Diamond Ridge ( Dena'ina: ''Ch’aqiniggech’'') is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) just outside

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

Kenai Peninsula Borough Kenai Peninsula Borough is a borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,799, up from 55,400 in 2010. The borough seat is Soldotna, the largest city is Kenai, and the most populated community is the ce ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. At the 2010 census the population was 1,156, down from 1,802 in 2000.

Geography

Diamond Ridge is located at (59.665391, -151.570826) and is bordered to the south by the city of Homer and to the southeast by the city of

Kachemak Kachemak, locally known as Kachemak City, is a small second-class City (Alaska), city in the southern portion of the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. The city consists of several subdivisions and ...

. To the east is the Fritz Creek CDP, while to the north and west is the

Anchor Point In audio and recording, what is known colloquially as an anchor point is a center position in a stereo mix reserved for only three or four important tracks.Hodgson, Jay (2010). ''Understanding Records'', p. 165. . Most modern pop productions are ...

CDP. The farthest west part of the Diamond Ridge CDP borders

Cook Inlet Cook Inlet ( tfn, Tikahtnu; Sugpiaq: ''Cungaaciq'') stretches from the Gulf of Alaska to Anchorage in south-central Alaska. Cook Inlet branches into the Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm at its northern end, almost surrounding Anchorage. On its sou ...

at the mouth of

Kachemak Bay Kachemak Bay ( Dena'ina: ''Tika Kaq’'') is a 40-mi-long (64 km) arm of Cook Inlet in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula. The communities of Homer, Halibut Cove, Seldovia, Nanwalek, Port Graham, ...

. The community is named for the high ground, Diamond Ridge, on which it sits. The ridge reaches an elevation of above sea level and is in the southern part of the CDP. Parallel landforms to the north are Crossman Ridge in the center of the CDP and a ridge connecting Ohlson Mountain and Lookout Mountain in the north. The terrain slopes north from the ridges to the

Anchor River The Anchor River is a stream on the Kenai Peninsula in the U.S. state of Alaska. Beginning near Bald Mountain on the eastern side of the lower peninsula, if flows generally west for into Cook Inlet near Anchor Point on the western side of the ...

, which forms the northern boundary of the CDP. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the Diamond Ridge CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.01%, are water. The main access is via Diamond Ridge Road, which runs across the top of the ridge and connects to feeder roads on either side.

Demographics

Diamond Ridge first appeared on the 2000 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP). Diamondridgefrombelow

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,802 people, 683 households, and 471 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 850 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.29%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.11%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 3.16% Native American, 0.44%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.89% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.11% from two or more races. 2.11% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 683 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.0% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.15. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.9 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $50,977, and the median income for a family was $61,813. Males had a median income of $51,964 versus $26,548 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $23,864. About 7.9% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and trails

Diamond Ridge is home to two park areas with trail systems. One is the Homer Demonstration Forest, a preserve on the slopes just below the actual ridge itself. It contains an arboretum, self-guided nature trails, and is one end of the Homestead Trail which crosses the demonstration forest, climbs up Diamond Ridge and across a deep valley to Crossman Ridge, eventually ending at the Homer Reservoir. In winter months there are extensive groomed trails for

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

, as well as a snowshoe trail. Diamond Creek trail

The other park in the area is the Diamond Creek State Recreation Area. This is a newer unit of

Alaska State Parks Alaska’s state park system is managed by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. The system contains over 120 units spanning 3,427,895 acres, making it far larger than any other state park system in ...

and has little development. It is day-use only, camping is not permitted, and the access road is steep and extremely rough in places; vehicles over are not permitted on the lower part of the road. The road leads to several parking areas for access to hiking and biking trails. The bike trails are constructed and maintained by a local cycling club.Press release for Trails Day 2018

Alaska Department of Natural Resources The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is a department within the government of Alaska in the United States of America. The department has the mission of responsibly developing Alaska's resources by making them available for maximum use and ...

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean