Anderson, Alaska

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Coordinates: 64°20′43″N 149°11′43″W / 64.34528, -149.19528
Anderson, Alaska
Location of Anderson, Alaska
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Borough	Denali
Area
- Total	47.3 sq mi (122.4 km²)
- Land	46.7 sq mi (121 km²)
- Water	0.5 sq mi (1.4 km²)
Elevation	515 ft (157 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	367
Time zone	Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
- Summer (DST)	AKDT (UTC-8)
Area code(s)	907
FIPS code	02-03220
GNIS feature ID	1398245

Anderson is a city in Denali Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 367. The city is named after one of the original homesteaders.

Anderson is immediately north of the Clear Air Force Station and is seventy-five miles southwest of Fairbanks.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Homesteading
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Geography

Anderson is located at 64°20′43″N, 149°11′43″W (64.345372, -149.195352)^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 47.3 square miles (122.4 km²), of which, 46.7 square miles (121.0 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (1.14%) is water.

Anderson lies 9 km (6 miles) west of the George Parks Highway, south of Nenana. 9 km (6 miles) south of Anderson is Clear Air Force Station, home of the 13th Space Warning Squadron (13SWS). Clear Air Force Station is located within the city boundaries.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 367 people, 101 households, and 74 families residing in the city. The population density was 7.9 people per square mile (3.0/km²). There were 148 housing units at an average density of 3.2/sq mi (1.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.38% White, 4.36% Black or African American, 1.36% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.82% from other races, and 6.81% from two or more races. 5.18% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 101 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 42.0% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 2.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 175.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 187.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $58,750, and the median income for a family was $62,188. Males had a median income of $31,641 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,837. About 15.6% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Anderson is named after Arthur Anderson, one of several homesteaders who settled in the area in the late 1950s. In 1959, Mr. Anderson subdivided his homestead into house lots and sold most of the lots to civilian workers from Clear Air Force Station, a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System completed in 1961. An elementary school was built in the community in 1961, and Anderson incorporated as a city in 1962.

In the 1960s, a road was completed between Anderson and Nenana, which gave access to Fairbanks. Vehicles were ferried across the Tanana River at Nenana until 1968, when a steel bridge was built there. In 1971 the George Parks Highway was constructed, which facilitated road access to Anchorage.

On the last weekend of every July, the town hosts the Anderson Bluegrass Festival, which lasts from Friday through Sunday.

[edit] Homesteading

In March of 2007, the city announced a plan to attract more residents: the awarding of free land to interested applicants.[1] This concept has been compared to that of the Homestead Act.