Kenai Peninsula Borough is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

of the U.S. state of

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 ...

. 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 Kenai (, ) ( Dena'ina: ; russian: Кенай, ''Kenay'') is a city in the Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is one hundred and fifty-eight miles by road southwest from Anchorage. The population was 7,424 as of the 2020 c ...

, and the most populated community is the

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, suc ...

of Kalifornsky. The borough includes most of the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...

and a large area of the mainland of Alaska on the opposite side of

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 so ...

Geography

The borough has a total area of , of which is land and (3.4%) is water.

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

Bethel Census Area, Alaska Bethel Census Area is a census area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population is 18,666, up from 17,013 in 2010. It is part of the unorganized borough and therefore has no borough seat. Its largest community is the cit ...

- northwest *

Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Matanuska-Susitna Borough (often referred to as the Mat-Su Borough) is a borough located in the U.S. state of Alaska. Its county seat is Palmer, and the largest community is the census-designated place of Knik-Fairview. The borough is part o ...

- north *

Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

- north * Chugach Census Area, Alaska - east *

Lake and Peninsula Borough, Alaska Lake and Peninsula Borough (russian: Лейк-энд-Пенинсула, ''Leyk-end-Peninsula'') is a borough in the state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,476, down from 1,631 in 2010. The borough seat of King Salmon is ...

- west * Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska - south

National protected areas

* Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (part of Gulf of Alaska unit) **

Chiswell Islands The Chiswell Islands are a group of rocky, uninhabited islands, accessible only by boat or airplane, within the Kenai Peninsula Borough of Alaska in the Gulf of Alaska. These islands are 35 miles south of Seward, Alaska. They are part of the Al ...

** Tuxedni Wilderness *

Chugach National Forest The Chugach National Forest is a United States National Forest in south central Alaska. Covering portions of Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula and the Copper River Delta, it was formed in 1907 from part of a larger forest reserve. The C ...

(part) * Katmai National Park and Preserve (part) **

Katmai Wilderness Katmai may refer to: *Katmai National Park and Preserve, a park in Alaska *Mount Katmai, a volcano in the Katmai Park in Alaska; the site of a colossal 1912 eruption *Katmai (microprocessor) The Pentium III (marketed as Intel Pentium III Process ...

(part) * Kenai Fjords National Park *

Kenai National Wildlife Refuge The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife habitat preserve located on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, United States. It is adjacent to Kenai Fjords National Park. This refuge was created in 1941 as the Kenai National Moose Range, but in 198 ...

Kenai Wilderness The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife habitat preserve located on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska, United States. It is adjacent to Kenai Fjords National Park. This refuge was created in 1941 as the Kenai National Moose Range, but in 198 ...

* Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (part) ** Lake Clark Wilderness (part)

Ecology

Bear Lake, Tutka Bay, and the

Trail Lakes The Trail Lakes are two lakes on the lower Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. The lakes are near the town of Moose Pass and adjacent to the Seward Highway. They are the home of a large salmon hatchery owned by the state of Alaska and operated by the Co ...

, have been the site of

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus '' Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Onco ...

enhancement activities. All three sites are managed by the

Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association The Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association (CIAA) is a non-profit organization based in Kenai, Alaska, that works to create sustainable salmon stocks in the Cook Inlet area. Initially the Alaska Department of Fish and Game ran most hatchery programs ...

Some of the fish hatched at these facilities are released into the famous Homer fishing hole. Cook Inlet Keeper and the Cook Inlet Regional Citizen's Advisory Council are groups that attempt to influence public policy on the use of the areas resources.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 49,700 people, 18,400 households, and 12,700 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1/km² (3/sq mi). There were 24,900 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the borough was 86% white, 7% Native American, 2% Hispanic or Latino (any race), and 4% from two or more races. Black or

African Americans 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 ...

Asians Asian people (or Asians, sometimes referred to as Asiatic people)United States National Library of Medicine. Medical Subject Headings. 2004. November 17, 200Nlm.nih.gov: ''Asian Continental Ancestry Group'' is also used for categorical purpos ...

