WHERE WOULD YOU GO... to build a remote cabin and live off the land? (Anchorage: low income, transporting)

[warptman]

There are more that on type of Native Americans besides us Eskimos.

Some people have no clue.

Move to Montana?

[richelles]

I'm unsure where you're getting your data but Alaska has some where over 572,000 square miles of land area but that depends on your source. It varies by 20,000 sq miles from different sources. Then there is the matter of about 16,000 square miles of Alaska is glacial ice on land and much of the coastal rocks are counted probably adding half again that many square miles. It probably never reaches over one person per square mile. And half of the population lives within the Anchorage Bowl which isn't all that large an area.

The mean elevation of all of Alaska is about 1900 feet which is close to the tree line in in most of Alaska. Above the tree line there are very few people living permanently and the tree line drops to sea level as you go North. Then recently someone put up what portion of Alaska is owned by the United States, the State if Alaska and the Native Corporations and pointed out what was left after all those deductions wasn't any too much. I also recall someone posted the miles of road both paved and unpaved which wasn't as much as North Carolina has so if 99% of the population lives near a road that only leaves a few thousand who live in the 'bush'. Now explain where it is you propose to find this paradise you are describing and telling all these Alaskans that is where you are going to safely raise your kidlets. I'd be interested in the odds of a bear eating one of your kids which would be enough to convince me I didn't want to raise them in that fantasy land.

This garden you're going to plant and grow enough to survive on in the short growing season is an iffy proposition in Alaska. Then you're going to have to chop enough wood to heat and do some sparse cooking and what kind of education do you wish for your kidlets? And what about medical, a social life and some small amount of' accessories above a few rocks to play with? You've been told Good Luck enough times for things to sink in it's not a fancy life out there. I will repeat Good Luck and you'd probably be better off staying in North Carolina.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by LorriM357

Some will and do, i'm sure but again, for the most part it is run on that basic eskimo principle. .

It sounds as if you have an unrealistic and romantic impression of Alaska. The Natives are fine people but there are many other tribes and there are even some areas of the state where the population is predominately white.

People who come up with romantisized ideas of how life is going to be are the ones most likely to be heading back to the lower 48 first chance they get.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by LorriM357

Tell me something I don't know....how many parents have the "do what you want...just leave me alone" mentality with their children? How many parents do you know that stay on the computer and don't care to ever leave their house for all the games and chats, leaving their kids to do whatever? All of these questions for places in AK not considered a big city like anchorage.

I live in a town of about 4000 people, where the nearest neighboring town (which has about 600 people) is two hours away. My boyfriend's mom teaches in the junior high here. According to her, that attitude is by far the biggest problem in the schools here, though it's more often a drinking issue than anything to do with computers. She comes home with plenty of stories about kids who are neglected, hungry, etc. She also volunteers at the food pantry, which is probably a lot busier than you would imagine. There isn't much real crime here, that's true. There's only one road out and a ferry, so it's hard to get away, plus everyone knows everyone. But that means when someone's a drunk or a troublemaker or isn't taking care of their kids, you're more likely to know them. It isn't some random druggie on the street, it's your neighbor, or someone you've known since they were a little kid. That's the difference between cities and small towns. Those problems don't go away, they get closer.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by LorriM357

Tigre, thank you for the link but that link's info was generated in 2000. There has been significant growth since then. Katrina, lots of hispanic influx, and other people looking for a place to go. I has become very compact. The info i was refering was here on cd and even its a few years old.

A 16% increase in population statewide over 10 years (North Carolina QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau) doesn't suddenly make all those small towns into seething metropolises. And it has nothing to do with what Alaska is or isn't like. If you want to live in a smaller town, go ahead. But what you're saying in this thread isn't making a lot of sense.

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by warptman

There are more that on type of Native Americans besides us Eskimos.

Some people have no clue. ...."AMEN!!"

Move to Montana?

.....Thanks Warptbut we already have "more than our share" of people like the OP that are a (SPE) i.e. 'self proclaimed expert" after "a month's research" and a bunch of "2nd hand info" from different "subjective" (vs "objective") sources......Seeing things through "Rose colored glasses" that render a vision of: "Living off 'the grid' (God, I hate that phrase) in a cozy log cabin, being self-sufficient and being able to raise kids in a "forever forgiving 'never, never land"..

Reading all those issues of "Mother Earth News" for a few years, has a tendency to minimize reality and "lead a person down the 'Garden Path'....Sorry,.....should be in Red....

Also, IMHO the OP has a noticeable chip on the shoulder that indicates an attitude problem based on that old trite phrase: ..."it's my way.....or the Hi_way!!".....just my opinion.

However, I also wish the OP "Good Luck"....if she does end up in AK, she will need, "a hellava lot more than Luck!"......and

[LorriM357]

It's funny...i never said i was looking for paradise. I also never said i wanted to live off of the grid. What i said i love about the idea of living in alaska is the cold, the snow, the wind. I dont proclaim to be an expert at anything. I have done some research and gotten my second-hand info. I am still researching. Yes there are a lot more than just eskimos, i didn't name everyone else that is in that state either, just making the point that i know its more than just eskimos as you put it. I don't have a problem being wrong, it's not my way or the hi_way. I've never read mother earth news. You guys take everything to the extreme. I don't plan to be self sufficient anyway...i will have to work. The raising my kids in a forever fogiving never never land, yeah who said that? Not I. And tigre, thank you for the info again. THAT is what i'm here for. No, I didn't say it turned our small town into seething metropolis's. I just said it got really crowded really quick from other people looking a different place to live from the hell hole from whence they came. They are moving to the hell hole i wish to leave. Again, it's the point of view. I won't be dissuaded and i don't want to argue. I want real facts. The best thing would be to go for a visit, that's not an option at this point, so I come with a pencil and paper and fingers on keys, an open mind and ears. You don't have to help. But don't try to hurt either. Tigre i gave rep for info post. Truly...thanks.

[LorriM357]

Richelle, i stated where i got my data, here on cd. The 4 ppsm was in Fort Yukon. I know i don't want to live there, it was just that you can't go to cd and find that number for any town in nc. It was a reference point for me.

[LorriM357]

Richelle...where do you live?

[DannyL]

Those damn Dick Proenneke movies, Discovery Channel shows, and the new "you betcha" girl series are probably gonna bankrupt more people than Bernie Madoff ever dreamed of.