South Lakes, Alaska

Lakes was a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It was split in two CDPs for 2020 Census purposes: North Lakes and South Lakes. The area is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census the population was 8,364, up from 6,706 in 2000.

North Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census, after the split of the former CDP of Lakes. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Finger Lake is a lake in Wasilla, Alaska. It is not technically a finger lake, but was named so by Captain Edward Glenn, who led an army expedition to Alaska in 1898 and felt that "when viewing the lake on a map, a point of land in the lake gives the impression of a finger." The lake has populations of Rainbow Trout, Arctic Char and Arctic Grayling and is a popular fishing spot, including ice fishing in winter. The lake is at the south end of the Seven-mile canoe trail that ends at Wasilla Lake, the only portage is at the north end of Finger Lake.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is a 125-bed general hospital in the U.S. state of Alaska. The hospital is owned by Community Health Systems (CHS). Located in the Gateway census-designated place, between Palmer and Wasilla, it is the principal hospital for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Owing to its location a short distance from the interchange of the Glenn and Parks Highways, Mat-Su Regional (along with the hospital on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for those eligible to receive care there) serves as a principal hospital for many of the Glenn Highway communities in northern Anchorage, such as Chugiak, Eagle River, Eklutna and Peters Creek. Built at a cost of $87,700,000 to replace the aging Valley Hospital in downtown Palmer, construction on the hospital began in spring 2004. The hospital opened on January 27, 2006. The three-story, 197,690 square feet (18,366 m2) facility contains fifty medical/surgical beds and eight each of intensive care, progressive care, and obstetric beds, all in private rooms. There are four operating rooms, plus a fifth designated for Caesarean sections. The unfinished third floor provides room for a sixth operating room and 52 more general beds. Mat-Su Regional also operates a large outpatient clinic on the edge of downtown Wasilla, next to Wasilla High School (61°35′10.6″N 149°25′33.8″W). In 2008, Sarah Palin, then the governor of Alaska (and future Republican vice-presidential nominee), gave birth to her son Trig at Mat-Su Regional.

Gateway is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,748 at the 2020 census, up from 5,552 in 2010. Gateway is the fifth-most populated CDP in the borough.

Wolf Lake Airport (FAA LID: 4AK6) is a privately owned, publicly used airport located in Palmer, Alaska. The airport is located between Palmer and Wasilla. The airport was founded in 1982 by Maurice Wilson. The current owner, Barb Doty, took over the airport in 1997 with John Eshleman. The airport is managed by D. E. NorthFork LLC. Wolf Lake airport has two runways: one is paved, with a length of 3,800 feet, and the second, gravel cross runway is 2,600 feet in length.Wolf Lake Airport is a mixed-use community, with both residential and commercial-aviation operators.

The Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge is located in Alaska, south of Wasilla and north of Anchorage. It is composed of 28,800 acres (11,655 ha; 45 sq mi) of coastal marshy areas adjacent to Knik Arm that support populations of moose, muskrat, foxes, coyotes, eagles, and migratory waterfowl. In springtime, tens of thousands of migratory geese, swans, shoebirds, and ducks rest and refuel. Many of these stay in the summer. The Knik River, the Matanuska River, Rabbit Slough, Wasilla Creek, Cottonwood Creek, and Spring Creek flow through it.It is a popular location for hunting, skiing, iceskating, and hiking, and other uses. It is bisected by the Glenn Highway. It can be accessed at Rabbit Slough, from the Glenn Highway, Nelson Road, Scout Ridge and other locations.

Matanuska–Susitna College in Palmer, Alaska, north of Anchorage, is part of the University of Alaska Anchorage system. The college began in 1958 as Palmer Community College, changing its name in 1963 to correspond to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough where it is located. It is commonly called Mat-Su College. Total enrollment is about 1,100 students per semester. Dr. Marie Gardner will start as the college director in October of 2023. The college is located at 8295 E College Dr. Palmer Alaska.

Wasilla Lake is a lake in Wasilla, Alaska, named by workers constructing the Alaska Railroad after a nearby creek named Wasilla Creek. The lake shore is the site of a city park, Newcomb Park. It is the northern terminus of the Seven-Mile Canoe Trail, the other end being at Finger Lake. Outside of the park areas most of the shoreline is private property. The lake has a stable population of rainbow trout and fishing is considered good for bank, boat, and ice fishing.

The Matanuska River (Dena'ina: Ch'atanhtnu; Ahtna: Ts'itonhna’) is a 75-mile (121 km) long river in Southcentral Alaska, United States. The river drains a broad valley south of the Alaska Range eponymously known as the Matanuska Valley.

Colony High School (CHS) is a public secondary school in Palmer, Alaska, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. It is part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Colony High School's rivals include Wasilla High School and Palmer High School.

Fishhook is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census the population was 5,048, up from 4,679 in 2010.