page_title: Palmer, Alaska
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Palmer, Alaska / Geography
context_page_description: Palmer is a city in and the borough seat of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. It is part of the Anchorage Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 5,937.
context_section_description: Palmer is located at 61°36′7″N 149°7′2″W (61.601879, −149.117351).
  Palmer is 42 miles (68 km) northeast of Anchorage on the Glenn Highway. It lies on the north shore of the Matanuska River, not far above tidewater, in a wide valley between the Talkeetna Mountains to the north and the Chugach Mountains to the south and east. Pioneer Peak rises over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above the town, just a few miles south. East of Palmer is Lazy Mountain, and standing behind that is Matanuska Peak.  Lazy Mountain, Matanuska Peak, and Pioneer Peak are all a part of the Chugach Range.  North of Palmer are the Talkeetna Mountains.  Hatcher Pass, a local favorite for hiking, skiing and other recreational activities, is located in this mountain range about 22 mi (35 km) from Palmer.
  According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), all of it land.
  Palmer and Wasilla are the two major old-town cores of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. Population of the area has grown dramatically in the past decade; Borough officials estimate the local population at 8,000.
caption: The view traveling toward Anchorage from Palmer. Pioneer Peak is to the left with Twin Peaks to the right of Pioneer.   The "Ghost Forest" of the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge is shown in the foreground. These trees died from the subsidence that occurred in the area as a result of the Great Alaska earthquake of 1964.
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