The story of this market
The typical home in ZIP 99694 sells for about $280,000, or $204 per square foot.
Prices are up +6.6% from a year ago, so sellers still have some momentum. Homes take about 76 days to sell, which is slow. HUD's fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $1,114 a month.
ZIP 99694
ZIP 99694 encompasses the rural community of Willow along the George Parks Highway, where home values have stabilized near $270,000 to $280,000 following post-pandemic gains. Market dynamics are shaped by high seasonal recreational usage, steady demand for acreage and cabins, and balanced inventory levels typical of rural Mat-Su Borough markets.
Fits outdoor recreation enthusiasts, dog mushers, homesteaders, and remote workers seeking acreage and seclusion along the Mat-Su road corridor without strict municipal zoning.
Median prices moved up 6.6% year over year.
Homes spend a median of 76 days on market with 4.5 months of supply — a balanced-paced market.
16% of listings have cut prices · homes sell at 98.2% of asking — demand is running ahead of supply.
no recorded foreclosure-ledger notices (0.0 per 10,000 residents) · unemployment 12.3% · poverty 20.4% — a mixed stability profile.
Researched annual trajectory for this ZIP, from published historical series
Solid: researched ten-year history · dotted: 1 / 3 / 5-year projection extended from the historical 4.7%/yr trend — a deterministic estimate, not a published forecast or guarantee.
Median annual property tax paid on this ZIP's residential parcels
Solid: researched ten-year history · dotted: 1 / 3 / 5-year projection extended from the historical 4.8%/yr trend — a deterministic estimate, not a published forecast or guarantee.
versus the prior ACS vintage
net influx — more people moved in than out
ZCTA 99694, Matanuska-Susitna Borough AK
Crime rates in the Willow area are generally lower than Anchorage urban averages, consisting primarily of occasional property crimes and vehicle thefts typical of rural Alaskan road-system communities.
Public schools are administered by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, primarily anchored locally by Willow Elementary School and regional secondary schools such as Su-Valley Jr/Sr High School.
Wildfire is a prominent hazard across the Mat-Su boreal forest zone, alongside severe winter storms, sub-zero freezes, and moderate seismic activity across southcentral Alaska.
Economic activity is anchored by outdoor recreation, tourism, dog mushing, highway-service retail, and local borough government administration, with slow, stable low-density development.
Composed from the ARED governance burden registry — tier-native tax structure (state + county + city + special districts), never averaged. State (Alaska) — Optional Municipal Residential / Homestead Exemption Authorization: Allows municipal taxing bodies to exempt a percentage of the assessed value (commonly up to 20%, often capped at $50,000, as implemented in jurisdictions like Anchorage) for owner-occupied primary residences. State (Alaska) — Statewide Senior Citizen and Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption: Mandates that municipalities exempt the first $150,000 of assessed property value from ad valorem taxation. Formula: Taxable Value = Max(0, Assessed Value - $150,000). State (Alaska) — Alaska Statutory Real Property Assessment Ratio and Municipal Levy Authority: Imposes an ad valorem property tax assessed at 100% full and true value (fair market value assessment ratio of 1.0) under AS 29.45.110.
Willow is situated along the George Parks Highway approximately 30 miles north of Wasilla and roughly 70 to 75 miles north of downtown Anchorage, resulting in a 75- to 90-minute vehicle commute each way.
The community offers world-class outdoor recreation including Willow Lake, the Iditarod Trail restart site, Willow Creek State Recreation Area, and extensive snowmachine and ATV trail networks.
Rental depth is limited due to the remote, rural housing stock, with single-family cabins, seasonal employee rentals, and outdoor tourism short-term rentals making up the small non-owner footprint.
The economy centers around tourism, outdoor guiding, subsistence trades, highway service businesses, and regional employment in Wasilla or Palmer.
Private vehicle travel via Alaska Route 3 (George Parks Highway) is the primary transportation corridor; there is no fixed-route municipal public transit.
Development consists mainly of scattered off-grid cabin builds, low-density residential subdivisions, and borough transportation upgrades.
Parcels are subject to Matanuska-Susitna Borough taxes, Willow fire service district levies, and road service area assessments.
Wildfire hazard zones and rural distances from designated water sources can create elevated property insurance premiums or specialty carrier requirements.
Data pulled from U.S. Census Bureau ACS tables for ZCTA 99694 and Mat-Su Borough records. High vacancy reflects seasonal and recreational cabin ownership.
Public schools whose reported address is in this area (NCES). Not attendance boundaries — schools that serve residents may sit outside it. Check the district's address locator for assignment.
Primary lake venue serving as the official restart location for the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and a hub for floatplanes and fishing.
Popular state park site offering world-class salmon fishing, camping, boating, and access to trail systems.
Borough-maintained civic center with sports fields, winter ice rink, and extensive cross-country ski and mushing trailheads.
Key-figure check: no independent anchor retained yet — first-researched cycles establish the anchor baseline this pass.