1. Established at the intersection of the Alaska Railroad and Old Carle Wagon Road, the city prospered at the expense of the nearby mining town of Knik. Historically entrepreneurial, the economic base shifted in the 1970s from small-scale agriculture and recreation to support for workers employed in Anchorage or on Alaska's North Slope oilfields and related infrastructure. The George Parks Highway turned the town into a commuter suburb of Anchorage. Several state and federal agencies have offices in Wasilla, including the Alaska Departments of Environmental Conservation, Labor and Divisions of Public Assistance, Social Services.
   
   
2. Wasilla gained international attention when Sarah Palin, who served as Wasilla's mayor before her election as Governor of Alaska, was chosen by John McCain as his vice-presidential running mate in the 2008 United States presidential election. Wasilla is named after Chief Wasilla, a local Dena'ina chief. "Wasilla" is the anglicized spelling of the chief's Russian-given name, Vasilij, which corresponds to the English name Basil.
   
   
3. Wasilla began as a transportation logistics & trade center serving natural resource extraction (mining, trapping & timber) followed by small-scale agricultural activity circa 1935; around 1975, construction of the Parks Highway substantially reduced travel time to Anchorage, encouraging the transition to a satellite bedroom community where workers commute to Anchorage for employment. Local service employment has increased in recent years.
   
   
4. About 35 percent of the Wasilla workforce commutes to Anchorage. The local economy is diverse, and residents are employed in a variety of city, borough, state, federal, retail and professional service positions. Tourism, agriculture, wood products, steel, and concrete products are part of the economy. One hundred and twenty area residents hold commercial fishing permits; commercial fishermen work seasonally in Lower Cook Inlet and distant Bristol Bay or the Gulf of Alaska & Prince William Sound (there are no commercial fisheries in Upper Cook Inlet).
   
   
5. The median income for a household in the city was $48,226, and the median income for a family was $53,792.
   
   

By Race

White

Black

Native American

Asian

Hispanic

Total Population

85.46%

0.59%

5.25%

1.32%

3.68%

Because Hispanics could be counted in other races, the totals above could possibly be more than 100%. If you would like a detailed listing of all ethnic groups in the U.S., please Click Here.

A small percentage of the businesses listed on BlackCityInfo.com may not necessarily be black owned and operated but have received favorable reviews from users who have visited the establishment, or from the owners themselves who warmly seek out African American patronage.

BEAUTY CARE - BLACK HAIR SALONS - MULTICULTURAL

1. Ebony & Ivory Beauty Supply -  Category: Beauty Supply -   391 East Parks Wasilla, AK (907) 357-4360
   
   
2. Ebony & Ivory Hair Salon -  Category: Beauty Salons -   Parks & Main Wasilla, AK 99654 (907) 373-3322
   
   

DINING - CATERING

1. KFC -  Category: Southern - Fast Food -   1761 E Palmer Wasilla Hwy, Wasilla , Alaska 99654 (907) 376-8089
   
   

Can Smokey Find the 32 Black People In Wasilla, Alaska?

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