Best Places99645, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99645, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
99645 ranks 5,517th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99645
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
99645's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99645 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Household income$103,304 median, better than 82% of zip codes
Where 99645 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,157 a month, better than only 21% of zip codes
- Short commute31.2 minutes each way, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99645
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99645 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $103,304, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 99645's effective rate of 0.89%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99645
99645 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 99645.
Who works in 99645, and how
Work in 99645 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 99645
The coast is about 20 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 99645, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 99645, month by month
99645 sees roughly 122 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 71 degrees. January highs sit near 27, with lows near 10. The comfortable stretch runs June through August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 18° | 10° |
| April | 50° | 40° | 29° |
| July | 71° | 60° | 51° |
| October | 46° | 37° | 30° |
Flying in and out of 99645
The nearest airport, Merrill Field, is about 35 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 41 miles away.
The best schools in and around 99645
Schools across 99645 average a B−, better than 51% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Academy Charter SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Pioneer Peak ElementaryA · 68% proficient
- Fred And Sara Machetanz Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Teeland Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Colony Middle SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Palmer Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
Top high schools
- Colony High SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Palmer High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Wasilla High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 99645 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
99645 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 99645 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 99645 suits
Families
Schools land around the 51st percentile and crime safety beats 94%.
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 11% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 99645
Is 99645 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99645 ranks 5,517th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, clean air, and heat safety, and lowest on cell coverage and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 99645 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $371,942. The overall cost of living runs about 18% above the national average. Set against a $103,304 median income, cost of living beats 56% of zip codes.
Is 99645 safe?
Yes, 99645 is safer than 94% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $272 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 99645?
July highs average about 71 degrees, and January highs near 27 with lows near 10. That works out to about 122 pleasant days a year, more than 76% of zip codes.
Is 99645 good for families?
Schools beat 51% of zip codes, crime safety beats 94%, and childcare runs $1,157 a month.
Compare 99645 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99645. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99645 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
99645 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99645: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99645: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99645: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99645: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99645 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.