ZIP Code 99669

Soldotna is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,342, up from 4,163 in 2010. The city is located at the junction of two major highways. It is located on the western edge of the vast Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, home to bears, moose, caribou, sheep, and many fish and bird species. In 2016, Soldotna was granted home rule by the Alaska Legislature. The Kenai River Campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage is located in the city. The headquarters of the Kenae Peninsula College, the Kenay Peninsula Borough government, and the Ken Kai Peninsula Borough School District are also located in soldotna. It was first incorporated as an unincorporated village in the 1960s and formally incorporated in 1967. In 1960, it was incorporated as a fourth class city with a population of 332 and an area of 7.4 square miles (4,723.4 acres) It was recognized as a first class city seven years later, in 1967, when it was granted first class status. It has a moderate dry-summer subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dscsc) due to cool summers, though the diurnal temperature variation is larger than most locations in the region. The area lies in the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4, indicating an average annual minimum in the 30 to 30 °F (29 to 34 °C) range.

History

In 1947, after World War II, the U.S. government withdrew a number of townships along Cook Inlet and the lower Kenai River from the Kenai National Moose Range. This opened up the area to settlement under the Homestead Act. Oil was discovered in the Swanson River region in 1957, bringing new economic development to the area. In 1960, Soldotna was incorporated as a fourth class city with a population of 332 and an area of 7.4 square miles (4,723.4 acres) In 1967, it was recognized as a first class city. The city experienced rapid population growth in the 1960s through the 1990s as a result of its location at the intersection of two major highways. As the city and the oil industry have matured, population growth has somewhat slowed, although the city experienced more growth from 2000-2010 than during the previous decade. In 2016, the city was granted home rule by the state of Alaska, and in 2017, it became the first Alaska city to do so. It is located at an intersection of the Sterling Highway, which runs from Kenai to Kodiak, and the Alaska Turnpike, which goes from Kodiak to Wasilla. The Sterling Highway was built in the 1950s and 1960s, and was the site of the bridge that crosses theKenai River. The Kenai Peninsula Borough government was formed in 1964, and it is based on the Kenaia Peninsula Borough School District, which was established in 1965.

Geography

Soldotna is located at 60°2912N 151°431W (60.486617, 151.075373), on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. It is named after nearby Soldotna Creek. The city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19 km²), of which 6.9 sq miles (18 km²) is land and 0.5sq miles (1.3km²) of it (6.34%) is water. The area lies in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4, indicating an average annual minimum in the 20 to 30 °F (29 to 34 °C) range. It has a moderate dry-summer subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsc) due to the cool summers, though the diurnal temperature variation is larger than most locations in the region. Winters are snowy, long but not particularly cold, especially considering the latitude, with January featuring a daily average temperature of 13.4 °F (10.3 °C). There are 46 nights of sub-0 °C (18 °F) lows annually, and the area is in USDA plant hardiness zone 4. There are multiple theories explaining the origin of the word "soldotna"; these include the variant "Soldatna", which was the prevalent spelling of the community's name during the 1950s and 1960s. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the city's population to be 6,000.

Demographics

Soldotna first appeared on the 1960 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1967. As of the 2010 US Census, there were 4,163 people residing in 1,720 households. The age distribution of the population shows 26 percent under the age of 18 and 13 percent age 65 or older. The 2012 estimated median income for a household in the city was $44,805. About 3 percent of families and 6.1 percent of the city's population were below the poverty line, including 2.9 percent of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 and over. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 34.6 years and the population density was 563 people per square mile. The racial makeup of theCity was 86 percent White, 0.3 percent Black or African American, 4.3 per cent Native American, 1.6 per cent Asian and 0.8 per cent Pacific Islander. Hispanic or Latino residents of all races comprised 3.9 per cent of the City's population. The city's median income was $56,208. The per capita income for the City was $30,553. It is the only city in the state with a population of more than 4,000 people in the U.N. Census Bureau's definition of a "census city" is a city with more than 1,000 residents.

Education

Soldotna is home to the Kenai Peninsula Colleges (KPC) Kenai River Campus, a division of the University of Alaska Anchorage. Public elementary schools include Soldotna Elementary, Redoubt Elementary, and Kalifornsky Beach Elementary. Skyview Middle School serves all students in grades 78, as well as students from Sterling Elementary and Tustumena Elementary outside the city's boundaries. Alaska Christian College offers an associate degree in Christian ministry and in paraprofessional education. The Amundsen Educational Center is a non-profit educational and vocational training school located on the eastern edge of the city. There are also a number of private schools in the city, such as Alaska Christian Church and Alaska Christian University. The city is located on a peninsula in the Alaska Peninsula, which is part of the Alaska Coastline region of the state. It is located between Anchorage and Kodiak, the state's largest city, and the town's largest airport, Kodiak International Airport, which has a population of 3,000. The town is located in the Kenia Peninsula Borough District (KPBSD) school board, which administers the local public school system. It also has its own private school, Alaska Christian School, which offers a variety of programs in the arts, science, technology, and medicine. The village is also the site of the Alaskan National Guard, the Alaska Army Corps of Engineers, and Alaska National Guard Air Station. The Alaskans are known as the "Alaskans" because of their large number of Native Americans.

