Willow

History

The community got its start in 1897 when miners discovered gold on Willow Creek. Ships and boats brought supplies and equipment up Cook Inlet, landing at Knik or Tyonek. From Knik, a 26-mile summer trail went northwesterly. The trail along Willow Creek heading east became Hatcher Pass Road, currently an adventurous scenic road used during the summer tour season. In 1920, the Alaska Railroad built its Willow station house at mile 185.7 along the tracks leading from Seward to Fairbanks. During World War II, a radar warning station and airfield were built near the railroad tracks; a post office was established in 1948. By 1954, Willow Creek was Alaska's largest gold mining district, with a total production approaching 18 million dollars. In 1976, Alaskans elected to move the state capital from Juneau to Willow in an effort to improve access for Alaskans while keeping the capital out of Anchorage, the largest city. Landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg created a master plan for the city as part of one such proposal. This fueled interest and land speculation in the area. However, funding to enable the capital move was defeated in the November 1982 election. As a result, Juneau remains the state capital. In June 2015, a large wildfire burned thousands of acres of wilderness, numerous structures and forced the closure of the George Parks Highway, severing the road link between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Geography

Willow is located at (61.769345, -149.991065). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.16%) is water. By area, it is the largest CDP in the United States.

Most-observed species

• Golden-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia atricapilla (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  359
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  273
• Savannah Sparrow

  Passerculus sandwichensis (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  266
• Common Redpoll

  Acanthis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  162
• Wilson's Warbler

  Cardellina pusilla (A.Wilson, 1811) · Aves
  144
• White-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves
  131
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  130
• White-tailed Ptarmigan

  Lagopus leucura (Richardson, 1831) · Aves
  105

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-09-30
  7 km WSW of Willow, Alaska
• M 2.7 — 2026-09-28
  22 km SSW of Susitna, Alaska
• M 2.5 — 2026-09-28
  23 km SSW of Susitna, Alaska
• M 2.6 — 2026-09-27
  37 km ENE of Chase, Alaska
• M 2.9 — 2026-09-27
  16 km NW of Fishhook, Alaska
• M 2.9 — 2026-09-27
  24 km WSW of Point MacKenzie, Alaska