Want to move from Vermont to Salcha Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks: crime rate, appliances)

[vt2007]

We are selling our house in rural Vermont, and would like to fullfill our dream of moving with our three kids to Alaska. We have talked to a realtor from Fairbanks and are really interested in Sulcha Alaska. We spent two weeks in Alaska's interior Denali North Pole and Tok areas, back in 2006.
Our concerns/questions are, My husband has worked in a salvage yard and mechanic for the past several years, is there jobs available like this in that area or nearby North Pole or Moose Creek? I have a veggie garden here, but was wondering do you need to plant in all raised beds or greenhouses there? One of the houses we were looking at uses solar panels how effective is that in the shorter winter months?`We were hoping if someone from around the Salcha area or had visited there could give us an idea of what the people community and town were like?
Thanks alot we would really appreciate the info.

[RayinAK]

Well, you must be aware that Salcha is right by Eielson AFB, and it can get quite noisy when military aircraft are landing or taking off, specially during Red Flag (perhaps a week ago). Then on the side of Salcha near the Tanana, a lot of these areas are prone to floods, so you have to be very careful where you buy a home. If you still buy a home there, make sure that the house is not in the flood areas.

In relation to gardening, it's vey possible to grow vegetables during the summer (potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, and a few other veggies), specially if you can build a green house. Otherwise you will have to plan along the weather. We have had a lot of very warm days in the past two weeks, but this evening the temperature is around 58 degrees. Some summers can be quite nice with a lot of sunny days with rain in between, and this makes for good farming. But some other summers it's cool, and it can frost in May or June, and then by late August. It means that you must keep an ear on the weather forecast and be ready to cover your plants with plastic sheeting to prevent the frost from killing them. That's why a green house can be so handy.

In relation to jobs, while the AK economy is not as bad as a lot of other places, there are plenty of workers waiting inline for employment. Maybe your husband can come up here alone for a visit, and try to find work before bringing the rest of the family to this area. You won't believe how expensive it's in Alaska unless you experience it by yourself. Just driving to Fairbanks each day can cost a lot of cash on fuel. For example, I drive a Honda Civic Si to work and back (I live outside Fairbanks), and drive nearly 50 miles each day. A gallon of fuel costs around $3.49 to $3.59. Form Salcha to Fairbanks it would be perhaps 25 to 35 miles one-way. When the temperature drops to -40 it can get quite difficult for some people, specially newcomers who don't have good jobs.

It's a lot easier for military members and their families since the military pays for their move up here, and there are plenty of military housing for them to move into. Besides, the active military member already has a job waiting. Not so for a lot of people who just move to Alaska, and that first move can be quite costly.

By the way, while stationed at Plattsburgh AFB, my wife and I used to drive around Lake Champlain to Burlington and back. My youngest son was born at the hospital in there. The whole Northern areas of NY and Vermont are quite beautiful.

[vt2007]

RayinAk,
Hi, Thanks for replying. I get that jobs are precious everywhere , I think its a sound idea to have him go ahead of us and find a job. One of the homes we looked at on the description said flood zone A do you know what that means is it more likely to flood or has flooded in the past? Yes Vermont is very pretty But we are not moving for a change of scenary (thats a bonus) or even economic reasons we want a different way of life for our family. We have some friends up there that say its a wonderful place to raise a family. You mentioned children what were your experiances raising a family in Alaska would you recommend it would they?

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by vt2007

RayinAk,
Hi, Thanks for replying. I get that jobs are precious everywhere , I think its a sound idea to have him go ahead of us and find a job. One of the homes we looked at on the description said flood zone A do you know what that means is it more likely to flood or has flooded in the past? Yes Vermont is very pretty But we are not moving for a change of scenary (thats a bonus) or even economic reasons we want a different way of life for our family. We have some friends up there that say its a wonderful place to raise a family. You mentioned children what were your experiances raising a family in Alaska would you recommend it would they?

1. In reality it's a lot easier (cheaper) to raise a family in Vermont than it's in Alaska, and the reasons are as follows:

a. The crime rate in Vermont is quite low compared to Alaska
b. The cost of living is quite low (I will follow with an explanation)
c. The weather is quite mild, which is good for farming, and for home-heating
d. More hospitals and clinics, shopping centers, schools, etc. (easy access)
e. Cheaper fuel, and shorter driving distances


2. These are only a few things I can think of, and will explain them as follows:

a. While Alaska is not as populated as Vermont, the crime rate is quite high per capita. Crime relating to drug use and market is quite high in Alaska; it has always been that way. The same thing relating to "sexual" crime of all kinds

b. The cost of living is extremely high in Alaska, regardless of what some people in this forum may say. I have lived in Alaska for over 30 years, retired from the military years ago, and already planning on my second retirement within 7 years. My wife and I make pretty good money, we are frugal with it, but the bills can be quite high. For example:

