Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. The borough is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area, along with the municipality of Anchorage on its south. The Mat-Su Borough is so designated because it contains the entire Matanuska and Susitna rivers. These rivers empty into Cook Inlet, which is the southern border of the Mat-Su Borough. This area is one of the few agricultural areas of Alaska. The borough seat is Palmer, and the largest city is Wasilla. As of the 2010 census, the population was 88,995. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 25,258 square miles (65,420 km2), of which 24,608 square miles (63,730 km2) is land and 650 square miles (1,700 km2) (2.6%) is water. As of the census of 2000, there were 59,322 people, 20,556 households, and 15,046 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 27,329 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 87.55% White, 0.69% Black or African American, 5.50% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 4.57% from two or more races. 2.50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 20,556 households out of which 42.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were non-families. 20.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.29.