Guest, Sign inJoin
Compare towns

Gateway vs Farm Loop

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

×
Gateway, AKKnown for its schoolsAlaska · 6,845 people
×
Farm Loop, AKAn outdoors townAlaska · 2,894 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
GatewayFarm Loop
Snow a year50″83″
January low7°F9°F
July high68°F66°F
Growing season (days)127d114d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st85th
Outdoors & history
GatewayFarm Loop
Trails45 mi2 mi
Conserved land10.4%3.8%
National Register places—2
Community
GatewayFarm Loop
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

Gateway and Farm Loop share a border

Straight-line miles between town centers.

GatewayFarm LoopGatewayFarm Loop
Gateway ↔ Farm Loop5.2 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.

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

GatewayFarm Loop
People
Population 6,845Highest 2,894Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.5%Lowest AK: +3.3% +167.2%Highest AK: +3.3%
Median age 33.8±2.2Lowest 6% below AK 40.2±2.3Highest 12% above AK
Kids under 18 33.7%±2.4Highest AK: 24.1% 24.5%±3.6Lowest AK: 24.1%
Age 65+ 9.5%±1.6Lowest AK: 13.8% 14.7%±1.3Highest AK: 13.8%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 35%Lowest AK: 31.7% 37.4%Highest AK: 31.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.6%±1.6Highest AK: 4.9% 5.1%±1.9Lowest 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 $137,772±$20kHighest 48% above AK $119,375±$22kLowest 29% 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 $446,200±$22kHighest 26% above AK $431,300±$24kLowest 22% 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 $1,741±$222Lowest 23% above AK $1,991±$231Highest 40% 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 $5,033Highest 29% above AK $3,904Lowest about the AK average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 34.8%±17.3Lowest AK: 44.6% 56%±21.3Highest 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 4.5%Lowest AK: 10.1% 5.7%Highest AK: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 81.5%Lowest AK: 66.8% 88.3%Highest AK: 66.8%
Typical home builtmedian year 2003Highest 17 yrs newer than AK 1999Lowest 13 yrs newer than AK
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 34 minHighest 77% above AK 29 minLowest 47% above AK
Work from home 15.2%±4.8Highest AK: 9.7% 12.9%±4.5Lowest 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 10.4%Highest 3.8%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 44.5 miHighest 1.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 2.4 miHighest 0.2 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 1Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 15.7Highest 13.2Lowest
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.

Gateway neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Gateway’s Town Square.

Farm Loop neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Farm Loop’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Gateway and Farm Loop

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Gateway

Towns like Gateway

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.

Post to Gateway

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in