Relocation to Alaska (Fairbanks, Willow, Metlakatla: motorhomes, place to live, low cost)

[TEEPEEMAKER]

Hello everyone out there in Alaska land.
We are seriously considering moving out of Wyoming to Alaska, Talkeetna to Willow area if possible. I have gotten the newspaper a few times, very surprised at the low cost of properties there. We don't need much, and are willing to live "off grid".
My husband is a Master Electrician, which I believe would be a profession in great demand. I am a substitute teacher, and highly experienced office administrator, as well as a seamstress, so again, I'm pretty sure there would be a niche for me as well.
We currently live in a small community at the edge of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Wyoming, so we are used to traveling on bad roads, it's 120 miles to a large grocery store, and we don't require big city type entertainments. Although Wyoming is a lovely place to live, it is getting crowded. Land has gone sky high, selling from 5000 to 15000 per acre. Houses are astronomical. Housing is nearly impossible to find, as well.

We visited Talkeetna last year in early September, and it was very busy, and I was wondering if the tourism drops off considerably at the end of the tourist season, like it does here. Usually by October we have our first big snow, and the only tourists we see are snowmobilers. Do you have a huge amount of snowmobilers?
I was also curious about the business licensing requirements. Most likely we would prefer to run our businesses out of our home to begin with. I would also like to substitute teach.
I assume the roads are plowed just like here, but you don't seem to have the blowing, ground blizzard snow problems like the prairies do. OUr temps often drop below zero, last December we didn't get above -10 for quite a few days. It isn't uncommon for diesels to gel.
I'd appreciate your responses. Thanks in advance. Please feel free to email me if you'd rather.

[Rance]

We have more trees than the plains of Wyoming, which may help with the wind issue, but we do get the cold. I have not heard of any diesel gelling since the early 80's when I was north of Fairbanks with the military...in a 100 below windchill environment. I currently drive a diesel pickup and even in the 2 days of 35 below this past winter I had no troubles. There are many local snowmachiners. Not sure if we get many tourist types up that way. I know we get a few in the Girdwood area in winter. Maybe a local from up that way will chime in with some info.

Might be something here to help with the business licensing requirements:
Business Home Page, State of Alaska

[Metlakatla]

Quite a few snowmachiners but they tend to go up towards Petersville rather than right in the Talkeetna area. Prepare for the Parks highway to be crammed most weekends with snow machiners going back and forth.

[Tressa]

Metlakatla has it right for the Parks highway I use to be one of those traveling to Petersville in the winter months. Up there it will get very cold and normally a huge droppong of snow, that's why it's so popular and in the same token it gets nice and warm in the summer months. Be prepared for the bugs though the mosquitos are pretty bad in that area from June throu September. It's great hunting area too. But it's gorgeous up there and the folks are fairly laid back, a great deal of them live off the land and rough it. I can do it on a long weekend but not as an everyday occurrance.

[Metlakatla]

LOL--ever go out to the Forks Roadhouse, Tressa? That place is great.

[Tressa]

Spent a few New Year's eve parties there, one time we stayed in the upstair's rooms just above the band. Can't remember if I got any sleep or not. Did you ever meet John Swan there? he was a hoot.

[TEEPEEMAKER]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Quite a few snowmachiners but they tend to go up towards Petersville rather than right in the Talkeetna area. Prepare for the Parks highway to be crammed most weekends with snow machiners going back and forth.

I understand about the traffic, believe me. It's the same way here. In the summer everyone is rushing up here with their ATV's and Motorhomes, in the winter, the snow mobile trailers look like trains coming down the highway on Friday night. We all take back routes to avoid them. There aren't many back ways into this area, but we try anyway.
Thanks for all the responses. I really appreciate it. My husband is now balking at the idea of moving up there, so I may be on my own, who knows. Take care!

[Rance]

It's gonna mostly consist of Alaska residents I think and not a bunch of tourists. I'm sure it's not that bad. We have the same thing on the peninsula. Everyone heading for turnagin pass or caribou hills on weekends. Heck you might even find some way to start a business catering to them. A coffee shop or snowmachine parts or something! Don't smash your dream just yet!

[Metlakatla]

New Year's Eve at the Roadhouse is supposed to be a great time. Never met John Swan unless I did and forgot---seems like up there you meet a lot of people at once.

[TEEPEEMAKER]

I'm not too worried about the traffic. Here in Wyoming I work at home quite a bit, I'm a seamstress, and prefer not to travel on the weekends. I figured with all the space and land available in Alaska right now, it wouldn't take much to find a place out in the woods. I wouldn't have to travel at all then, could just build my own little paradise.
Thanks Rance! I won't give up my dream, believe me. I finally made it up there last year after trying for 30 years. I will get back there!