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Alaska Boroughs

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Alaska Boroughs

The U.S. state of Alaska is not divided into counties, as are 48 other states, but it is divided into boroughs (Louisiana is divided into parishes). Many of the more densely populated parts of the state are part of Alaska's sixteen boroughs, which function somewhat similarly to counties in other states.

Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Soldotna
Year Organized: 1964
Square Miles: 16,079

Court House:

144 North Binkley Street
Soldotna, AK 99669-7520

Etymology - Origin of Borough Name

The name Kenai is probably derived from Kenayskaya, the Russian name for the Cook Inlet. Kenai Peninsula Borough is comprised of the Kenai Peninsula, Cook Inlet and a large unpopulated area northeast of the Alaska Peninsula.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History of Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

The City of Kenai was founded around 1791 as a Russian fur trading post. In the early 1900's cannery operations and building of the railroad spurred development. It was the site of the first major Alaska oil strike, around 1957, and has been a center for exploration and production since that time. The Borough was formed in 1964.

The name Kenai is probably derived from Kenayskaya, the Russian name for the Cook Inlet. Kenai Peninsula Borough is comprised of the Kenai Peninsula, Cook Inlet and a large unpopulated area northeast of the Alaska Peninsula. The Borough includes portions of the Chugach National Forest, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, The Kenai Fjords National Park, and portions of the Lake Clark and Katmai National Park.

The glacier-covered Kenai Mountains (7,000 ft/2,130 m) and runs along the southeast spine of the peninsula along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska. Much of the range is within Kenai Fjords National Park. The northwest coast along the Cook Inlet is flatter and marshy, dotted with numerous small lakes. Several larger lakes extend through the interior of the peninsula, including Skilak Lake and Tustumena Lake. Rivers include the Kenai River, famous for its salmon population, as well as the Russian River, the Kasilof River, and Anchor River. Kachemak Bay, a small inlet off the larger Cook Inlet, extends into the peninsula's southwest end.

The peninsula includes several of the larger towns in southern Alaska, including Seward on the Gulf of Alaska Coast, Kenai along the Cook Inlet, and Homer, along Kachemak Bay in the south. Homer famously marks a terminus of the paved highway system of North America and is a popular destination for vehicle travelers who have driven to Alaska from the lower 48 states. Seward is the southern terminus of the Alaska Railroad.

The peninsula has a coastal climate that is mild, with abundant rainfall. It is one of the few areas in Alaska that allows for agriculture, with a growing season adequate for many crops. The peninsula also has natural gas, petroleum, coal deposits, and abundant commercial and personal use fisheries. Tourism is a major industry.

The twin Cities of Kenai and Soldotna are the population centers of the Borough, approximately 65 air miles south of Anchorage. It lies at approximately 60° 33' N Latitude, 151° 16' W Longitude . The community is located in the Kenai, Seward, Homer, Seldovia Recording District. The area encompasses 16,079 sq. miles of land and 5,585 sq. miles of water. The Kenaitze Indians (Dena'ina) have occupied the Peninsula historically

Neighboring Boroughs:

Bethel Census Area, Alaska - northwest
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska - north
Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska - north
Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Alaska - east
Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska - west

Cities and Towns:

- Homer	city	Incorporated Area
- Kachemak	city	Incorporated Area
- Kenai	city	Incorporated Area
- Seldovia	city	Incorporated Area
- Seward	city	Incorporated Area
- Soldotna (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area

Borough Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."