My family and I are thinking about moving. Alaska has come up in the discussions many times.

Those of you who live there...any suggestions? Pros? Cons? Anything at all is welcome and appreciated.

Thanks.

what? Texas nopt big enough for ya no more??

Nope - not big enough. Lots of stuff going on here that my family and I are tired of. I have been told by someone who lived in Alaska that it is probably more along the lines of what I am looking for, but I want more information from people who don't know me.

Its cold PM Boondawg he lives in Anchorage

I remember Boondawg saying how he doesnt get many fresh fruits like oranges. I think it would be a great place to live. I want to vacation there someday.

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Whataya wanna know?

If you like screwing around outside, like hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, snowmachining, boating, then this is heaven.
But remember, you are going to be living & driving in snow for 8 months a year.
Winters stay dark preaty much all the time.
That feeling of entrapment really gets to some people.
Alot of people turn to heavy drinking in the Winter months.
And you are fairly isolated from things you may now take for granted.
So for alot of stuff you are faced with huge shipping charges.
The friut & vegitables age exspensive and of poor quality.
There is some really nice fresh seafood.
The price of everything is preaty high, compaired to elsewhere in the U.S.
Mechanics get paid $12 to $30 bucks an hour in town. (more or less)

The people on the street are really friendly & helpful, but on the other hand you may go 3 years without ever talking to your next door neahbor. People tend to mind they bizness.

I would say, if you like spending alot of time outdoors with beauttiful sienery, this is the place for you.
But it's gonna cost ya.

Most people I have known that move up here from Texas last about 2-3 years.
They love the freedom, but hate the cold & isolation from the other states. It can really be quite crushing, and you can't just take off for the weekend to a warmer state. Theres only one road in & out. And it's longazz winds all the way through Canada before you get back to what you will come to think of as "civilazation".


Ask me anything you want.

[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 10-05-2006).]

quote Originally posted by Boondawg: Ask me anything you want.

OK.

If a train leaves Cicago, and it's traveling at 60MPH, and another train leaves.......................oh, nevermind.

quote Originally posted by Deabionni: OK. If a train leaves Cicago, and it's traveling at 60MPH, and another train leaves.......................oh, nevermind.

xi' = fi(x1, ... , xn; a1, ... , ar) (i = 1, ..., n)
xi' = fi(x1, ... , xn; a1, ... , ar)
xi" = fi(x1', ... , xn'; b1, ... , br)
xi" = fi{f1(x, a), ... , fn(x, a); b1, ... , br} = fi(x1, ... , xn; c1, ... , cr)

Is it all remote? I mean Anchorage (just naming a city) can't possibly survive without some type of commerical needs (restaurants, stores, etc). I know about the dark months and the cold, and while I can say now that they would not bother me, I am sure that as you say, other Texans last about 2 - 3 years, and I may or may not last longer or shorter than that.

What different types of companies are there? Is it mainly fishing and oil?

I understand that the cost of living is higher, and I love the outdoors...so this is worth considering for me, and I am really not sure what all to ask....

Thanks, and I don't mean to waste your time...I am just not sure what to expect. I have no problem with not seeing other people for some time (one fo the reasons I am thinking of going there).

quote Originally posted by Boondawg: But remember, you are going to be living & driving in snow for 8 months a year.

Eight months of winter and four months of poor sledding.

quote Originally posted by CenTexIndy: Is it all remote? I mean Anchorage (just naming a city) can't possibly survive without some type of commerical needs (restaurants, stores, etc). What different types of companies are there? Is it mainly fishing and oil?

No, it's like any other small city of 200,000.
There's lots of restaurants, stores, malls, bars, gyms, movie theaters, etc.
It's all here.

There are all kinds of companies.
It's really like any other city.
Just slightly limited.

Example:
The whole city only has 6 different CPU's and 8 different motherboards you can buy.
And that is between 7 stores.

It's stuff like that.
We have stuff, just not a large selection.

Jobs and pay (taking in to account the cost of living) are no better or no worse then anywhere else.

Here's what it comes down to:
Only move here if you enjoy spending your free time in the great outdoors.
That is the best thing (maybe the only thing) about living in Alaska.
If you like spending your free time that way, if that's what you like, there's no better place!
That doesn't mean the weather is perfect for that kind of thing, though.
Some people think, "The great outdoors, sunny, slight breeze, perfect!".
Most of the time out in the woods you will be cold, wet, windblown, ate up by bugs, and startled by wild animals.
It ain't manicured, or the "Disneyland kind" of great outdoors.
You can beat your way through brush that no man has ever walked before! (for good reason)

But hey, no snakes or deadly spiders, either!

