Kenai takes its name from the Athabaskan word for a treeless meadow. This makes sense since this town is located in the flats of the Kenai Peninsula where the mighty Kenai River meets the Cook Inlet.
Kenai is only a half-hour flight from Alaska's biggest city, Anchorage, but the scenery and wildlife will knock your socks off
Kenai takes its name from the Athabaskan word for a treeless meadow. This makes sense since this town is located in the flats of the Kenai Peninsula where the mighty Kenai River meets the Cook Inlet.
Kenai is only a half-hour flight from Alaska's biggest city, Anchorage, but the scenery and wildlife will knock your socks off. A big little city of just over 7,000, Kenai is both an oil and gas production center and a mecca for those who love to pull out their own, tasty Alaskan salmon out of the blue water. A Russian trade center for many years, Kenai retains historical vestiges of both its native Alaskan and Russian cultural heritage.
Moving to Kenai
Although Kenai has its own airport, the three-hour drive from Anchorage is spectacularly scenic if you have the time. It's a fun way to arrive.
Kenai's climate will be a pleasant surprise to anyone who thinks of Alaska winters as long, dark and freezing. The town is located in southern Alaska, so you will rarely see below-zero weather; even in the generally cold month of January, the temperature averages 16 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kenai has about 3,000 dwelling units, and a full quarter of these are small, independently owned apartment units, so whether you are looking for apartment rentals, duplexes for rent or townhouses for rent, you should be able to find whatever it is you need. On the other hand, there aren't many all bills paid apartments since utility costs tend to be high. Most rentals require you to pay your own heating costs. However, it will please you to know that both house prices and apartment prices are some 20 percent lower than the average for this expensive state. Prepare yourself for a little shaking up, since the earthquake activity in this town is some 2,800 percent of the U.S. average, but don't worry too much about it; earthquakes have not caused much damage in the region despite their frequency.
Neighborhoods
While Kenai doesn't have distinct neighborhoods, it can roughly be divided up into two parts: town and rural. The residential units divide up with about two-thirds in the former category and one-third in the latter.
Town dwellings tend to cluster along the north side of the mouth of the Kenai River, just below the airport in an area termed downtown Kenai or City Center. This is the area of town where you can walk to restaurants and shopping centers, and Kenai does boast a few malls of its own. This area is particularly convenient for getting to work as well. Residents of the city-center area of Kenai have one of the shortest commutes in the country since a large majority of those residing here arrive at work less than 15 minutes after stepping out of their front doors.
If you are one of those romantic, old-fashioned souls who moves to Alaska for more elbow room, you're in luck in Kenai; there are a lot that fit the bill. Look at homes or small Kenai apartment complexes up the Kenai Spur Highway. The entire region above the City Center is sometimes called the Possession neighborhood. The area is very rural, even by Alaskan standards, with big yards, wide-open spaces, and only 6.38 people per square mile. You may have a better chance finding a rental here than in the City Center since over 20 percent of the housing units are generally vacant, but you have to factor in the seasonal use of the homes. Lots of folks living in big-city Alaska (read: Anchorage) like to keep a Kenai place for summer salmon fishing.
Living in Kenai
You'll love living in Kenai if you are the type of person who loves nature and outdoor activities. Culture and museum freaks might not be as happy. Fishing is king in Kenai, and even if you weren't a fishing fan in your previous life, Kenai might persuade you. The Kenai River has king salmon that can only be called enormous. If someone tells you she reeled in a fish close to 100 pounds, it is not necessarily a fisherman's tall tale. In fact, the salmon caught in the river near Kenai are so big that the general trophy weight here is bigger than anywhere else in the state. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game gives you trophy certification if you pull out a 50-pound salmon anywhere else, but in Kenai, you won't get it certified unless it weighs 75 pounds or more.
Even if fishing is not your thing, you can find a hundred other exceptional outdoor pursuits. It is a great place for bird watching. The mouth of the Kenai provides bird-watching opportunities year round, but it is especially exciting in spring and fall as migratory birds pass through.
And no matter how long you live in the area, you won't exhaust the possibilities in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, a two-million-acre refuge on the western half of the Kenai Peninsula. This wetlands area is perfect for canoeing and viewing wildlife, like browsing moose. Trout fishing is excellent in the lakes within the refuge, and many remote campgrounds are available like the ones at Rainbow Lake and Watson Lake. Most do not charge camping fees.
You can treat the kids to a fun indoor adventure by taking them to the North Peninsula Recreation Area Nikiski Pool, located about 10 minutes by car from City Center on the Kenai Spur Road. This exceptional facility offers a large pool with a 136-foot water slide under a dome. You can luxuriate in a hot tub and keep an eye on the pool below.
