IntelliMoveTake the quiz →
Small town

Living in Big Lake, AK

Big Lake is a small town of 3,585 people in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. It's about 33 miles from Anchorage, AK and 1,445 miles from Seattle, WA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 69°F and winter highs 17°F, with about 65 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $299k and rent runs about $1k a month.

3,585people
$299kTypical home
$1,235/moRent
69° / 17°Summer / winter
65"Snow
144Sunny days
118Rain/snow days

Is Big Lake right for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.

Take the quiz →Open in the app

Size & setting

  • Small town of 3,585
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 31 people per sq mi
  • 1,445 mi to Seattle, WA
  • 33 mi to Anchorage, AK
  • 12 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $299k (≈$1,884/mo)
  • Median rent $1,235/mo
  • Median household income $81k
  • Property tax about 1.1% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 69°F
  • Winter highs around 17°F
  • Dry summers (dew point 49°F)
  • 144 sunny days a year (30 totally clear)
  • 221 cloudy days a year
  • 47 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 118 days a year with rain or snow
  • 65" of snow a year
  • 20 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 95 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • About average violent crime (321 per 100k), county-wide
  • Above-average property crime (2,624 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 39
  • 32% of households have kids
  • 15% are 65 or older
  • 18% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 2% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 41 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 21 mi to MRI airport
  • 23 mi to ANC (major hub)
  • 89% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1993
  • 91% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 220 ft
  • 8 mi to the ocean
  • 74 mi to a big lake
  • 8 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 17 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 6 mi to the nearest campground
  • 5 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 116 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 21 bars within 25 mi
  • 58 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 1 music venue or club within 25 mi
  • 12 museums within 25 mi
  • 7 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 19 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 50% of Alaska districts (reading)
  • 6 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 18 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 18 mi to the nearest vet
  • 10 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 5 congregations per 10k people
  • 19 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Matanuska-Susitna Borough: R+14 in 2024
  • Alaska: R+14 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • Low wildfire risk
  • High earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • Very low drought risk
  • Moderate winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • High volcano risk

Places near Big Lake

More places in Alaska →