Small town, big services

Homer may be a small community, but it has some big-city amenities that visitors might not expect, including South Peninsula Hospital, which recently was remodeled and expanded, and Kachemak Bay Campus, a branch of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Part of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, Homer has three elementary schools, a middle school, two high schools — Homer High School and Homer Flex School — and a charter school that serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade.

All the communities of the southern Kenai Peninsula have active senior citizen groups. Homer Senior Citizens Inc. serves lunch Monday through Friday at its complex on 3935 Svedlund.

Homer takes great pride in its library, located at 500 Hazel Ave. If you're looking for a wifi connection, a good read or a quiet hour or two, you'll find it here.

Other city-provided services include police and fire protection, a variety of parks, as well as water and sewer. The city also runs the animal shelter at 4060 Heath St. Homer's City Hall is located at 491 E. Pioneer Ave. The Kenai Peninsula Borough also has an office in Homer at 206 E. Pioneer Ave. The borough runs the landfill located at 169.3 Sterling Highway, north of Homer.

There are a number of different banking services available in Homer, including Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, First National Bank of Alaska and Wells Fargo.

For shipping needs, UPS, Federal Express and the U.S. Postal Service all provide service in Homer. The post office is located at 3658 Heath St.