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Willow is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census the population was 2,102. ==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.〔State of Alaska Dept of Commerce, Division of Community & Regional Affairs Community Database Online at http://www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CF_BLOCK.cfm〕 In 1920, the Alaska Railroad built its Willow station house at mile 185.7 along the tracks leading from Seward to Fairbanks.〔Dictionary of Alaska Place Names〕 During World War II, a radar warning station and airfield were built near the railroad tracks; a post office was established in 1948.〔AK DCRA Community Overview〕 By 1954, Willow Creek was Alaska's largest gold mining district, with a total production approaching 18 million dollars.〔 Around 1970, before construction of the Parks Highway, Willow had a population of 78〔 until land disposals, homestead subdivisions, and completion of the George Parks Highway in 1972 fueled growth in the area.〔Community Overview〕 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.〔M. Paul Friedberg and Partners Timeline, http://mpfp.com/timeline/index.shtml〕 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.〔 More than half of the 1,500 cabins around Willow are for seasonal-use. Nearly all of the occupied homes in Willow are fully plumbed, using individual on-site water wells, septic tanks and drain fields.〔 Willow is now the official host of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race restart. In 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. As of June 15, 2015, the fire is ongoing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Willow, Alaska」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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