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Big small town

Living in Sterling, AK

Sterling is a big small town of 6,323 people in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska. It's about 67 miles from Anchorage, AK and 1,439 miles from Seattle, WA, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 66°F and winter highs 22°F, with about 82 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $353k and rent runs about $1k a month.

6,323people
$353kTypical home
$1,248/moRent
66° / 22°Summer / winter
82"Snow
144Sunny days
139Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 6,323
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 81 people per sq mi
  • 1,439 mi to Seattle, WA
  • 67 mi to Anchorage, AK
  • 67 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $353k (≈$2,229/mo)
  • Median rent $1,248/mo
  • Median household income $102k
  • Property tax about 0.6% of value
  • 5.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 66°F
  • Winter highs around 22°F
  • Dry summers (dew point 47°F)
  • 144 sunny days a year (19 totally clear)
  • 221 cloudy days a year
  • 56 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 139 days a year with rain or snow
  • 82" of snow a year
  • 24 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 64 nights a year below 10°F
  • Usually calm

Safety

  • Low violent crime (231 per 100k), county-wide
  • Low property crime (1,061 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 47
  • 18% of households have kids
  • 27% are 65 or older
  • 29% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 29 min
  • 4% walk or take transit to work
  • 15 mi to ENA airport
  • 52 mi to ANC (major hub)
  • 94% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1994
  • 92% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Gently rolling terrain
  • Elevation 243 ft
  • 16 mi to the ocean
  • 11 mi to a big lake
  • 13 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 55 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 2 mi to the nearest campground
  • 2 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 23 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 5 bars within 25 mi
  • 29 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 3 museums within 25 mi
  • 1 brewery or distillery within 25 mi
  • 15 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 33% of Alaska districts (reading)
  • 2 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 14 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 50 mi to the nearest vet
  • 34 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 10 congregations per 10k people
  • 12 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Kenai Peninsula Borough: R+14 in 2024
  • Alaska: R+14 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Very low tornado risk
  • Moderate 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 Sterling

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