What is Matanuska-Susitna Valley?
[[File:Matanuska-Susitna Valley.jpg|300px|right|thumb|'''Matanuska-Susitna Valley''' shown shaded in red north of Anchorage, Alaska]] '''Matanuska-Susitna Valley''' (known locally as '''the Mat-Su''' or '''The Valley''') is an area in [[Southcentral Alaska]]. It is south of the [[Alaska Range]] about {{convert|25|mi|km}} from [[Anchorage, Alaska]]. It includes the valleys of the Matanuska River, the Knik River, and the Susitna River. The Matanuska Valley has become a [[suburb]]an community for many people who work in Anchorage. It is now one of the most crowded areas in [[Alaska]] and includes the towns of [[Palmer, Alaska|Palmer]], [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]], [[Big Lake, Alaska|Big Lake]], [[Houston, Alaska|Houston]], [[Willow, Alaska|Willow]] and [[Talkeetna, Alaska|Talkeetna]]. There are three mountain ranges in the area. They are the [[Alaska Range]], the [[Talkeetna Mountains]] and the [[Chugach Mountains]]. There are both working and old [[gold]] [[mining|mine]]s in the mountains. Like many parts of [[Alaska]], the Matanuska-Susitna Valley was carved by [[glacier]]s which left many lakes. Both the Matanuska and Susitna Rivers have lots of [[salmon]]. The [[local government]] is called the ''[[Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska|Matanuska-Susitna Borough]].'' Most of the United States is divided into [[county|counties]], while Alaska is divided into [[:en:List_of_boroughs_and_census_areas_in_Alaska|boroughs and census areas]]. A few hundred [[Alaska Natives]] were joined by small numbers of [[wikt:sourdough|Alaska sourdoughs]] between 1900 and 1930 when hundreds of American settlers were moved there by the [[United States Federal Government]] in the early 1930s. [[Image:Matanuska Glacier (js).jpg|450px|left|thumb|Matanuska Glacier]] The three rivers in the area have large amounts of glacial [[silt]] that is good for farming. The valley is one of the few areas in [[Alaska]] which supports large scale agriculture. ==Other websites== *[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02000lk.html Alaska Censu