The Dena'ina Athabascan people lived in this valley long before the railroad. Wasilla itself was born in 1917, when the new Alaska Railroad pushed north and a townsite was platted and auctioned beside the line — a supply stop for the homesteaders and miners of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Early traders like O. G. Herning had worked the Knik country before the tracks arrived, and the railroad turned the crossing into a town.
The modern sled-dog race made its first full run to Nome in 1973, and Wasilla became its institutional home — the valley town most tied to the long trail north. Wasilla was incorporated as a city in 1974, and as Anchorage grew, the Mat-Su became Alaska's fastest-growing region, with Wasilla its valley hub on the George Parks Highway between the city and Denali.
Why People Visit Wasilla
Wasilla balances Alaska heritage with easygoing valley life — lakeside walks, broad mountain scenery, and the deep history of the long trail north. It's accessible, relaxed, and a practical base for exploring the Mat-Su Valley and Southcentral Alaska.
