Anyone here familiar with the reality of rental costs in Juneau? (Cantwell: appointed, houses)

[gobrien]

Did you like India? My son was thinking of going to culinary school there.

Juneau is very pretty for sure. Are you looking at state jobs?

[tigre79]

I think the point is that Juneau isn't really "up there" as far as your long-term goals go. It's going to be relatively expensive to move to Juneau (unless you come with absolutely nothing), then expensive to live there, then expensive to move to wherever you wind up going for farming. You'd be better off either saving money where you're at and being patient, or moving somewhere in Southcentral or the Interior, where it will be cheaper both to live and to move to wherever you want to be long-term.

[stiffnecked]

I disagree with tigre79. If you are single you could move anywhere in Alaska fairly cheaply. It's when you start bringing tons of detritus with you that costs start to climb. I used to work with a young man at Alaska Airlines in Ketchikan that moved about every 6 to 8 months on the cheap. His goal was to work at every Alaska Airlines location in Alaska. When he transfered to Ketchikan he came with just the bags he was carrying.

He came in the summer so he stayed at the hostel downtown at the Methodist church. Rode a bike or took the bus to work. He stayed there for a few weeks and then found a room to rent. Bought an old beater Subaru the next month. He stayed about 7 months and then he put in a bid and moved to Nome.

[Farmseeker]

Originally Posted by gobrien

Did you like India? My son was thinking of going to culinary school there.

Juneau is very pretty for sure. Are you looking at state jobs?

Depends on where in India he's thinking of going. I was in a small village of about 350 people, 45 minutes outside of Dharamsala in the state of Himachal Pradesh (north east india). Watching them cultivate and harvest rice was astonishing because they had to do it all manually. The bigger cities kinda freaked me out a bit but that's because culturally, women traveling alone is kind of a no-no and any woman traveling alone after dark is considered a target. New Delhi makes New York seem BORING. Southern India is more white people friendly, if that helps. The further north you go, the less white people there are and the less english spoken. There isn't half the violence in india that there is in America, but there is a fair amount of petty thievery and such.

I'm looking at jobs with the University. There are plenty I qualify for. I was also thinking about looking for jobs with the Department of the Interior?

[Farmseeker]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

I disagree with tigre79. If you are single you could move anywhere in Alaska fairly cheaply. It's when you start bringing tons of detritus with you that costs start to climb. I used to work with a young man at Alaska Airlines in Ketchikan that moved about every 6 to 8 months on the cheap. His goal was to work at every Alaska Airlines location in Alaska. When he transfered to Ketchikan he came with just the bags he was carrying.

He came in the summer so he stayed at the hostel downtown at the Methodist church. Rode a bike or took the bus to work. He stayed there for a few weeks and then found a room to rent. Bought an old beater Subaru the next month. He stayed about 7 months and then he put in a bid and moved to Nome.

I'll be bringing close to nothing. I haven't had furniture really since I got back to America. That's why I don't think this move will be difficult. I'm good at surviving when I need to. I've lived out of a back pack, so I know how to be a minimalist and I'm single so that solves a ton of problems. I just don't want to go to Anchorage because I don't like the big city crime anymore. I lived in Denver for a while and the drug dealers on my corner were tiresome and hoping my car is there every morning when I go outside is just as tiresome. I've grown to be quite comfortable in towns under 40K ppl so I just aim for them now.

Any ideas are welcome. I am open to selling the car and flying up OR driving up and living in my car for a couple weeks, depending on what I'm getting into when I get up there.

[gobrien]

Sorry for calling you a "he"! Check out UAF in Fairbanks! Closer to farms...

[Dakster]

Good luck Farmseeker! I am sure that you will do fine wherever you end up. Wherever you go, it is what YOU make of it. Not what anyone else thinks.

Yes, if you want to farm you would have to be in an area that has farmland. Unless you are going hydroponic/greenhouse.

[Farmseeker]

Originally Posted by gobrien

We gave him a link for rentals so all that is left is to suggest nicely that there are better areas to break into farming. Moving to Juneau isn't as easy as places on the road system as he will have to fly or ferry all of his stuff, once something in farming opens up.

I'm a girl. And that's why I'm here, asking for ideas. I don't know the state like you guys do. I forget that Alaska is so huge and some roads don't go anywhere. So, what bigger cities should I aim for?

If you got a better idea, lets here it. I'm all ears.

[Farmseeker]

Originally Posted by gobrien

Sorry for calling you a "he"! Check out UAF in Fairbanks! Closer to farms...

Thank you. I just thought of that......

No worries on the gender confusion.

[Farmseeker]

Thanks everyone.

I love outside perspective to keep me going in the right direction. I know staying here in Colorado a little longer would make the most sense but I've been working on this since September with plans of being up there by April and I just can't be here anymore.

When my gut tells me it's time, it's time, and I go.