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Farm Loop vs Gateway

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (24.7× in Gateway) and growth since 2010 (+163.7 pts in Farm Loop).

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Farm Loop, AKAn outdoors townAlaska · 2,894 people
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Gateway, AKKnown for its schoolsAlaska · 6,845 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Life in each

Farm Loop gets 33 more inches of snow a year

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
Farm LoopGateway
Snow a year83″50″
January low9°F7°F
July high66°F68°F
Growing season (days)114d127d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)85th91st
Outdoors & history
Farm LoopGateway
Trails2 mi45 mi
Conserved land3.8%10.4%
National Register places2—
Community
Farm LoopGateway
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

Farm Loop and Gateway share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Farm LoopGatewayFarm LoopGateway
Farm Loop ↔ Gateway5.2 miles apart · They share a border
Monthly cost

A typical home costs $170 more a month in Gateway

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Farm Loop$2,590/mo
Typical home $431K (Census) · tax rate 0.91% · or rent about $1,991/mo · Housing →
Gateway$2,760/mo
Typical home $446K (Census) · tax rate 1.13% · or rent about $1,741/mo · Housing →

The difference: $170 a month, about $2,100 a year, between Gateway and Farm Loop.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Gateway places higher on 9 of 18 AK lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Alaska ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Farm LoopGateway
People
Population 2,894Lowest 6,845Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +167.2%Highest AK: +3.3% +3.5%Lowest AK: +3.3%
Median age 40.2±2.3Highest 12% above AK 33.8±2.2Lowest 6% below AK
Kids under 18 24.5%±3.6Lowest AK: 24.1% 33.7%±2.4Highest AK: 24.1%
Age 65+ 14.7%±1.3Highest AK: 13.8% 9.5%±1.6Lowest AK: 13.8%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 37.4%Highest AK: 31.7% 35%Lowest AK: 31.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.1%±1.9Lowest AK: 4.9% 5.6%±1.6Highest AK: 4.9%
Gateway and Farm Loop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $119,375±$22kLowest 29% above AK $137,772±$20kHighest 48% above AK
Gateway and Farm Loop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $431,300±$24kLowest 22% above AK $446,200±$22kHighest 26% above AK
Gateway and Farm Loop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,991±$231Highest 40% above AK $1,741±$222Lowest 23% above AK
Farm Loop and Gateway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $3,904Lowest about the AK average $5,033Highest 29% above AK
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56%±21.3Highest AK: 44.6% 34.8%±17.3Lowest AK: 44.6%
Farm Loop and Gateway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 5.7%Highest AK: 10.1% 4.5%Lowest AK: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 88.3%Highest AK: 66.8% 81.5%Lowest AK: 66.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 1999Lowest 13 yrs newer than AK 2003Highest 17 yrs newer than AK
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 29 minLowest 47% above AK 34 minHighest 77% above AK
Work from home 12.9%±4.5Lowest AK: 9.7% 15.2%±4.8Highest AK: 9.7%
Gateway and Farm Loop are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 3.8%Lowest 10.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.8 miLowest 44.5 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 miLowest 2.4 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 3Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 13.2Lowest 15.7Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#22 of 34 in AK
School district —Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
High school in town —Colony High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 20.4
Alaska average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Farm Loop neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Farm Loop’s Town Square.

Gateway neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gateway’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Farm Loop and Gateway

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Bordering Farm Loop

Towns like Farm Loop

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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