Any work in Talkeetna? Want to follow dream and relo but am far from retired! (Anchorage: housing)

[Raven and Bear]

Hello, so happy to find this positive site. I've searched the threads and am bleary-eyed...sorry if this has been asked, BUT...how in the heck do I find a job in Talkeetna? A year-round one, that is, that will support my small family. I have a good job in Anchorage but can't stand the traffic, the hidous landscape of industrial neighborhoods, the sense of disconnectedness. It is nice to have minor-league BB in summer, the museum, a (sort of) "real" Nutcracker Ballet performance at Christmas, shopping, etc., but I didn't move to AK for any of that.

Each time I've visited Talkeetna, my child begs me to find a way for us to move there. We instantly loved the small-town feeling, the surrounding natural beauty. The summer tourists, loooong distances to box stores, lack of othe big-city conveniences, etc. can all be dealt with, and rental houses may be hard to find but not impossible, but where do I find a job? I've researched the local employers, local paper, local bulletin boards...nada! I know some Talkeetna-ites invent ways to sustain themselves thru self-employment, but I have neither the capital or ideas for that (yet). I could cobble work together, but with someone depending on me that's scary. Any ideas from those of you already living there? A long commute to Willow, etc, is probably not an option as I don't want to trade all possible quality time w/kid (spent commuting) for the move, or wipe out trying. The friendly people and laid-back pace of Talkeetna touched something in my son and I. We MUST escape Cankerage!

I moved to AK 1 + 1/2 years ago, from Seattle, and have lived in six other states thoughout my lifetime, so I have a good basis of comparison of where I'd prefer to live versus NOT. I know what we need in life versus what we just want and know that for us, the simple life is best.

Any suggestions re finding work in the area would be most appreciated. Thanks.

[FishTAxi]

Thats a tough question when we don't know your field of work.

I've seen some good deals on places for sale in the Talkeetna area on Craigslist.

Good luck!

[Raven and Bear]

I am still trying to figure out how to navigate around on this site. Hope I am not now responding to the wrong post..

Thanks for responding; I am in marketing, but have done many things, long ago tho. I don't know if I could still waitress or bartend and try to work daytime hours so I can be with much-adored offspring. I have done freelance writing and been a cook and a chef. None recently but if survival depended on it, I guess I could. I don't have big cash reserves to reinvent myself and this makes me very cautious. I guess I have to think outside the box (and my comfort zone) to make this happen. But the specter of ending up homeless and freezing is enough to keep my feet rooted here. All the cool places to live, like Homer, Talkeetna, etc. are also challenging for finding jobs. Sigh.

[insearchof]

Originally Posted by Raven and Bear

I am still trying to figure out how to navigate around on this site. Hope I am not now responding to the wrong post..

Thanks for responding; I am in marketing, but have done many things, long ago tho. I don't know if I could still waitress or bartend and try to work daytime hours so I can be with much-adored offspring. I have done freelance writing and been a cook and a chef. None recently but if survival depended on it, I guess I could. I don't have big cash reserves to reinvent myself and this makes me very cautious. I guess I have to think outside the box (and my comfort zone) to make this happen. But the specter of ending up homeless and freezing is enough to keep my feet rooted here. All the cool places to live, like Homer, Talkeetna, etc. are also challenging for finding jobs. Sigh.

Those of us who live in the 'cool' places needn't rely on work in order to support our families. I am independant as work goes and homeschool as well.

[Metlakatla]

I'm proud to say that I live in a very cool place and that I work for a living.

Raven and Bear, I sent you another pm.

[alan roberson]

I've lived in Talkeetna for 12 years now and I can say there are year round jobs - I've never had one myself - here's what I can think of:
The clinic - various office jobs, medical related, maintainance 733-2273
Princess lodges - year round jobs would be maintainance related 733-2700
bartending/restaurant work - you should start in the spring to be sure of a job through the winter.
Talkeetna Alaskan lodge has various jobs in the winter - again, maintainance, maybe accounting?
I'm a carpenter myself. If you have the time and money to build a reputation around here you can do all right.
Good luck - e mail me if you have questions. alanr@gci.net

PS none of the lodge related jobs pay well - tops $15/hr I imagine

[Rance]

With offspring and trying to work it's gonna be a tad rough. You'll need child care which will cost, plus the housing grocery thing. I also would suggest getting here early in the spring to try and land some decent work through the year.

[Raven and Bear]

Thank you Rance and Alan for the insights. I hope for a well-planned, realistic move to Talkeetna next spring or summer. I'm not beyond waitressing again if need be and I saw a certain well-known musher doing just that in Talkeetna. With luck, ingenuity and some good planning, maybe I'll make it. It may not be Mayberry, but its close enough for me. Isn't the Moose Dropping Festival this weekend? I've never been to it. I should look around and see if I can figure out what service or business is lacking there that could be an opportunity to start my own business, maybe, down the road, like the bike rental place that opened there this summer (?)
Thanks!

[Knowles]

Originally Posted by insearchof

Those of us who live in the 'cool' places needn't rely on work in order to support our families. I am independant as work goes and homeschool as well.

Don't presuppose to speak for all of us. For those of us who aren't independently wealthy, work is a most important aspect of where to live. Without it, we don't live. I live in a cool place and I am also proud to say I work for a living to support my family. So does most everyone I know who isn't retired or disabled. And btw, homeschooler, it's "independent", not "independant".

[forgetwho]

I also am trying to figure out how to move to Talkeetna, but I have a little bit of a different situation. I will be "retiring" next year and will then have a small steady income without working. I've wanted to live in Alaska for about the last 30 years - I've visited seven times and backpacked three of those times - but I've never been able to really plan a move before. I've also never spent a winter in Alaska, but I HAVE lived off the grid up a dirt road on generator power (for six years, in California). So I have at least some idea of what's involved.

Next June or July, I would like to rent a small cabin in the interior, possibly in or near Talkeetna, and stay for a year or more, through the winter, to experience this and to see if this is what I want to commit to long-term. I need maybe 200 sq. ft., road access, and some way to get water, keep warm, and make a phone call. I don't need indoor plumbing or electricity.

I've checked realtor ads for Talkeetna, but I haven't found any that list rentals. When I google "Talkeetna cabins," I get only vacation listings. I'm living and working in Washington state now. Can anyone suggest how I might find something to then schedule a trip up to look at? Thanks for any help you can give.