Soldotna is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough,
Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population
was 3,759. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 4,087.[1] It is the seat of the Kenai Peninsula
Borough.
Geography
Soldotna is located at 60°29′12″N, 151°4′31″W (60.486617,
-151.075373)1.
Soldotna is located on the banks of the Kenai River on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. It is named after nearby Soldotna Creek. There are three explanations of the
origin of the word Soldotna: one, that it is derived from soldat, the Russian word for soldier; two, that it
is derived from an Athabaskan word for "stream fork" and three, that it is derived
from Tseldatna, the Athabaskan name of an herb.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 19.2 km² (7.4 mi²). 18.0 km² (6.9 mi²) of it is
land and 1.2 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (6.34%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 3,759 people, 1,465 households, and 969 families residing in
the city. The population density was 209.1/km² (541.9/mi²). There were 1,670 housing
units at an average density of 92.9/km² (240.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.06% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 4.97% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.37% Pacific Islander, 1.28% from other races, and 3.30% from two or more races. 3.22% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,465 households out of which 39.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were
non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from
45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,420, and the median income for a family was $52,372. Males had a median
income of $43,162 versus $24,598 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$21,740. About 5.8% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
History
In 1947, after World War II, United States
government allowed settling of land on parts of the Kenai Peninsula under the Homestead
Act. Veterans of the United States armed services were given a 90-day preference over non-veterans in selecting land and
filing for property. Also in that year, the Sterling Highway right-of-way was cleared
of trees from Cooper Landing to Kenai. The
location of present-day Soldotna was selected as the site for the highway's bridge crossing the Kenai River.
The construction of the Sterling Highway provided a link from the Soldotna area to the outside world. More homesteads were
taken and visitors came to fish in the area. The Soldotna post office opened in 1949 and other businesses opened in the next few
years.
Oil was discovered in the Swanson River region in 1957, bringing some new economic
development to the area. In 1960, Soldotna was incorporated as a city with a population of 332.
Sport fishing and tourism are currently the mainstays of the economy in Soldotna. It also receives some economic advantage
from being the seat of the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
Fishing
Kenai River King Salmon Record
Les Anderson holds the record for the largest king salmon, he caught it on May 17, 1985 weighing in at 97 lb 4 oz. Most local
taxidermy businesses will taxidermy a salmon for free if it is over 70 lb (32 kg) for the
business exposure.
2004 Kenai River Salmon Count
Fish counts are determined by sonar fish counters[1]. It is not exact, but it gives averages.
Popular music
There is a small music scene on the Kenai Peninsula. It includes Heavy Metal bands such as; Omerta, Deseo, Distort the Dream,
and Horseman of the Apocalypse, and Indie rock bands such as The Wagner Logic, Parker Longbough, Fallen Hero, The Tide Waits (For
no One) & Chaz Nixon.
References
poop
External links
Coordinates:
60.486617° N 151.075373°
W
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