Arts and culture

The Kenai Watershed Forum (KWF) works to maintain the health of the watersheds on the Kenai Peninsula. The Joyce K. Carver Memorial Library on Binkley Street was remodeled in 2013, providing media resources to the greater Soldotna community. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge consists of 1.92 million acres in a variety of ecosystems including ice fields and glaciers, mountain tundra, northern boreal forests, and lakes, wetlands and rivers. The Chickaloon River Flats remains the last pristine major saltwater estuary on theKenai Peninsula and attracts thousands of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds annually. The Refuge is also home to brown and black bears, dall sheep, moose, and caribou. The refuge Visitor's Center is located on Ski Hill Road close to the intersection of Funny River Road and the Sterling Highway. The Homestead Museum is a collection of early structures including the original Slikok Valley School and examples of homestead cabins. The museum also houses Alaska Native artifacts. The library offers six desktop computers and two laptops for public access and free Wi-Fi for anyone with wireless enabled devices. It is located in the historic Ralph Soberg House inside soldotna Creek Park. The KWF's programs include Stream Watch, which trains volunteers to protect the Russian and Kenai Rivers; a summer camp for 6-12 year olds; and environmental restoration projects ranging from invasive plant remediation to riverbed reconstruction to culvert reconfiguration.

Transportation

The Sterling Highway runs through and connects the eastern and central portions of the city. The western portions of Soldotna are connected by local roads (east of the Kenai River) and Kalifornsky Beach Road (west of the river) Public transit is offered through CARTS (Central Area Rural Transit System), an on-demand shuttle system serving the communities of Kenai, SoldotNA, Funny River, Kasilof, Nikiski, and Sterling. Two plane crashes associated with operations at the airport, one on February 4, 1985 involving a commuter flight from Anchorage and one on July 7, 2013 involving an air taxi flight, resulted in the deaths of all on-board (nine and ten fatalities, respectively). The city is home to the Central Peninsula Hospital, Central Peninsula College, and Soldotta High School. It is also home to Kenai National Wildlife Refuge headquarters and Funny River. The city's main airport is located in the southeastern corner of city limits, across theKenai River from the city center. It has an FAA LID and IATA: SXQ, ICAO: PASX, and is a city-owned, public use airport with a runway that can hold up to 40,000 passengers. The airport is open year-round, but does not have fixed routes, bus stops, or flagstops. It also does not operate like a conventional "city bus" there are no fixed routes and riders must arrange pickup by phone the day before.

Recreation and sports

The City of Soldotna operates eleven recreational parks and a memorial park. The city owns Arc Lake, located on the Sterling Highway just south of the city limits. The trail system contains over 25 kilometers (15 miles) of trails groomed for cross country skiing in the winter and open for hikers, runners, mountain bikers and leashed dogs when there is no snow. Les Anderson holds the record for the largest king salmon, caught here on May 17, 1985 and weighing in at 97 lb 4 oz. For 2012, king salmon were estimated at 5,173, while red salmon were Estimated at 1,581,555. The SoldotNA Regional Sports Complex is home to the Kenai River Brown Bears, a Tier II junior hockey team that plays in the North American Hockey League. The Kenai Watershed Forum is also located in the park at the historic Ralph Soberg House. They are rough estimates based on averages over a prolonged period. The city cemetery and columbarium is the city's only public cemetery and is open to the public. It is located on a former logging site on the outskirts of the town, near the town's downtown area.

Economy

Soldotna is home to the Kenai Peninsula Borough administration. The Central Peninsula Hospital is the largest medical facility on the peninsula with 49 beds. The Kenai River was selected by CNN Travel as one of the "World's 15 Best Rivers for Travelers," due to its fishing and hunting opportunities. The Donald E. Gilman River Center is a multi-agency permitting, information and education center on Funny River Road near the Soldotna municipal airport. The local grid is islanded after the 2019 Swan Lake Fire. A 46 MW two-hour grid battery started grid stability and peak power in January 2022. The city provides several city-owned, public access parks along theKenai River. The river contains all five Pacific salmon species, as well as other salmonids such as Dolly Varden and rainbow trout. It is also in close proximity to the. Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Tsalteshi Trails, and various waterways (the Kenai and Kasilof Rivers. and Slikok Creeks, and Skilak and Tustumena Lakes). The city is also home to several state parks, including the Alaska State Parks agency, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and the Kenae Watershed Forum. The town is located on the Alaska Peninsula, which is part of the Alaska Division of Game and Fish. It has a population of about 3,000. The population of the Kenaia Peninsula is about 2,000, making it the most populated peninsula in the state.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Soldotna, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska = 97. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 30. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 88. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Soldotna = 1.4 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 4,342 individuals with a median age of 35.9 age the population grows by 13.64% in Soldotna, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 624.30 residents per square mile of area (241.05/km²). There are average 2.45 people per household in the 1,725 households with an average household income of $61,269 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.00% of the available work force and has growths 2.80% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 34.60%. The number of physicians in Soldotna per 100,000 population = 157.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Soldotna = 19.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 61.2 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 122. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 134. 62 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 93, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Soldotna, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska which are owned by the occupant = 56.03%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 24 years with median home cost = $177,310 and home appreciation of -9.52%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.64 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,031 per student. There are 24.5 students for each teacher in the school, 553 students for each Librarian and 737 students for each Counselor. 6.13% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 9.54% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 6.02% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).