Thinking of moving to Ketchikan, have a few ?s (Seward: rental, crime)

[ghouck]

I'm thinking of moving to Ketchikan from Seward, but have a few questions.

1. Is there any area to ride 4-wheel ATVs and dirtbikes?
2. What about Snowmachines (I figure there is)
3. Any places (freshwater) that one can use a jet-ski or a small boat?
4. Are there any national, chain-type of stores or restaraunts? (Fred Meyers, Taco-bell, Sears, etc)

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by ghouck

I'm thinking of moving to Ketchikan from Seward, but have a few questions.

1. Is there any area to ride 4-wheel ATVs and dirtbikes?
2. What about Snowmachines (I figure there is)
3. Any places (freshwater) that one can use a jet-ski or a small boat?
4. Are there any national, chain-type of stores or restaraunts? (Fred Meyers, Taco-bell, Sears, etc)

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

1. Seems like there are plenty of places to go four wheeling.

2. Ketch isn't really snow machine country. Some winters we get literally no snow here in SE.

3. Not really.

4. Walmart and McD's and the like.

[ghouck]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

1. Seems like there are plenty of places to go four wheeling.

2. Ketch isn't really snow machine country. Some winters we get literally no snow here in SE.

3. Not really.

4. Walmart and McD's and the like.

Cool, well, #1 is cool anyways. I'm not that into snow machining anyways, so no big deal.

Also, what's the crime situation? I've had ATVs stolen from me in Seward, but figured it wouldn't be as bad in Katchikan, since it'd be harder to get them out of town (I'm guessing).

I've heard also there is quite the drug problem in K, any truth to that? I could care less about neighbors smoking weed and such (I don't), but don't want to be around coke-heads, meth-heads, etc.

[Metlakatla]

Meth is a problem and with that comes the usual idjits with their usual petty and not so petty crimes. Just don't leave anything lying around and you should be fine.

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by ghouck

I'm thinking of moving to Ketchikan from Seward, but have a few questions.

1. Is there any area to ride 4-wheel ATVs and dirtbikes?
Most people go out to Whipple Creek.
2. What about Snowmachines (I figure there is)
Limited
3. Any places (freshwater) that one can use a jet-ski or a small boat?
Why? When you have a butt load of saltwater to use them in?
4. Are there any national, chain-type of stores or restaraunts? (Fred Meyers, Taco-bell, Sears, etc)
WalMart, McDonalds, Subway, mini-Sears.

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

Make sure you have a good job and cheap housing lined up first. Or you'll hate it there.

[ghouck]

Thanks, I don't plan on moving there unless I've secured the job. As for jet-ski in the saltwater, Seem like the cold of the ocean would take some of the fun out of it. Is there a decent, relatively secure stash-n-store type of thing there? I'll need a place to store an ATV or two if I can't find a rental with a garage or some kind or storage. Thanks for the info

[stiffnecked]

Yes, there are a couple of rental storage places. You'd be surprised how many people jet ski in the Tongass Narrows. I even saw a dude make it about 3/4's of the way across on a snow machine. He didn't even have to have the fire department rescue him. The snow machine now rests in Davy Jones footlocker.

[rainyalaska]

1. Yes. There are several areas.
2. Yes, I think there is an informal snow machine club. They drive up in the mountains where there is usually always snow in the winter. Some years are better than others but I have several Ketchikan friends with snow machines.
3. We have several small freshwater lakes. People do canoe and kayak in them but I've never seen a jet ski. Most people boat on the ocean.
4. Wal-Mart, Safeway, McDonalds, Taco Time, Subway, Godfather's Pizza, True Value Hardware store, Radio Shack.....tthhatt'ss alllll fffoollks!