“I think really, since the 1960s or even before that, it has just been growth, growth, growth, growth—with maybe a little lull in the ’80s,” says Matanuska-Susitna Borough Planning Director Alex Strawn. “Generally speaking, growth is all that we know out here in the Valley, and we have no indication that it’s going to slow down anytime soon.”
The number of stories written over the past forty years featuring some version of “Mat-Su is Alaska’s Fastest-Growing Community” could fill a book. However, with the abundance of buildable land, a strong economy, and proximity to Anchorage for higher-paying jobs, shopping, and more, the trend isn’t likely to stop.
Housing: Growing, but Slower
The growth for Mat-Su has come fast and held steady. Between Wasilla and the borough seat, Palmer, connector roads are almost unrecognizable from forty years ago. Transformed from forest, occasional plots of farmland, and some scattered development, now the eleven-mile Palmer-Wasilla Highway—the primary connection between the two cities—is lined with commercial development, with more open space filling in each year.
Farther back from the highway, subdivisions line the route. Aerial comparisons between the ‘80s and now show a shocking density of development. While much of Alaska is experiencing a housing crunch with not enough new homes being built to keep up with demand, Mat-Su is continuing to build, build, build. In 2024, the borough saw 768 single-family homes constructed, the most since the 799 built in 2018…