Palmer

You'll be udder-ly satisfied living in Farm Loop, a Palmer community encompassing miles of pastoral farmland against the majestic Chugach Mountains. "It's a great place to buy land and new construction, and you can still commute easily to Anchorage, which most residents do for work," says Realtor Richelle Killian with Keller Williams Realty Alaska Group. <br><br>The area has long been a bedroom community for Anchorage but has recently become a go-to for new construction without the hefty city price tag. You'll find new modern craftsman-style construction and contemporary new builds with geometric flair. There are also established ranches and split levels available in the area, typically tucked away in forest nooks. Most homes here sit on 1 to 4 acres, giving you plenty of privacy and room to spread out. You'll also find larger lots ranging from 5 to 10 acres, perfect for starting a small farm or building facilities for storage or projects. Prices here range from $350,000 for an established home and between $550,000 to $850,000 for new construction. On average, the more land your home sits on, the higher the cost may be. <br><br>Students in the area attend the Matanuska-Sisitna School District. "The community also has a fantastic school system, with very highly rated academic programs," Killian adds. Swanson Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and scored an overall B-plus on its Niche Report Card. Students here benefit from the school's active music program, including an after-school ukelele club for upper grades. At Palmer Junior Middle School, which scored an overall B-minus on Niche. The school supports students with an after-school study club and offers unique activities, like Laser Craft Club and Marksmanship Club. Palmer High School, which serves grades nine through twelve, scored an overall B on Niche and a 7 out of 10 for college readiness on GreatSchools. Students can personalize their education through several academic pathways, including IT, Culinary Arts and Horticulture. <br><br>There are ample ways to get outdoors and enjoy nature here, with dozens of lakes where you can camp out during the summer and proximity to the hunting, fishing and hiking available at Chugach State Park. Walby Lake is a popular summertime swimming destination with a public access point where you can picnic, sunbathe, fish or launch a kayak. During the winter, you can also ice skate or ice fish at your leisure. Living here also puts you super close to the mighty Matanuska. This whitewater river is a go-to for rafting, floating and flyfishing. You'll want to remain aware of your surroundings while spending time here, as the forests around the river are home to moose and bears. When you want to get closer to the area's wildlife, visit The Musk Ox Farm, a local animal sanctuary home to dozens of rescued musk oxen. <br><br>The Glenn Highway runs along the neighborhood's eastern edge and 45 miles south to Anchorage. You can take the highway to commute to major employers like Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, University of Alaska-Anchorage or Mat-Su Regional Medical Center. Anchorage is also where you'll find Anchorage International Airport. In the community, Wolf Lake Airport is a private airport where you can store small aircraft and fly to different areas of the state, which is necessary for those who need to get into the Alaskan bush. <br><br>The community is primarily a residential area, but it's close to so many amenities that you won't feel like you're missing out. The Glenn Highway will lead you into Downtown Palmer, where you'll find dining, retail and daily necessities like groceries on Evergreen Avenue. Grab a coffee at Elwood's Drive-Thru, have a dinner date at farm-to-table restaurant Feather and Flour or catch the summer music series at Palmer Alehouse. You can also take the Palmer-Wasilla Highway west into Wasilla to access the area's retail hub, home to big box stores and department stores. Every August, take the Glenn Highway to the Alaska State Fair, where you can camp out or enjoy carnival food, rides, games and attractions for a perfect summer day. <br><br>Offering beautiful new construction, excellent schools and proximity to so many indoor and outdoor amenities, Farm Loop is a perfect place to call home.

"Up on Lazy Mountain," says Gary Becker, a native Alaskan and Realtor with Keller Williams since 2014, "you get these gorgeous sunrises that we call alpenglow, where the whole sky turns pink. But the best thing about living in Lazy Mountain is that it's also in a wind shadow, which protects you from the wind tunnel that can blow across Palmer. You're tucked up against the mountain, so it's very peaceful and calming."<br><br>In residential Palmer, forested streetscapes and large private lots are surrounded by spectacular venues, ranches and trails that knit through some of Alaska's highest peaks. "The whole Palmer area where you find Lazy Mountain," adds Becker, who has been featured on HGTV's Living Alaska, "is appealing because it feels down-home and less commercialized. Other neighborhoods just don't have the same charm. It's amazing how many military families get stationed here, have to leave, and then years later come back — because Alaska just gets in your blood."<br><br>Homes in Lazy Mountain can range from a two-bedroom A-frame cabin on 2 acres for around $250,000 to a 2,000-square-foot stone and log house on 20 acres on the south side of Lazy Mountain for $900,000. A rambling 4,000-square-foot two-story home with expansive porches or a 2020 three-bedroom hillside ranch-style with a detached unit and basement can ask around $550,000. For around $800,000, you could find a 5,000-square-foot beauty with bay windows and spacious decking for viewing the northern lights. Becker adds, "Lazy Mountain is still more affordable than comparable homes closer to Anchorage."<br><br>Living in Lazy Mountain, the terrain is your wonderland. You can host unforgettable events at Lazy Mountain Acres and explore horse-riding tours and dude ranch adventure packages at Sunderland Ranch. Their newly opened Alaska Zipline Adventure Park is Alaska's only all-tandem course offering aerial bridges and six ziplines over a salmon creek and treetops. Says Becker, "The whole area is just crazy green. And when you're hiking, you get up close to peaks over 6,000 feet high. It's truly in-your-face awe. One of the coolest experiences is the annual Crazy Lazy Mountain Race to the top of Lazy Mountain and back." In 2023, more than 300 racers of all ages and abilities accepted the challenge, and the winner completed the race in just over an hour. Not far from Lazy Mountain in Hatcher Pass, you'll find the valley's newest recreation attraction, Skeetawk, featuring a triple chair lift. Becker adds, "It's a misconception that if you're in the Palmer area, you're way up high like in Colorado. But really, you're living in valleys. So, Hatcher Pass is where you can actually drive way up into the mountains, giving you the feeling that you're in the Alps."<br><br>Public schools are within the Matanuska-Sustina Borough School District, which earns an A-minus grade from Niche. Elementary-age students can begin at Butte Elementary and move on to Palmer Middle School, both earning a B grade from Niche. Older students head to Palmer High School, which boasts a standout track and field program and earns a B grade from Niche.<br><br>Says Becker, "Lazy Mountain is really a residential area. No one shops right within Lazy Mountain; you just go straight to Palmer. It's considered a suburb of Palmer on the other side of Matanuska River." Locals make the several-mile trip across the river on East Arctic Avenue to stock up at Carr's in Palmer. Or, stop by Bushes Bunches Produce Stand or a local farm for the freshest fare. When dining out, Turkey Red in Palmer is a favorite spot to order hearty soups for lunch or indulge in colorful Mediterranean entrees for romantic date nights. You can also enjoy lattes, pastries and healthy sandwiches at Vagabond Blues.<br><br>Says Becker, "This is a big, beautiful land. And when you respect it, you get a lot back. You're rewarded with a quality of life that's so different because it's wild and natural, which makes it a great place to raise kids. People come up here as a bucket list, and they come back to stay for good."