From Alaska’s MudFlats blog:
“Before her meteoric rise to political success as governor, just two short years ago Sarah Palin was the mayor of Wasilla.
“I had a good chuckle at MSN.com’s claim that she had been the mayor of “Wasilla City”. It is not a city. Just Wasilla.
“Wasilla is the heart of the Alaska “Bible belt”.
“Sarah was raised amongst the tribe that believes creationism should be taught in our public schools, homosexuality is a sin, and life begins at conception.
“She’s a gun-toting, hang ‘em high conservative.
“Remember…this is where her approval ratings come from. [currently 67% in a fully red state]
“… a picture of lovely downtown Wasilla, for those of you unfamiliar with the area.
“Behind the Mug-Shot Saloon … is a little strip mall. There are street signs in Wasilla with bullet holes in them.
“Wasilla has a population of about 5500 people, and 1979 occupied housing units. This is where your potential Vice President was two short years ago.
“Can you imagine her negotiating a nuclear non-proliferation treaty? Discussing foreign policy? Understanding non-Alaskan issues? Frankly, I don’t even know if she’s ever been out of the country.
“She may ‘get’ Alaska, but there are only a half a million people here.”
“Don’t get me wrong….I love Alaska with all my heart. I’m just saying.”
Another Alaskan says, “Obama is Churchill compared to Palin“.
The Governor of Alaska can afford to paint in broad strokes. Alaska’s issues tend to be big and wide, like the state. Even so, Governor Palin has made some expected rookie missteps: the firing of our top cop amidst a scandal surrounding a rogue state trooper who Palin’s ex-brother-in-law is the latest. Sarah is still learning her chops. She is the former mayor of Wasilla, an entirely pleasant patch of near wilderness between Anchorage and Fairbanks. She walked out of the woods to become governor.
Here’s another first person report from Wasilla: Sarah Palin was my mayor
Today, [after] Sarah Palin’s leadership, Wasilla has become the picture of exurban sprawl: an explosion in the housing stock, tons of new highway expansion, tons of new big box stores and fast food franchises, and absolutely 0 sustainability. Combined with a lack of zoning, and a predilection for building open-pit gravel mines all over the place, and Wasilla could be the poster-town for bad municipal leadership.
Wasilla, like a lot of Alaska, is defined by its remoteness. It is a 45 mile drive from Anchorage, yet functions primarily as a bedroom community.
Alaska town grew under Palin’s tenure, Associated Press, Kodiak Daily Mirror
Wasilla is the type of frontier town where people are comfortable driving around in full- and super-sized pickups.
Many times, these trucks are hauling trailers loaded with camouflaged four-wheelers as they prepare to go fall moose hunting or boats for salmon fishing on many of the nearby rivers and creeks.
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But the town still has a frontier feel about it; residents can even stop in the Mug Shot Saloon for a cold one.But the city’s rapid growth combined with Alaska’s short construction season means news buildings went up fast. These are sturdy, practical buildings meant more to endure the winter than please the eye.
To be honest, with boxy, basic and unadorned structures and unattractive strip malls, Wasilla doesn’t handsome up much.
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With growth has come national retailers. In the last decade, the city has attracted numerous big-box stores including Target, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Home Depot, Lowe’s, a Super Wal-Mart, and now a Costco is being built.
With each ingredient on sale in Wasilla, here’s Sarah Palin’s Recipe for Middle East Peace.