 sq mi (41,470 km2)
• Water	8,741 sq mi (22,640 km2)  35.31%
Population  (2000)
• Total	49,691
• Density	3/sq mi (1/km2)
Website	www.borough.kenai.ak.us

Kenai Peninsula Borough is a borough of the U.S. state of Alaska with a population of 49,691 as of the 2000 census. The borough seat is Soldotna, its third-largest incorporated community. Its two largest cities are Kenai and Homer. The borough includes the Kenai Peninsula and adjacent areas of the mainland of Alaska.

Geography

The borough has a total area of 24,800 square miles (64,231.7 km²), of which 16,000 square miles (41,439.8 km²) is land and 8,700 square miles (22,532.9 km²) is water. The total area is 35% water.

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

• Bethel Census Area, Alaska - northwest
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska - north
• Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska - north
• Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska - east
• Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska - west
• Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska - south

National protected areas

• Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (part of Gulf of Alaska unit)
  • Chiswell Islands
  • Tuxedni Wilderness
• Chugach National Forest (part)
• Katmai National Park and Preserve (part)
  • Katmai Wilderness (part)
• Kenai Fjords National Park
• Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
  • Kenai Wilderness
• Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (part)
  • Lake Clark Wilderness (part)

Ecology

Bear Lake, and the Trail Lakes, have been the site of salmon enhancement activities. Both sites are managed by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association Some of the fish hatched at these facilities are released into the famous Homer fishing hole. Cook Inlet Keeper and the Cook Inlet Regional Citizen's Advisory Council are groups that attempt to influence public policy on the use of the areas resources.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	9,053		—
1970	13,500		49.1%
1980	25,282		87.3%
1990	40,802		61.4%
2000	49,691		21.8%
source:

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 49,700 people, 18,400 households, and 12,700 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1/km² (3/sq mi). There were 24,900 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 86% white, 7% Native American, 2% Hispanic or Latino (any race), and 4% from two or more races. Black or African Americans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders each were less than 1 % of the population. Just under 1% were from other races combined. 1.92% reported speaking Russian at home, while 1.74% speak Spanish [1].

There were 18,400 households out of which 38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55% were married couples living together, 9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31% were non-families. 25% of all households were made up of individuals and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.2.

In the borough the population was spread out with 30% under the age of 18, 7% from 18 to 24, 30% from 25 to 44, 26% from 45 to 64, and 7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 109 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 110 males.

Government and infrastructure

There is a Borough-wide government based in Soldotna, consisting of a mayor and an assembly of representatives from all areas of the Borough. They collect sales and property taxes and provide services such as road maintenance and waste collection facilities, along with mitigation of damage from spruce bark beetles that infested the Borough in the late 1990's and early 200's. Incorporated towns also have their own local governments and city councils. The Alaska Department of Corrections operates the Spring Creek Correctional Center near Seward and the Wildwood Correctional Complex near Kenai.

Cities and towns

Homer Kachemak Kenai Seldovia Seward

Soldotna

Census-designated places

Anchor Point Clam Gulch Cohoe Cooper Landing Crown Point Fox River Fritz Creek Halibut Cove Happy Valley Hope

Kalifornsky Kasilof Moose Pass Nikiski Nikolaevsk Ninilchik Port Graham Primrose Ridgeway Salamatof

Sterling Tyonek

Census designated places after 1990

Bear Creek Beluga Diamond Ridge Funny River Lowell Point

Miller Landing Nanwalek Seldovia Village Sunrise

Unincorporated communities

Kachemak Selo Razdolna Voznesenka

See also

Kenai Peninsula Borough 2006 Arctic Winter Games

• List of airports in the Kenai Peninsula Borough

References

1960 population based on larger present boundaries by combining smaller kenai borough that had 6097 people with the 2956 people in the short lived seward borough for total of 9053 people in 1960.

External links

• Template:Dmoz
• Borough map: Alaska Department of Labor