Wasilla is a small city in South Central Alaska. It is the largest city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 5,469. The 2004 census gives the city a population of 7,738.
The history of Wasilla begins with the history of Knik (see Knik River, Alaska), the first boom town in the Mat-Su Valley which, by 1915, boasted a population of 500. The town served the early trappers and miners working the gold fields at Cache Creek and Willow Creek.
Wasilla was established in 1917 with the construction of the Alaska Railroad. Wasilla's proximity to the gold fields and railroad service lured Knik residents to relocate in the new town ---some of them even dragging their homes and businesses with them. In a few short years, Knik became a ghost town. The current townsite was established in 1917 at the intersection of the Knik-Willow mining trail and the newly constructed Alaska Railroad. It was a supply base for gold, notably at Hatcher Pass, and coal mining in the region through World War II.
The town of Wasilla was incorporated in 1974.
In 1994 a statewide ballot initiative to move the capital of Alaska to Wasilla was defeated 96,398 to 116,277.
Source:
WasillaAlaska.com
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