In short, the only reason you would move here is for the sienery, outdoor activities, and wildlife.
That, and the legal weed & Eskimo pie.

Road Trips when I lived in Anchorage ( was there for 5 years ) consisted of headed North or South. If your headed North, there's Palmer and Wasilla; after that there's Fairbanks ( more or less )

South there's Homer and Seward....

Gets super boring after a while. Been to all places listed above...multiple times. Chicken too, that was fun. 12 pack of BUD was ~3o.oo

Fishin will SPOIL you for life. I laughed at the guys here locally that were talking of mounting fish that I'd use as bait.

Overall, not a bad place. Sell your large place in TX and in Anchorage it will buy you a small place from what I have heard - buddy up there says that his house has more than doubled in the last 4 years or so.

--Allen

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** Rice; it's what's COOKIN **

Have you ever driven in snow? Wait let me rephrase that. Have you ever driven in 12 feet of snow? Moving from Tahas would not suggest it. What's the coldest weather you are used too? 40 at the coldest? try -70 befor you take on the wind chill. Skin freezes instantly, Is that how you want to live? I'm sure it's not that bad everywhere in Alaska, but I can say I was there for a few months and thought I was going to freeze to death and I'm used to Indiana's Cold winters. The Darkness gets to you big time by the way. Kudo's to anyone that lives there I don't know how you do it.

Coming from someone who lives in the lower 48, and has been to Alaska, its a great place to be in the summer. Nothing like coming from Atlanta in June (usually 85* with 95% humidity, ugh), and flying to Anchorage where it only gets into the 60's and 70's. Also nothing like being up at 11pm, and the sun is still out like its 4pm. If you're into outdoor activities, its fantastic. I went Salmon fishing on the Kenai Peninsula and I went Halibut fishing just off of the Kenai. Very fun, and its nice being able to ship a years worth of fish back to Atlanta by Fedex.

I was only there a week, so I didn't really get to notice the day-to-day difficulties that Boondawg was trying to show. Its civilized, heck I even saw a Fiero in downtown Anchorage when I was there (may have been Boondawg's?). Anchorage is fairly large, it has mostly everything you could need. Heck, it even had an outback steakhouse and a movie theatre where I saw 1 of the Harry Potter movies when it came out. I also managed to get up to Fairbanks, it too is fairly civilized.

On the other hand, I don't think I could ever handle the winters there. Maybe in Juneau, I've heard its wetter there and less cold/snowy. I'm just too used to Georgia, where it never gets below 0 and we only get maybe 1 snowfall a year. Not to mention the long nights in Alaska.

never been to AK but it sounds like a nice place. if you are really thinking about moving there take a trip up there 1st.

i don't think i could handle the darkness. i work nights and in a few weeks daylight savings time will kick in. it will be getting dark when i get up and is always dark at 330 am. might not sound like a big deal but it really gets me down after a while. it can really mess with your head. i try to take off to vegas around feb/march for a few days.

I grew up and lived in Anchorage for 20 years. It is cold there (generally hovers about 20 degrees through the winter, will somethins drop to 30 below for a few days). The trouble is not really the cold though, it is the length of time that it is cold. As a kid I remember generally trick or treating in the snow, and the final snow being gone in May. Summer days dover around 70 degrees, seldom much warmer, often in the 60's. It rains a lot in the summer.

If you like cold or hunting and fishing, it is a good choice. If you don't, stay away.

I am surprised, no one has mentioned: The state pays every resident just for being there.

quote Originally posted by Electrathon: I am surprised, no one has mentioned: The state pays every resident just for being there.

We all figured that's a given, considering everything else that's been stated:

quote Originally posted by Electrathon: It is cold there (generally hovers about 20 degrees through the winter, will somethins drop to 30 below for a few days). The trouble is not really the cold though, it is the length of time that it is cold. As a kid I remember generally trick or treating in the snow, and the final snow being gone in May. Summer days hover around 70 degrees, seldom much warmer, often in the 60's. It rains a lot in the summer.

Being from Canada, it's great to be able to tease someone else for a change about the cold, miserable place they're from.

Anchorage is quite different than Fairbanks.

Right now it is 24 degrees farenheit and it snowed six inches at my house last saturday. The snow has mostly melted again on the flats, I live on a hill.

