Palmer, Alaska
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Palmer is a city located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 4,533.
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Geography
AKMap-doton-Palmer.PNG
Location of Palmer, Alaska
Palmer is located at 61°36'7" North, 149°7'2" West (61.601879, -149.117351)Template:GR.
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). 9.7 km² (3.8 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 4,533 people, 1,472 households, and 1,058 families residing in the city. The population density is 465.5/km² (1,206.3/mi²). There are 1,555 housing units at an average density of 159.7/km² (413.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,472 households out of which 47.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% are married couples living together, 16.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% are non-families. 23.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.81 and the average family size is 3.29.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $45,571, and the median income for a family is $53,164. Males have a median income of $44,716 versus $25,221 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,203. 12.7% of the population and 6.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.6% of those under the age of 18 and 4.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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 people live in Palmer and work in Anchorage.
| Regions of Alaska | Missing image Alaska_state_flag.png Flag of Alaska |
|---|---|
| Alaskan Bush | Interior | North Slope | Panhandle | South Central | Tanana Valley | |
| Largest cities | |
| Anchorage | Barrow | Bethel | Fairbanks | Homer | Juneau | Kenai | Ketchikan | Kodiak | Kotzebue | Nome | Palmer | Petersburg | Seward | Sitka | Unalaska | Valdez | Wasilla | |
| Boroughs and census areas | |
| Aleutians East | Aleutians West | Anchorage | Bethel | Bristol Bay | Denali | Dillingham | Fairbanks North Star | Haines | Juneau | Kenai Peninsula | Ketchikan Gateway | Kodiak Island | Lake and Peninsula | Matanuska-Susitna | Nome | North Slope | Northwest Arctic | Prince of Wales - Outer Ketchikan | Sitka | Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon | Southeast Fairbanks | Valdez-Cordova | Wade Hampton | Wrangell-Petersburg | Yakutat | Yukon-Koyukuk |