, and Pacific Islanders each were less than 1%. Just under 1% were from other races combined. 1.92% reported speaking Russian at home, while 1.74% spoke Spanish. Of the 18,400 households, 38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55% were married couples living together, 9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31% were non-families. 25% of households were one person, and 5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.2. In the borough the population was spread out, with 30% under the age of 18, 7% from 18 to 24, 30% from 25 to 44, 26% from 45 to 64, and 7% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 109 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 110 males.

Government and infrastructure

There is a borough-wide government based in Soldotna, consisting of a strong mayor and an assembly of representatives from all areas of the borough. They collect sales and property taxes and provide services such as road maintenance, waste collection facilities, emergency services and major funding for public schools, along with mitigation of damage from

spruce bark beetle Spruce bark beetle is a common name for several insects and may refer to: *''Dendroctonus micans'', the great spruce bark beetle *'' Ips typographus'', the European spruce bark beetle See also *Spruce beetle ''Dendroctonus rufipennis'', the spr ...

s that infested the borough in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Incorporated towns also have their own local governments and city councils. The

Alaska Department of Corrections The Department of Corrections of the state of Alaska is an agency of the state government responsible for corrections. The department manages institutions, parole and probation. The current commissioner is Nancy Dahlstrom. The agency has its head ...

operates the

Spring Creek Correctional Center Spring Creek Correctional Center is an Alaska Department of Corrections maximum security prison for men located in Seward, Alaska, United States.Wildwood Correctional Complex The Wildwood Correctional Complex, located three miles north of Kenai, Alaska, is a complex of correctional facilities housing a total of about 360 prisoners and under the jurisdiction of the Alaska Department of Corrections. It consists of Wild ...

near Kenai.

Communities

Cities

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 ...

* Kachemak *

* Seldovia * Seward * Soldotna

Census-designated places

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 ...

* Bear Creek * Beluga * Clam Gulch * Cohoe *

Cooper Landing Cooper Landing is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States, about south of Anchorage, at the outlet of Kenai Lake into the Kenai River. The town was first settled in the 19th century by gold and mineral p ...

* Crown Point * Diamond Ridge * Fox River * Fritz Creek * Funny River * Halibut Cove * Happy Valley * Hope * Kalifornsky * Kasilof * Lowell Point *

Moose Pass Moose Pass is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. The population was 219 at the 2010 census, up from 206 in 2000. Geography Moose Pass is located in the north-central part of the Kenai Peninsula at ...

* Nanwalek * Nikiski * Nikolaevsk *

Ninilchik Ninilchik (russian: Нинильчик) ( Dena'ina: ''Niqnalchint'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 883, up from 772 in 2000. It is considered an Alask ...

* Point Possession * Port Graham * Primrose * Ridgeway * Salamatof * Seldovia Village * Sterling * Sunrise * Tyonek

Unincorporated communities

* Jakolof Bay *

Kachemak Selo Kachemak Selo (Russian: Качемак Село) is a small unincorporated community in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. Located on the Kenai Peninsula, it lies roughly 30 miles east of Homer. The community is one of several settle ...

* Lawing *

Razdolna Razdolna (Russian: Раздольна, ) is a small unincorporated community in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska, United States. Located on the Kenai Peninsula, it lies roughly 30 miles east of Homer. The community is one of several settlements of ...

Voznesenka Voznesenka (Russian: ''Вознесенка'', ) is a small unincorporated community in the Kenai Peninsula Borough 23 miles northeast of Homer, Alaska, United States. Brief overlook Located on the Kenai Peninsula, about east of Homer, Voznesenk ...

Ghost town

* Portlock

Education

The school district for the whole borough is Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.
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References

External links

*
Borough map, 2000 census: Alaska Department of Labor

Borough map, 2010 census: Alaska Department of Labor
{{Authority control 1964 establishments in Alaska Populated places established in 1964