Its Register listing is the Kirsch's Place. Most of Susitna North was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1950 on and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Susitna North is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Susitna North’s overall grade.
Alaska towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Alaska town has 3.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Susitna North’s 19.2 sits above most of its state (86% of Alaska towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Susitna North’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Ahtna-speaking Athabascans lived in the Talkeetna Mountains and had a village opposite the mouth of Sunshine Creek called "Tsuk Qayeh", meaning "Old Village". Dena'ina-speaking Athabascans lived along the Deshka River and the middle Susitna River in the winter, below present-day Talkeetna. A Dena'ina village was located on the North Fork of the Kashwitna River, with a trail to Chickaloon, Alaska. Montana Creek became a small Dena'ina village in about 1915 during construction of the Alaska Railroad. Through 1927, the railroad brought employment and settlement to the area. Montana, at Mile 209.3, was one of the first construction camps. In 1918, a spur was constructed to a coal mine in the area. Sunshine Depot at Mile 215.3 was established in 1918, but was moved to higher ground in 1936. Construction of the Parks Highway and state land disposals led to settlement of the area.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Susitna North.
1950Talkeetna Mountains A-6 sheet · 1:63,360
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Susitna North.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Susitna North
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Susitna North is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Susitna North?
One place: the Kirsch's Place (listed 1998).
How old are the homes in Susitna North?
0.6% of Susitna North’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 0.3% for an Alaska town; the median home was built in 2001.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