About five times a year I have to wait to use the out house due to moose and calf problems, sometimes they will spends thirty minutes stripping leaves off my shrubberies. Last winter a moose with twins spent three days eating and sleeping within two hundred yards of my house. I keep my distance 'cause the mom will kill anybody that spooks her calf.

Bowhunting only in the valley, but a longer season than the rifle areas.

I live at 1100', the flats are 450' elevation. The inversion line is about 800 feet, below the line reaches -60 f, above the line stays 20 to 30 degrees warmer. Pay the extra money and live in the hills.

Pot is legal, kinda. If you are caught in public with it, a fifty dollar fine and they take the pot. If for some reason the police come to your house and find it (where technically you are allowed two ounces) they take the dope and don't give it back. No fine.

Live on moose meat for awhile and beef will start tasting flat, no flavor and no texture.

Fishing is better down by Anchorage. The salmon have to swim 2000 miles upstream to get here and are pretty beat up by then. Northern Pike are smaller, but have firmer meat and aren't as greasy as our local salmon. Harder to catch though.

Darkness is hard for most to get used to, cabin fever is real. I personally have a 'light room' with 22 flourescent fixtures in it. Spending an hour a day reading in the room sure does improve my outlook. For those susceptible to Seasonal Affctive Disorder a light room is a must, others do fine without. Can't know which you are until you've spent a winter in the dark, kinda like space sickness, you only find out when you get there.

Its the people that make it worthwhile, The tougher the living the better the people. Nobody just stands around or drives past trouble, neighbors depend on each other, and sometimes it is life or death. That is a feeling I really noticed was lacking in my two years in the states, knowing that help is only as far away as the next person to come by.

I ramble, Anchorage has ninety percent of Alaska's population, but isn't large populations one of the things to get away from?

quote Originally posted by Phaeton: I live at 1100', the flats are 450' elevation. The inversion line is about 800 feet, below the line reaches -60 f, above the line stays 20 to 30 degrees warmer. Pay the extra money and live in the hills.

That's really interesting. I would've thought that the higher you go, the colder it would be.

quote Originally posted by Patrick: That's really interesting. I would've thought that the higher you go, the colder it would be.

Around here, it's closer to the sun!

Inversion, the normal temp patterns are reversed for a few hundred feet, trapping the cold against the ground. Down on the flats I can drive where the road dips down through old slough beds and the temp will drop enough to make the car body ping as the metal cools. The air flowing in the low spot will be ten to fifteen degrees cooler. The warms somewhat with elevation, but the line where the inversion stops is a definite line, trees are frost free above the line and white below it.

Interesting things a -40 and colder:

I remember stories about how a cup of water thrown in the air at -60 would freeze before it hits the ground. Well, during my time in Fort Yukon (eight miles north of the arctic circle) I tried it with a cup of hot coffee at -70. There was a very audible hissing and a large cloud of steam, but nothing hit the ground at all, every bit of it evaporated in the air.
No plumbing up there either at that time, Use your imagination, oh, and watch out for the out house stump during the 24/7 darkness.

A styrofoam cup of motor oil (dino) can be cut in half sideways and the next morning the oil will be bulging on the cut side but will not have run out.

Butane will not boil and can be used as a solvent in the open air.

The spring ice carving show now attracts competitors from several countries. Walking through the park under 15 and 20 foot ice sculptures is like being shrunk and placed into a jewelry box. (this is in Fairbanks)

Northern lights at fifty below, the clarity has to be seen, and if the village generators are shut down the lights whisper just loud enough to be heard.

I obviously like it here, but I have a minor phobia of groups of people. Most folks just visit, too cold, too dark, too isolated, too hard to get anything done during the short summer. So they leave. Romance turns to hard reality and it is not for everyone.

quote Originally posted by Phaeton: Inversion, the normal temp patterns are reversed for a few hundred feet, trapping the cold against the ground. Down on the flats I can drive where the road dips down through old slough beds and the temp will drop enough to make the car body ping as the metal cools. The air flowing in the low spot will be ten to fifteen degrees cooler. The warms somewhat with elevation, but the line where the inversion stops is a definite line, trees are frost free above the line and white below it.

We get “inversions” here as well, but it’s a temporary situation (maybe a week or so) where air pollution is trapped at ground level in the Fraser River valley (which includes Vancouver). It normally occurs during the hottest days of the summer. The inversion you speak of sounds a little different, but it’s probably somehow related.

quote Originally posted by Phaeton: Interesting things a -40 and colder...

Fascinating stuff. Thanks!