BIG LAKE, ALASKA

The community of Big Lake, Alaska, sits along the shore of Big Lake, a boating and fishing recreation area that is extremely popular during summer months.

Big Lake, with a population of about 2,700, is west of Wasilla off the Parks Highway in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Big Lake residents were hit by Alaska's most destructive wildfire in June 1996. It destroyed more than 400 structures in the Big Lake and Houston areas and burned about 37,000 acres. Still, numerous Anchorage residents own vacation and weekend homes there.

Most year-round Big Lake residents work in Palmer or Wasilla or at Big Lake businesses. Several lodges support summer recreational boating and fishing. Residents pay property taxes. Two public schools are located in the area.

History

The name was obtained in 1958 by the U.S. Geological Survey; the community was established in the late 1950s.

Source: Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development