Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its borough seat is Palmer, and the largest incorporated community is Wasilla. As of the 2020 census, the borough's population was 107,081.
The borough is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area, along with the municipality of Anchorage on its south.
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 398,328 in 2020, accounting for more than half the state's population. At 1,706 sq mi (4,420 km) of land area, the city is the fourth-largest by area in the U.S.
Anchorage is in Southcentral Alaska, at the terminus of the Cook Inlet, on a peninsula formed by the Knik Arm to the north and the Turnagain Arm to the south. First settled as a tent city near the mouth of Ship Creek in 1915 when construction on the Alaska Railroad began, Anchorage was incorporated as a city in November 1920. In September 1975, the City of Anchorage merged with the Greater Anchorage Area Borough, creating the Municipality of Anchorage. The municipal city limits span 1,961.1 sq mi (5,079.2 km), encompassing the urban core, a joint military base, several outlying communities, and almost all of Chugach State Park. Because of this, less than 10 percent of the Municipality (or Muni) is populated, with the highest concentration of people in the 100 square-mile area that makes up the city proper, on a promontory at the headwaters of the inlet, commonly called Anchorage, the City of Anchorage, or the Anchorage Bowl.
Lake Louise (Sasnuu’ Bene’ in Ahtna) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. Although it is an isolated settlement and is close to Glennallen, it is considered part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Area, like all other locations in the Mat-Su Borough. At the 2020 census the population was 15, down from 46 in 2010 and 88 in 2000.
The first recorded name of Lake Louise was Shosubenich, which means "great flat water with many islands". When Lieutenant Joseph Castner first arrived at the lake on August 6th 1898, he named it "Lake Adah" after a pretty girl he knew. However, when Captain Edwin Glenn arrived sometime later, he convinced Castner to change the name to "Lake Louise" in honor of his wife. The U.S. Army established a recreation facility at the lake towards the end of World War II and built the first road into the area. Lake Louise Road runs about 20 miles (32 km) from the Glenn Highway to the lake. There are still several dilapidated cabins at the "Army Point" campground, including one that was used for four days by General Dwight D. Eisenhower before he was president. The lake is home to the Lake Louise State Recreation Area.