-Electric bill for a 1700-foot well-insulated house that has HE washer and dryer (around $127.00 per month)

-Telephone landline (~$24.00 plus taxes), and about the same for an ACS DSL modem of low speed

-Heating fuel ($400.00 to $500.00) when fuel is under $4.00 per gallon

-Gasoline in Salcha (just near Salcha Marine ($3.49 this week, but could cost a lot more sometimes). I stop-by at this gas station on my way to Delta (cheaper than North Pole)

-Septic tank pumping (~around $350.00 per year on good-client discount). Septic systems usually last around eight years in this area, and a new one can cost from $3,000 to $6,000 depending on the size of the family

-Since you have to drive several miles to shop groceries or anything else in Fairbanks, the cost of fuel can add up quite a lot, on top of the high price of food. Also, the cold temperatures make your vehicle double fuel consumption (something we forget to mention in this forum)

c. The weather in Vermont is nothing compared to the interior of AK. While in Vermont you can have a very nice and productive parcel of land to farm the whole long summer, in the interior you can't depend on the garden for food. Well, you can depend on it, but you have to pay a lot of attention to the weather forecast, and the planting season is quite short (perhaps from late june to the end of August or so if the summer is long). But on a cool summer some plants just won't be as productive unless you can keep them covered from the cold weather). In Alaska your home needs a boiler or furnace to heat the home for quite a long time during the winter, and also to heat the domestic water all year long (unless you have an electric water heater just for this water, but electricity is quite expensive up here. Not so in Vermont)

d. While in Vermont you have roads everywhere leading to hospitals, clinics, supermarkets, and so forth, that's not the case in Alaska. The nearest hospitals are in fairbanks, which is located around 25 to 35 miles from Salcha (depending on where in Salcha)

e. So, the cheaper cost of gasoline in Vermont, and easy access to all the places I mentioned above, can save you quite a lot of money, regardless of how much you earn over there. Lets say that in AK you earn twice your wages in Vermont. Even so you will spend at least twice as much or more in Alaska than in Vermont.

I have only mentioned a few things that you will have to contend with, which is something to think about as the economy continues its downturn. This economy will sooner or later affect all of us.

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by vt2007

We are selling our house in rural Vermont, and would like to fullfill our dream of moving with our three kids to Alaska. We have talked to a realtor from Fairbanks and are really interested in Sulcha Alaska. We spent two weeks in Alaska's interior Denali North Pole and Tok areas, back in 2006.
Our concerns/questions are, My husband has worked in a salvage yard and mechanic for the past several years, is there jobs available like this in that area or nearby North Pole or Moose Creek? I have a veggie garden here, but was wondering do you need to plant in all raised beds or greenhouses there? One of the houses we were looking at uses solar panels how effective is that in the shorter winter months?`We were hoping if someone from around the Salcha area or had visited there could give us an idea of what the people community and town were like?
Thanks alot we would really appreciate the info.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough has high taxes, you may want to live outside their grasp. I've heard Tok has some of the coldest weather in Alaska. The Interior is certainly a cold place. The Fairbanks Extension service (USDA) has a lot of info. available on growing various things up there, a starting point anyways. You'll want to invest in clear plastic...

BTW: it's interesting, your location is Hubbardton. One of my ancestors fought in the Battle of Hubbardton. That's still a pretty nice area, not very developed still. I went turkey hunting there this spring, at the battlefield.

[stiffnecked]

There are quite a few areas in Salcha that do flood. Good luck on finding any work at all in that immediate area.

[vt2007]

I would say prices here are comparable accept the extra cost of gas and distances to services. Some examples, My light bill here runs about $150 a month and I have all energy star appliances and bulbs in the home. we payed about $950 for one fill up last year for home heating oil and we needed to fill it twice. If you had to replace a sewer system here a conservative price would be $15,000. Property taxes last year were around $3000 getting higher every year. We are being squeezed out by vacationers and million dolar homes driving up taxes and a higher cost of living. Property values doubled over the last few years which is ok if you already own your home like us but making it hard for younger people and families to afford. The state of vermont that we love is just not the same as the one we grew up in, and has not been for a long time. Athough we definitely appreciate any information about the diffculties and the joys to come.

Also wondering if anybody had any photos that they would like to share of the town of Sulcha?

[arctichomesteader]

Yeah, those are the reasons eventually I'll be out of VT too. The rich yuppy invaders are taking over and trying to drive native VT'ers out. I think, give it 30 years or thereabouts and they'll have died off and the stagnant economy they created will have kept their children away.

[vt2007]

LOL "funny" that is so true which makes it sad.

[AADAD]

Tok is cold. You have my word on it. In addition it is isolated. If you have to work Fairbanks would be a much better choice IMO. If you have medical emergencies with kids they will go to Anchorage from the Local Fairbanks hospital. It is expensive to fly and you will pay for your own trips to and fro.