Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
Location in the state of Alaska
Alaska's location in the U.S.
Incorporated	January 1, 1964[1][2]
Named for	Kenai Peninsula
Seat	Soldotna
Largest city	Kenai
Area
• Total	24,752 sq mi (64,107 km2)
• Land	16,075 sq mi (41,634 km2)
• Water	8,677 sq mi (22,473 km2), 35.1%
Population
• (2010)	55,400
• Density	3.4/sq mi (1/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Alaska: UTC-9/-8
Website	www.borough.kenai.ak.us

Kenai Peninsula Borough is a borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,400.^[3] The borough seat is Soldotna.^[4]

The borough includes the Kenai Peninsula and adjacent areas of the mainland of Alaska.

Geography

The borough has a total area of 24,752 square miles (64,110 km²), of which 16,075 square miles (41,630 km²) is land and 8,677 square miles (22,470 km²) (3.4%) is water.^[5]

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

• Bethel Census Area, Alaska - northwest
• Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska - north
• Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska - north
• Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska - east
• Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska - west
• Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska - south

National protected areas

• Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (part of Gulf of Alaska unit)
  • Chiswell Islands
  • Tuxedni Wilderness
• Chugach National Forest (part)
• Katmai National Park and Preserve (part)
  • Katmai Wilderness (part)
• Kenai Fjords National Park
• Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
  • Kenai Wilderness
• Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (part)
  • Lake Clark Wilderness (part)

Ecology

Bear Lake, and the Trail Lakes, have been the site of salmon enhancement activities. Both sites are managed by the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association^[6] Some of the fish hatched at these facilities are released into the famous Homer fishing hole. Cook Inlet Keeper and the Cook Inlet Regional Citizen's Advisory Council are groups that attempt to influence public policy on the use of the areas resources.

Demographics

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 49,700 people, 18,400 households, and 12,700 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1/km² (3/sq mi). There were 24,900 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 86% white, 7% Native American, 2% Hispanic or Latino (any race), and 4% from two or more races. Black or African Americans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders each were less than 1% of the population. Just under 1% were from other races combined. 1.92% reported speaking Russian at home, while 1.74% speak Spanish.^[13]

There were 18,400 households out of which 38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55% were married couples living together, 9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31% were non-families. 25% of all households were made up of individuals and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.2.

In the borough the population was spread out with 30% under the age of 18, 7% from 18 to 24, 30% from 25 to 44, 26% from 45 to 64, and 7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 109 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 110 males.

Government and infrastructure

There is a Borough-wide government based in Soldotna, consisting of a strong mayor and an assembly of representatives from all areas of the Borough. They collect sales and property taxes and provide services such as road maintenance, waste collection facilities, emergency services and major funding for public schools, along with mitigation of damage from spruce bark beetles that infested the Borough in the late 1990s and early 2000s.^[14] Incorporated towns also have their own local governments and city councils. The Alaska Department of Corrections operates the Spring Creek Correctional Center near Seward ^[15][16] and the Wildwood Correctional Complex near Kenai.

Communities

Cities

• Homer
• Kachemak
• Kenai
• Seldovia
• Seward
• Soldotna

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

• Jakolof Bay
• Kachemak Selo
• Razdolna
• Voznesenka

See also

• Kenai Peninsula Borough 2006 Arctic Winter Games
• Kalgin Island
• List of airports in the Kenai Peninsula Borough

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska.

• Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska at DMOZ
• Borough map, 2000 census: Alaska Department of Labor
• Borough map, 2010 census: Alaska Department of Labor

	Bethel Census Area	Matanuska-Susitna Borough and Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska
	Lake and Peninsula Borough		Valdez-Cordova Census Area
		Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
		Kodiak Island Borough

Municipalities and communities of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States Borough seat: Soldotna Cities Homer Kachemak Kenai Seldovia Seward Soldotna CDPs Anchor Point Bear Creek Beluga Clam Gulch Cohoe Cooper Landing Crown Point Diamond Ridge Fox River Fritz Creek Funny River Halibut Cove Happy Valley Hope Kalifornsky Kasilof Lowell Point Miller Landing Moose Pass Nanwalek Nikiski Nikolaevsk Ninilchik Point Possession Port Graham Primrose Ridgeway Salamatof Seldovia Village Sterling Sunrise Tyonek Unincorporated communities Jakolof Bay Kachemak Selo Lawing Razdolna Voznesenka

State of Alaska Juneau (capital) Topics Index Geography Climate Wildlife History People Transportation Government Delegations Music Visitor attractions Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Health (Rural dentistry) Politics Sports Regions Aleutian Islands Arctic The Bush Inside Passage Interior Kenai Peninsula Mat‑Su Valley North Slope Seward Peninsula Southcentral Southeast Southwest Tanana Valley Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta Largest cities Anchorage Badger Barrow Bethel Dillingham Fairbanks Homer Juneau Kenai Ketchikan Kodiak Kotzebue Nome Palmer Petersburg Seward Sitka Soldotna Unalaska (Dutch Harbor) Valdez Wasilla Boroughs Aleutians East Anchorage Bristol Bay Denali Fairbanks North Star Haines Juneau Kenai Peninsula Ketchikan Gateway Kodiak Island Lake and Peninsula Matanuska‑Susitna North Slope Northwest Arctic Petersburg Sitka Skagway Wrangell Yakutat Unorganized Census Areas Aleutians West Bethel Dillingham Hoonah–Angoon Kusilvak Nome Prince of Wales–Hyder Southeast Fairbanks Valdez–Cordova Yukon–Koyukuk

Coordinates: 60°25′N 151°15′W / 60.417°N 151.250°W / 60.417; -151.250