(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Palmer Alaska is the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough of
Alaska and is located 68 km (42 miles) northeast of Anchorage on the Glenn
Highway. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 6,920.
History
Palmer began in 1916 as a railway station on the Matanuska branch of the Alaska
Railroad. In 1935, during the Great Depression, the Federal Emergency Relief
Administration, one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal projects,
established the Matanuska Colony. From Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 203
families traveled by train and ship to reach the fledgling colony, arriving in
the summer of 1935. Upon their arrival they were housed in a tent city during
their first Alaskan summer. Each family drew lots for 40 acre tracts and their
farming adventure began in earnest. The failure rate was high, but many of their
descendants still live in the area. While the colonists had varying degrees of
success with farming, Palmer is the only Alaskan Community that developed from
an agricultural lifestyle. In addition to an agrarian heritage, the colony
families brought with them small town values, institutional structures, and a
well planned city center. Many of the structures built are now in a nationally
recognized historic district. Construction of the statewide road system and the
rapid development of Anchorage has fueled growth around Palmer. Many Palmer
residents commute to work in Anchorage.
Points of Interest
Palmer is most noted in Alaska as the location of the annual Alaska State Fair,
an event in the early fall known for its record-setting giant cabbages, among
other attractions.
Palmer hosts an historic log cabin Visitor Center in the heart of downtown that
entertains more than 35,000 visitors each year. The visitor center has a two
acre showcase garden and lawn that is the "perfect place to have a picnic." The
Palmer Museum of History and Art is located in the Visitor Center and offers
visitors chance to view artifacts from Palmer's history and learn about how the
town came to be.
A couple of blocks away from the visitor center is the United Protestant Church.
It was built in 1936-37 and is one of the historically registered original
colonial buildings in Palmer.
Approximately 30 percent of the Palmer workforce commutes to Anchorage Alaska.
Palmer News
Gardening camaraderie flourishes at the fairgrounds Saturday went well at the Garden and Art Festival at the fairgrounds in Palmer. Had lots of visitors and talked up the blog and the garden section till I lost my voice (literally).
