Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 19,972 people, this town lies in Alaska. Public schools that outperform most of Alaska.
A town of contrasts. Hazard risk is its weak spot: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Overall, Knik-Fairview earns a C, better than 31% of U.S. towns. It ranks 31st of 41 in Alaska. Its strongest is schools (A−) — its schools outperform 77% of the state's. At about $340K, a typical home costs 3.4 years of the Anchorage metro’s $101K median household income. Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge, at 7,227 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. The town’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, above both Alaska’s towns (20 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · OpenStreetMap.
Where Knik-Fairview beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Dena'ina Elementary School | PK–5 | 396 |
| Snowshoe Elementary | PK–5 | 346 |
| Goose Bay Elementary | PK–2 | 305 |
14,923 counted in 2010 and 19,297 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Knik-Fairview is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 118 in 1910, a low of 10 in 1980, 19,297 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1914 and 3 maps from 1951 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Knik-Fairview is unincorporated, so Matanuska-Susitna Borough and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Knik-Fairview.
Knik-Fairview has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Alaska.
Expected losses in Knik-Fairview break down as 90% from earthquakes and 6% from inland flooding.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The largest public high school is Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School, with 497 students. The public schools here belong to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Three of the 5 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dena'ina Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 396 | B+ |
| Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 497 | B |
| Snowshoe ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 346 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
In 1 park or preserve, walkers have 18 miles of trail. Knik-Fairview’s concentration of trails is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge | 1.8 mi | 7,227 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Matanuska Exp Farm weather station, 13 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 127 days, shorter than in 96% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 67.9°, cooler than in 99% of U.S. towns; January nights average 6.7°. The Matanuska Exp Farm weather station, 13 miles away, records that 50 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 79% of Alaska places with climate records.
In Knik-Fairview, the July high is 68°F.
| Knik-Fairview | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 68°F | 66°F | 85°F |
| January low | 7°F | 7°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Alaska it is less healthy than 77% of the 41 graded towns: Alaska sets a high bar. Against the 9,114 U.S. towns with household incomes like Knik-Fairview’s, it is less healthy than 66%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
For adults in Knik-Fairview, the share who report frequent mental distress is 18%. Only 3 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Knik-Fairview. Two figures for adults here: 19% smoke cigarettes, 8.5% have diabetes.
| Knik-Fairview | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 69% | 68% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 8.8% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Knik-Fairview | AK |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 18.6% | 16% |
| Fewer adults seeing a dentist | 56.5% | 59.7% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 64.5% | 68% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes sold in Knik-Fairview spent a median 15 days on the market. In Knik-Fairview, 85% of households live in a home they own. The median rent for Knik-Fairview comes to $1,588 a month.
| Knik-Fairview | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,588 a month | $1,402 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Knik-Fairview. Close and well known come first.
22 mi Stadium & arenaSullivan Arena
14 mi Scenic driveGlenn Highway
32 mi State parkChugach State Park
27 mi Zoo & aquariumAlaska Zoo
22 mi MuseumAnchorage Museum
19 mi MuseumAlaska Native Heritage CenterSullivan Arena: Acez1, CC0 · Glenn Highway: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chugach State Park: Frank K. from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Alaska Zoo: James from Boulder, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Anchorage Museum: James Brooks, CC BY 2.0 · Alaska Native Heritage Center: Skvader, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Knik-Fairview; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Knik-Fairview residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Alaska.
Census-designated place in Alaska, United States
Knik-Fairview is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census the population was 19,297, up from 14,923 in 2010. It is the most populated CDP in Alaska.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Knik-Fairview.
| Town | AK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knik-Fairview | #31 | C | C | — | A− | B− |
| Big Lake | #29 | C | B− | — | A− | C+ |
| Meadow Lakes | #35 | C− | C+ | — | A− | B− |
| Point MacKenzie | — | — | — | — | A− | C+ |
| Wasilla | #40 | C− | C+ | D | A− | C+ |
| Gateway | #10 | B | C | — | A− | A− |
Point MacKenzie has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Knik-Fairview, Big Lake, Meadow Lakes, Point MacKenzie and Gateway report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Knik-Fairview with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Knik-Fairview grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #31 of 41 in Alaska. It grades B− for health and A− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
The typical home is worth about $340,000, 15% below the Alaska typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
