Matanuska Valley

Rich agricultural region in south-central Alaska, extending for 80 km/50 mi along the lower Matanuska River, northeast of the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet.

Lying between the Talkeetna and Chugach mountain ranges, the Matanuska Valley (together with the Susitna River valley to the northwest) is a major producer of grains, root vegetables, and dairy goods. Outsized cabbages and strawberries can be grown here in the long summer daylight hours. The valley is surrounded by birch, spruce, and poplar forests, and the Matanuska Glacier is situated just to the east. The main valley settlements are at Palmer and Wasilla (population (1990) 4,000), which is administratively part of Matanuska-Susitna Borough. In 1935, during the Great Depression, the federal government provided loans and assistance for 200 rural families from the Midwest to resettle in the valley; many of their descendants still live in and around Palmer.