The Mat-Su (Matanuska-Susitna) Valley is beautiful. Mountains visible just about any direction you look and close enough to be a long day trip to both Seward and Denali. Wasilla is the most town-like, tho’ despite the strip mall atmosphere that was allowed to grow up along a stretch of the Parks Highway, is still a nice little town, not at all like the critics painted it during the Presidential election. That said, yep, definitely quirky, very small town mentality at times, but still a nice place to live. Palmer has retained more of the “old Alaska” feel, remembering that “old Alaska” isn’t that old, but is having growing pains, too. It has more of a rural feel to it, tho’, but the winds over there can be fierce. Willow is about thirty miles up Parks Hwy. and there really isn’t much there, tho’ if you’re into dog mushing, that’s the place to be. Talkeetna, well, think “Northern Exposure”. It’s just a cool place, I love visiting there, tho’ not close to things for convenience. There are cetainly other places to look into, like Big Lake and Houston (yep, Alaska has a Houston, too), and small, rural areas like Butte, as well as looking north to Sutton. Not sure off the top of my head if Glennallen is in the Valley or not, but may be. Again, nice and more rural than a place like even Palmer, but not convenient.