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Big Lake

AlaskaCDP

Photograph of Big Lake
Featured view

Big Lake

Total population

3,585

Median home value

$298,700

17.4%

Bachelor's+

Median income

$81,406

Big Lake$81k
National$74k

Air quality index

24Good
Elevation44 m
Land area333.46 km²
Weather35°F · Partly Cloudy
Coordinates61.52°, -149.98°

Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Elevation
44 m
Area
333.46 km²

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Big Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,833 at the 2020 census, up from 3,350 in 2010.

Read more on Wikipedia

History & geography

Geography

Big Lake is located at (61.537449, -149.891104). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (8.89%) is water. It contains Big Lake Airport, a general use airport with a gravel runway.

Read full article on Wikipedia

Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).

Demographics & economy

Median age
38.8
Median home value
$298,700
Housing units
2,770
Poverty rate
11.4%
Unemployment
3.1%

Race & ethnicity

White
86%
Black
0.3%
Asian
1%
Hispanic
3.9%

Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

Geography

Latitude
61.5155
Longitude
-149.9755
Water area
12.30 mi²
View on OpenStreetMap

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Climate

Current forecast

Tonight
35°F
Partly Cloudy
Wednesday
48°F
Scattered Rain Showers
Wednesday Night
35°F
Scattered Rain Showers
Thursday
45°F
Chance Rain And Snow Showers
Thursday Night
31°F
Mostly Cloudy
Friday
44°F
Mostly Sunny

Forecast for Big Lake, AK from NOAA NWS API.

Air quality

US AQI — Good
24
PM2.5 (µg/m³)
0.6
PM10 (µg/m³)
0.8
Ozone (µg/m³)
61
NO₂ (µg/m³)
1.8

Current readings from Open-Meteo Air Quality API (Copernicus CAMS European reanalysis).

Industrial & pollution facilities

Natural hazard risk

Health (adults)

High blood pressure
31.4%
Diabetes
8.8%
Adult obesity
38.1%
Binge drinking
16.4%
Adult smoking
19.4%
No leisure activity
24.7%

Age-adjusted prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES (latest release).

Walkability

Amenities nearby

Wildlife & biodiversity

Observations (last 5 yrs, 10 mi)
9,063
Distinct species (top 10)
10

Most-observed species

  • American Robin
    Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
    371
  • Dark-eyed Junco
    Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    345
  • Black-capped Chickadee
    Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
    330
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler
    Setophaga coronata (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
    308
  • Mallard
    Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
    261
  • Common Raven
    Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
    255
  • Black-billed Magpie
    Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
    231
  • Bald Eagle
    Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
    229

Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Schools

Total
5
Elementary
2
Middle
1
High
2
Other
0

Largest nearby schools

  • Joe Redington Senior Jr/Sr High School
    High · Wasilla · 556 students · 17.9:1 ratio
  • Dena'ina Elementary School
    Elementary · Wasilla · 435 students · 17.4:1 ratio
  • Big Lake Elementary
    Elementary · Big Lake · 382 students · 17.4:1 ratio
  • Houston High School
    High · Big Lake · 358 students · 14.9:1 ratio
  • Houston Middle School
    Middle · Houston · 329 students · 18.3:1 ratio

Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).

Earthquake history

Quakes ≥ 2.5 (25 yrs, 62 mi)
4,493
Largest magnitude
7.1
Largest event
2018-11-30

Most recent

Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).

Photos

Sights & places nearby

Notable people from here

Nearby places in Alaska

Browse all places in Alaska →

Geography & sun

Nearby airports

Public attention

Books about this place

Recent natural events nearby

Ground air-quality sensors

Recently spotted species

Dolly Varden
Dolly Varden
Salvelinus malma
Seen 2026-09-25
White Sweetclover
White Sweetclover
Melilotus albus
Seen 2026-09-04
common toadflax
common toadflax
Linaria vulgaris
Seen 2026-09-04
Sandhill Crane
Sandhill Crane
Antigone canadensis
Seen 2026-08-23
American Red Squirrel
American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Seen 2026-08-22
Smoothish-stemmed bolete
Smoothish-stemmed bolete
Hemileccinum subglabripes
Seen 2026-08-17
Marbled Orbweaver
Marbled Orbweaver
Araneus marmoreus
Seen 2026-08-17
Willow Bracket
Willow Bracket
Phellinus igniarius
Seen 2026-08-09
birch polypore
birch polypore
Fomitopsis betulina
Seen 2026-08-09

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).

Nearest stream gauge

Site
WILLOW C NR WILLOW AK
Distance
18.6 mi
Streamflow
487 cfs
Gage height
2.48 ft
Water temp
4.5 °C

Live readings from USGS NWIS · measured 2026-10-05 16:15 UTC.

Events

Gallery

Sources

  • • Wikipedia
  • • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
  • • NOAA National Weather Service
  • • Wikidata
  • • Open-Meteo Air Quality (CAMS)
  • • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
  • • USGS NWIS (water data)
  • • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
  • • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
  • • iNaturalist
  • • CDC PLACES