Southcentral Community: Palmer
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Palmer grew out of the Great Depression when some 200 farming families were transplanted in 1935 as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal relief program. Though many failed, Palmer eventually grew into a strong farming community, with many descendents from the original families still living in the community today. The farms of the Matanuska Valley grow the 60-pound cabbages and seven-pound turnips as a result of the midnight sun that shines up to 20 hours a day during the summer.
Stop at the Palmer Visitor Center, a rustic log cabin near Fireweed Avenue and South Valley Way in the center of town. The center has a small museum in the basement with relics from its colony era. Outside is a picnic area and the Matanuska Valley Agricultural Showcase, a garden of flowers and the area's famous oversized vegetables. Late July to the end of August is when you will see cabbages the size of basketballs and radishes that look like red softballs.
The biggest attraction is the annual Alaska State Fair, held the last week of August. But even if you are not here when the fair is, the Alaska State Fairgrounds are still the site of a number of events and the home of Colony Village, which began in 1975 as a Bicentennial project. The village attempts to preserve buildings from the area's colony days of the late 1930s. Of the five buildings, four were part of the original Matanuska Valley Colony and include two houses, a barn and a church.
A drive around the back roads of the Palmer area and past the farms makes for an interesting afternoon. Farm Loop Road provides views of a few of the colony farms that survived including original barns. Keep an eye out for vegetable stands for a sampling of Matanuska Valley's freshest and finest faire.
About 8 miles out of Palmer is the Reindeer Farm. You can view and photograph the Lapland animals as they graze of join a tour. Five miles from town is the Musk Ox Farm, where you can see the only domestic herd of these prehistoric beasts in the world. Tours allow you to view and photograph more than 100 shaggy musk oxen while the guide explains how their qiviut (down hair) is combed and woven into the world's most rare cloth. A gift shop displays and sells the finished products.
Palmer is central to several day trips possibilities. Hatcher Pass Road leads to scenic Hatcher Pass and Independence Mine State Historical Park. The Hatcher Pass area is an alpine paradise filled with panoramas of the Talkeetna Mountains, foot trails, gold mine artifacts and several state recreation areas. Independence Mine consists of a fascinating 272-acres featuring the remains of 16 buildings that were built in the 1930s by the Alaska-Pacific Mining Company. The Matanuska Glacier is also an hour away and features one of the few glaciers you can drive to and explore on foot.
In town, the Palmer Golf Course has 18 holes and all the amenities in a spectacular setting. The Mat-Su Miners, in the Alaska Baseball League, provide good, old-fashioned fun on long summer nights. Boating, water skiing and other water sports are enjoyed at area lakes. The rivers and lakes around Palmer also provide splendid fishing.
A number of hiking trails in the area are popular. The best hike near town is the climb to the top of Lazy Mountain, elevation 3,720 feet. The 2.5-mile trail is steep at times, but makes for a pleasant trek that ends in an alpine setting with grand views of the Matanuska Valley and its farms below.
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Photo By: Frank Flavin
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Farm fields in Palmer
Population: 5,382
Location: Palmer is located in the center of the Matanuska Valley, 42 miles northeast of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway.
Access: By road via the Glenn Highway; Mat-Su Transit connects Palmer, Wasilla, Eagle River and Anchorage; raid service between Anchorage and Palmer during the Alaska State Fair.
Accommodations: 7 hotels/motels, 8 bed and breakfasts, 2 lodges, 2 cabins, 5 campgrounds, all services.