In the 1970 's lots of newcomers to Alaska came to Anchorage . Later on a lot of them moved to the Matanuska Valley to live an `` Alaskan country '' lifestyle . In the 1970s relatively large numbers of newcomers to Alaska came to Anchorage , then relocated 40 m up the Glenn Highway to the largely rural Matanuska Valley where a `` Alaskan country '' lifestyle pervades .