Trapper Creek is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(CDP) in

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 borough seat is Palmer, and the largest community is the census-designated place of Knik-Fairview. As of the 2020 censu ...

, United States. It is part of the

Anchorage Metropolitan Area The Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of the Anchorage, Alaska, Municipality of Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the South Central Alaska, south central reg ...

and is known as the southern gateway to Denali State Park. According to the 2020 census the population of Trapper Creek was 499.

History

The first permanent inhabitants of the area were brothers Oliver Rabidoux and Noah Rabidoux. These men were trappers, giving the area its name of Trapper Creek. In 1917, one of the two roads going through the town, Petersville Road, began construction. The other, the

Parks Highway The George Parks Highway (numbered Interstate A-4 and signed Alaska Route 3), usually called simply the Parks Highway, runs 323 miles (520 km) from the Glenn Highway 35 miles (56 km) north of Anchorage to Fairbanks in the Alaska In ...

, was finished in 1971.

Geography

Trapper Creek is a community located in Matanuska-Susitna Borough at latitude 62.317 and longitude -150.231, with an elevation of . It is at mile 114.5 on the

, just south of Denali State Park. Trapper Creek is found at the intersection of Petersville Road and is spread out along the Parks Highway north of

Talkeetna Talkeetna ( Dena'ina: ''K'dalkitnu'') is an unincorporated small village, incorporated by the United States Census Bureau within a larger same-named census-designated place (CDP), in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 ...

Junction. The Trapper Creek CDP extends west down the Petersville Road, which leads to mining, prospecting, and recreation country in the foothills of the

Alaska Range The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, mountain range in the Southcentral Alaska, southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoard on G ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.37%, are water. The eastern border of the CDP is formed by the Chulitna and Susitna rivers.

Demographics

Trapper Creek first appeared on the 1990 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP). As of the census of 2000, there were 423 people, 182 households, and 123 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 361 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.71%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.24%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 8.27% Native American, 0.47% Asian, and 3.31% from two or more races. 1.18% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 182 households, out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.74. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 39.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 121.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 125.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $27,031, and the median income for a family was $34,250. Males had a median income of $65,446 versus $11,250 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $18,247. About 27.6% of families and 24.7% 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 ...

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

trappercreek.org
{{authority control Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska Anchorage metropolitan area