Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska

Kenai Peninsula Borough is a borough in Alaska, United States, covering most of the Kenai Peninsula plus a large stretch of the Alaska mainland across Cook Inlet. It had a population of 58,799 at the 2020 census and covers 16,013 square miles of land (41,474 km2), centred near 60°30′N 151°00′W.

Soldotna is the borough seat, and its postal code is 99669. The borough includes six incorporated cities, more than a dozen unincorporated communities, and no civil townships — Alaska boroughs do not use the township system found in the Midwest. The borough sits in the Alaska Time Zone, and its FIPS code is 02122.

Towns & Villages in Kenai Peninsula Borough

The borough’s population centers split into six incorporated cities and roughly a dozen unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs). Kalifornsky, a CDP just south of Kenai, is the borough’s single most populous unincorporated community.

Kalifornsky and Sterling, both unincorporated, are more populous than four of the borough’s six incorporated cities — a common pattern in Alaska, where formal city status is optional and many people choose to live outside city limits to avoid municipal taxes and land-use rules.

ZIP Codes

• 99669 — Soldotna (also serves Sterling and Funny River)
• 99611 — Kenai (also serves Kalifornsky)
• 99603 — Homer (also serves Kachemak and Fritz Creek)
• 99664 — Seward
• 99663 — Seldovia
• 99672 — Sterling
• 99635 — Nikiski
• 99639 — Ninilchik
• 99556 — Anchor Point
• 99610 — Kasilof
• 99572 — Cooper Landing
• 99631 — Moose Pass
• 99605 — Hope
• 99568 — Clam Gulch
• 99682 — Tyonek

Several small road-system communities, including Fritz Creek and Halibut Cove, share the ZIP code of their nearest post office town rather than having their own.

Geography

The borough spans the entire Kenai Peninsula between Cook Inlet and Prince William Sound, plus a wide slice of the mainland on the west side of Cook Inlet. The Kenai Mountains run down the peninsula’s eastern side, much of them within Chugach National Forest and Kenai Fjords National Park, while the western lowlands hold the Kenai and Kasilof river valleys, Skilak and Tustumena lakes, and the bulk of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Cook Inlet forms the borough’s western boundary and separates the road-connected peninsula from Tyonek and the mainland portion of the borough.

The borough borders Anchorage Municipality to the north, Matanuska-Susitna Borough to the northwest, the Gulf of Alaska and Kodiak Island Borough to the south across open water, and the Lake and Peninsula Borough across Cook Inlet to the west.

Demographics

The 2020 census counted 58,799 residents. Kenai (7,424) and Kalifornsky (8,286) are the two largest communities, with Kalifornsky edging out the city of Kenai despite being unincorporated. Median household income in the borough runs close to the Alaska median of $88,121, reflecting the mix of oil-and-gas, fishing, and tourism wages found across the peninsula. With 16,013 square miles of land, the borough’s overall population density is under 4 people per square mile, though the road-system communities around Soldotna, Kenai, and Homer are far more densely settled than the mountain and wilderness areas.

Economy & Local Life

Commercial fishing and seafood processing anchor the economy in Kenai, Homer, and Seward, alongside oil and gas production and refining centered on the Kenai and Nikiski area, home to one of Alaska’s oldest refineries. Sport fishing and tourism drive summer business throughout the borough, with the Kenai River’s king and sockeye salmon runs among the best known in the state. The Kenai Peninsula College, a branch of the University of Alaska Anchorage, has campuses in Soldotna and Homer. The Kenai River Classic and Seward’s Mount Marathon Race, run every Fourth of July, are among the borough’s best-known annual events.

History

Kenai Peninsula Borough was organized in 1964, one of Alaska’s first boroughs formed after statehood. The Dena’ina Athabascan people and, on the outer coast, the Sugpiaq (Alutiiq) people have lived on the peninsula for thousands of years; Russian traders established a fort at Kenai in 1791, one of the oldest continuously occupied non-Native settlements in Alaska. The borough absorbed the former City of Seward’s surrounding area and grew through the 20th century around fishing, oil discoveries at Swanson River in 1957, and the construction of the Sterling Highway linking the peninsula’s communities.

Getting There

The Sterling Highway and Seward Highway link the borough’s communities to Anchorage and to each other, forming the peninsula’s main road loop.

• Anchorage — 75 miles north of Soldotna
• Homer — 75 miles south of Soldotna
• Seward — 95 miles southeast of Soldotna via the Sterling and Seward highways
• Whittier — 130 miles northeast, reached via the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, about 75 miles north, is the nearest major commercial airport; Kenai Municipal Airport and Homer Airport both offer regional flights within Alaska.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kenai Peninsula Borough?
It occupies the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska, between Cook Inlet and the Gulf of Alaska, plus a mainland section west of the inlet.

What is the population of Kenai Peninsula Borough?
58,799 residents at the 2020 census.

How big is Kenai Peninsula Borough?
16,013 square miles of land (41,474 km2), one of the largest boroughs in Alaska.

What is the borough seat of Kenai Peninsula Borough?
Soldotna is the borough seat; Kenai is the largest city.

How many towns are in Kenai Peninsula Borough?
Six incorporated cities and about a dozen unincorporated communities and CDPs.

What ZIP codes are in Kenai Peninsula Borough?
Soldotna’s is 99669; other communities include Kenai (99611), Homer (99603), Seward (99664), and Sterling (99672).

Is Kalifornsky a city?
No. Kalifornsky is an unincorporated census-designated place, but with 8,286 residents at the 2020 census it is the borough’s most populous single community.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Alaska.