Word: wasilla
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 2000-2009
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
This tiny town wedged between the Chugach and Talkeetna mountain ranges has intrigued the whole country since John McCain's surprise Friday announcement that Wasilla's favorite daughter, Sarah Palin, would be his running mate. Sure, some of the interest was a prelude to attacks on Palin's readiness for national office. But Wasilla also offered a welcome chance to get specific about the geography of a politician. It's one of our most cherished myths, that a leader can come from somewhere and you can guess at their qualities not just by what they say, but by where they...
...Friday night, and there have got to be 500 people packed into the Sluice Box, a beer-soaked clapboard honky-tonk at the Alaska State Fair - the state's biggest event all year - just down the highway from Governor Sarah Palin's hometown of Wasilla. The legendary Hobo Jim, Alaska's official state balladeer, the guy who has opened sessions of the legislature with a song, is onstage, working blue...
...Palins certainly seem to fit into Wasilla, which has just over 7,000 inhabitants. This town has grown east and west along the railroad, becoming the fastest-growing community in the state. Many credit Palin with helping that expansion, though critics say it is a textbook case of unchecked suburban sprawl. As mayor, she pushed property taxes down to miniscule amounts, and the low 2.5% sales tax has enticed big box retailers like WalMart and Target to come...
...Normal small-town life for the First Dude and his wife is over. Even as Governor, Palin was still spotted at the market, driving her SUV around town, or worshiping at the nondenominational Wasilla Bible Church. On Friday afternoon, I was able to just pick up the phone and call Palin's parents, who live in town. They had just heard the news Friday morning themselves; they had been out caribou hunting and gold mining - how Alaska is that? - so there wasn't any advance warning for them. Her mother Sally told me this before remembering that...
...when Marty and Cheryl Metiva, a power couple in town (he's on city council, running for mayor, and she leads the Chamber of Commerce), take me up the Palin's driveway to look at the house, we are met by police officers in two Wasilla patrol cars, who then spend a while copying down our drivers license information. "We're on watch now, you bet," one of the officers said with a smile...