SOLDOTNA INFORMATION

HISTORY

Soldotna's first homesteaders were World War II veterans who were given a 90-day preference over non-veterans in choosing and filing for land.  Transportation to the area was difficult, some flew or took a barge to Kenai, then hiked eleven miles to Soldotna, while others took a train to Moose Pass and sloshed seventy miles through the mud.

The city of Soldotna took its name from the existing Soldotna Creek that empties into the Kenai River.  Some say “Soldotna” came from the Russian word meaning, “soldier”.  Others say it is from an Athabascan Indian word meaning the “stream fork.”

In 1949, Soldotna obtained a post office.  In 1952, residents formed a Community Club and the Chamber of Commerce.  Soldotna became a fourth-class City in 1960 and, in 1967, obtained its current first-class status.

The city of Soldotna developed ten miles east of Kenai, and the two cities share an integrated economy while maintaining their unique independent characters.  The two are often referred to as the “Twin Cities.”

Today, Soldotna is the thriving hub of the Kenai Peninsula.  Located 150 road miles south of Anchorage at the strategic junction of the Sterling and Kenai Spur Highway, and ten miles from Kenai, Soldotna holds the administrative headquarters of the Kenai Peninsula Borough and the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District.