South Lakes is a community in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, home to about 6,180 people across 7.8 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 99645 and 99654.
Homes sold for a median of $261 per square foot across 2 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and all of them were seller’s markets.
Part is in South Lakes, part in Palmer and Gateway
Part is in South Lakes, part in North Lakes and Tanaina
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside South Lakes. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up South Lakes’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)39 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Anchorage, AK30 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of South Lakes; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
It’s the 19th largest of 321 towns in Alaska by population.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough grew from 5,188 residents in 1960 to 107,081 in 2020.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, 1960–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 68°F in summer, and winter lows average 7°F. About 14.3 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 50 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Matanuska Exp Farm, AK weather station (3 miles away).
23,971 jobs at 2,822 businesses in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
1,244 doctors and other health care providers list an office in South Lakes’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 70 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 101 |
| Dentists | 70 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 203 |
| Mental health providers | 519 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 213 |
| Optometrists | 18 |
| Chiropractors | 50 |
| Pharmacies | 18 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (2 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries (1 nearby)
Museums
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 2 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Public schools here are run by Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte ElementaryPalmer | Pre-K–5 | 263 | Public | 8.8 mi |
| Colony Middle SchoolPalmer | Pre-K–8 | 771 | Public | 0.3 mi |
| Cottonwood Creek ElementaryWasilla | Pre-K–5 | 422 | Public | 4.6 mi |
| Finger Lake ElementaryWasilla | Pre-K–5 | 445 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Fred and Sara Machetanz Elementary SchoolWasilla | Pre-K–5 | 468 | Public | 5.1 mi |
| Iditarod ElementaryWasilla | Pre-K–5 | 424 | Public | 7.1 mi |
| John Shaw ElementaryWasilla | Pre-K–5 | 507 | Public | 4.4 mi |
| Larson ElementaryWasilla | Pre-K–5 | 319 | Public | 5.1 mi |
| Pioneer Peak ElementaryPalmer | Pre-K–5 | 449 | Public | 0.6 mi |
| Sherrod ElementaryPalmer | Pre-K–5 | 383 | Public | 4.2 mi |
| Snowshoe ElementaryWasilla | Pre-K–5 | 346 | Public | 10.5 mi |
| Swanson ElementaryPalmer | Pre-K–2 | 348 | Public | 4.2 mi |
| Tanaina ElementaryWasilla | Pre-K–5 | 324 | Public | 7.4 mi |
| Teeland Middle SchoolWasilla | Pre-K–8 | 643 | Public | 4.4 mi |
| Valley PathwaysPalmer | Pre-K–12 | 143 | Alternative Education | 2.3 mi |
| Academy Charter SchoolPalmer | K–8 | 268 | Charter | 4.4 mi |
| American Charter AcademyWasilla | K–12 | 193 | Charter | 13.4 mi |
| Birchtree Charter SchoolPalmer | K–8 | 416 | Charter | 1.6 mi |
| Fronteras Charter SchoolWasilla | K–8 | 336 | Charter | 4.2 mi |
| Knik Elementary SchoolWasilla | K–5 | 263 | Public | 13.4 mi |
| Mat-Su Central SchoolWasilla | K–12 | 2,780 | Public | 7.0 mi |
| Mat-Su Day SchoolWasilla | K–12 | 70 | Public | 4.0 mi |
| Midnight Sun Family Learning CenterWasilla | K–8 | 189 | Charter | 13.4 mi |
| Twindly Bridge Charter SchoolWasilla | K–12 | 601 | Charter | 7.3 mi |
| Mat-Su Secondary SchoolPalmer | 6–12 | 10 | Alternative Education | 4.4 mi |
| Palmer Middle SchoolPalmer | 6–8 | 563 | Public | 4.0 mi |
| Wasilla Middle SchoolWasilla | 6–8 | 584 | Public | 6.9 mi |
| Mat-Su Middle College SchoolPalmer | 8–12 | 222 | Public | 2.0 mi |
| Burchell High SchoolWasilla | 9–12 | 200 | Alternative Education | 9.0 mi |
| Colony High SchoolPalmer | 9–12 | 1,046 | Public | 0.5 mi |
And 3 more.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with North Lakes, Tanaina, Wasilla, Knik-Fairview, Palmer, Gateway, Fishhook, Butte, Farm Loop, Lazy Mountain, Meadow Lakes, Knik River and Buffalo Soapstone.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.