Wasilla!: The list of reasons why people live, work and play in Wasilla is a long one

Snowmachining and competitive dog sled racing, paired with a burgeoning marketplace and a focus on increasing family activities makes Wasilla one of the greatest places to live in the Valley.

Wasilla, one of the largest communities in the borough, has served as the ceremonial starting point for the Tesoro Iron Dog race, the world's longest and toughest snowmachine race, for the past several years. The official starting point for the race is on Big Lake. Teams of two snowmachiners bust through and across snow and ice, covering nearly 2,000 miles from Wasilla to Nome and back to Fairbanks. This year, things will change a little as Wasilla serves instead as the end point for the grueling race.

While Wasilla acts as the ceremonial start for the Tesoro Iron Dog race, it has been the real starting point -- or restart -- for the Iditarod Sled Dog race several times throughout the race's history. Lack of snow in the city and along portions of the trail can sometimes necessitate a move north for the last great sled dog race, but Wasilla has been the spot event organizers have looked to first as a staging area for the race's big kickoff.

In addition to hosting events that attract worldwide attention, Wasilla is home to businesses attracting their own share of attention. The big box stores in the area -- Wal-Mart and Fred Meyer, for example, routinely outperform sister stores around Alaska and in other states. And other businesses, such as Cameron Birch Syrup & Confections, are gaining recognition on a worldwide scale.

Marlene Cameron, the owner of the Wasilla business, is working to obtain organic certification for her product from the European Union to increase her ability to market overseas. Cameron was recognized this spring by the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce for her accomplishments in exporting.

The city's business and tourism growth has been linked by many to the willingness of city leaders to provide a stable economy for local businesses and residents.

A focus on increasing infrastructure and a willingness to tackle a project head on have driven the city under former mayor Sarah Palin's guidance, and that focus has changed little with the shift in leadership to former council member Dianne Keller.

One project that will carry into Keller's administration will be a list of improvements yet to be completed at the city's Iditapark. The park, the historic starting point of the Iditarod and once the city's airport, is now home to several different recreational facilities including a community-built children's play area, tennis courts, basketball courts, a BMX dirt track, a state-of-the-art skate park and a memorial dedicated to veterans. Other facilities are being planned, such as the Garden of Reflection for those who have lost loved ones.

The city is working toward a new, indoor recreational area that will support an indoor ice rink in addition to other potential indoor activities and a space for meetings and larger-scale events such as concerts and graduations.

The work of the city leaders, coupled with the drive of the marketplace and Alaska beauty that makes the area a natural setting for events such as two of the world's leading winter races, makes Wasilla an attractive place to live, work and play.