Small Town in the Spotlight
by
Chad news
Story Created:
Sep 2, 2008 at 10:36 PM AKST
Story Updated:
Oct 12, 2010 at 4:06 PM AKST
More than 70,000 visitors head to Wasilla for the Iditarod every year -- already drawing worldwide-attention. Of course, now is a little different.
Wasilla is one of the fastest growing towns in the state and in the top ten percent in the nation, but nothing could have prepared this small town for a boom like this. Their former mayor picked to be the Republican U.S. vice-presidential candidate.
Liberty Beaulieu lives in Wasilla. "The excitement of having Wasilla put on the map nation wide, everybody hearing about it and seeing what it looks like, and just having a little small town community kind of in the spotlight a little bit."
Home to 7,000 Alaskans, servicing 80,000 more around the mat-su valley, and home to McCain's running-mate. Wasilla has been a magnet for national media -- curious with the rest of the country -- wondering who Sarah Palin is and where she comes from.
Deja Franco says, "it is very interesting sometimes i think that you know, when i watch the news and I'm like 'is this really happening?' It's very exciting to see such a little town like this be so public."
Since last Friday's announcement, the Wasilla chamber of commerce says there have been over 50 media outlets calling in -- just trying to get an understanding of an area the size of West Virginia.
Cheryl Mativa is with the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce. "Certainly our community was not prepared for this onslaught of worldwide attention, so we are stepping up to the plate and everyone's getting their bearings and it's okay, it's alright."
Mativa says most questions are about Wasilla's population, demographics, and weather -- even Gov. Palin's stint as Miss Wasilla back in 1984.
