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.
The Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of the Municipality of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the south central region of Alaska.
As of the 2010 census, the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) had a population of 380,821. However, 2016 population estimates increase that number to more than 400,000. This is a census definition only, and many of the settlements considered within the metropolitan area are in fact quite distant from the city center and may be very small and isolated, for example Lake Louise is about 170 miles (270 km) from Anchorage proper and has fewer than 50 year-round residents.
Chugach State Park covers 495,204 acres (2,004 square kilometers) covering a hilly region immediately east of Anchorage, in south-central Alaska.
Established by legislation signed into law on August 6, 1970, by Alaska Governor Keith Miller, this state park was created to provide recreational opportunities, protect the scenic value of the Chugach Mountains and other geographic features, and ensure the safety of the water supply for Anchorage. The park, managed by Alaska State Parks, is the third-largest state park in the United States, and consists of geographically disparate areas each with different attractions and facilities. Only Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California and Wood-Tikchik State Park in western Alaska are larger. Though primarily in the Municipality of Anchorage, a small portion of the park north of the Eklutna Lake area in the vicinity of Pioneer Peak lies within the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.