Long time lurker moving to Kotzebue...any and all advice appreciated (Anchorage: apartment, to rent)

[Lawrider]

I have been a lurker here for several months, and have read or scanned almost every thread in the Alaska board. I feel like i know Floyd, Stiffnecked, Rance, SityData and others almost personally at this point!

Barrow seems to get alot of attention, and there is quite alot of information about it both here and on the web in general (the one square mile documentary was really nice)...but I am finding little to nothing about Kotzebue outside of a few nice blogs from a couple of residents (tundratantrum, etc...).

I have the general picture, but no local specifics from residents.

I am moving from Chicago to Kotz. I have been going back and forth on how to move, but i am leaning towards driving since I feel it would be a great roadtrip. I am unsure whether to drive up to WA then barge to Anchorage, then barge to Kotz (the car) or just take the Al-Can...or just try to sell off everything and buy a plane ticket and show up. I know you cannot drive to Kotz.

I will get a moving allowance, so that makes the gas/hotels from the drive a non-issue, thankfully. In an ideal world a company like PODS that drops off a box that you fill, and then is delivered would be ideal...so if i were to do that and have it delivered to Anchorage (assuming they won't do Kotz) are there companies in Anchorage that will then move it to Kotz?

Or just sell everything for whatever i can get, then show in Anchorage, buy a used truck there, then barge it...that sounds expensive, and that would not maximize the moving allowance I have been given.

Here are a few points I am unclear of:

1. Barges to Kotz...when do they run? I am torn whether i will try to take a car there or not. I see it is a tiny village but at the same time, the pictures i see online show plenty of vehicles. How would i barge a vehicle from Anchorage (or even WA) directly to Kotz? One article i found suggested barge service runs through mid October...i would try to get there late September. I figure even if i don't use the vehicle much when there, i can at least sell it if i leave for a decent amount that would cover the shipping cost.

The whole barge thing is the biggest question for me. Are there companies that let me pull up, load up a container, and then barge it from Anchorage to Kotz? I don't have alot - a queen bed, a recliner, tools, etc...part of me thinks just sell it all off here, but are these stores in Kotz that sell this sort of stuff, or just mail-order replacement stuff?

2. Housing. I figure it is (as Floyd says) get to town and start asking around. My initial thought is to get a room at the new hotel then ask around. I really hate noise from neighbors, so i would try to rent a small house over an apartment. Any leads in Kotz would be great.

I am not going to work for the Hospital, so presumably the Minillaq housing would not be available to me.

3. Outfitting in Anchorage...any outstanding outdoors stores to go to, or to avoid? Is there anything necessary i need to take to Kotzebue that would be available in Anchorage beyond typical things like warm outerwear?

4. I have read lots of do I need a 4x4 in Alaska threads. My current car is a Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, so RWD with a limited slip...i am assuming that it is not particularly suited to Alaska...would such a vehicle have a particularly low resale point if i try to trade it in in AK?

Excited beyond words that after years of dreaming, it looks like I am finally moving to Alaska...i will definitely arrive with an open mind ready to accept an experience completely different than the soul-dead suburbs of Chicago.

[SityData]

I think based on my past experiences that getting rid of everything is the best way to go.

Kotzebue is a very nice village to live & work in. There are no storage units available to store your stuff once it arrives, if you don't have housing yet.. where are you going to put it ??

You can purchase anything you want or need right in Kotzebue including a vehicle. That would be my best advice, Now you do not have to worry and handle all the other odds & ends.

Start all over fresh. No hinderances, no barge schedules etc. It is very easy to walk any place you need to access; in any of the villages of the Arctic. People are very friendly. I am not up to date on housing in Kotz. Usually it is pretty tight. The new (additions to the)hotel are finishing up.

4 good size stores exist in Kotzebue, All in all you will have a very exciting and most enjoyable time living in kotzebue for sure!!

You will not have any problems purchasing most anything you need; right in the village itself. Later when you are settled in. Like most people it is much cheaper to order groceries from Seattle or Anchorage!

There are quite a few places to eat decent food, but the prices are very expensive; 9$ for a small bowl of oatmeal!!

The Pizza House in Kotzebue has been busted numerous times for bootlegging. It always re-opens under a different name but the same people basically.

The scenery is splendid and front street is the ideal place to find a house or room. There is no better view in the village.

Plenty of money to be made just by walking the beaches. Several people we know personally make a very good living from beach combing. Fossil Ivory, Mastodon Ivory & Teeth are found all over the village and in surrounding areas.

First to sum it all up. you do not need a vehicle immediately. You are not going to meet people driving around this small village. Smiles will greet you every place you walk! The radio station is a pleasure to listen to and provides you with a wealth of information daily about the area and the favorite part of that station for me is the Inupiaq word of the day. That was one of the methods I used to learn the language well enough to converse with the elders. It never ceases to amaze them elders to hear a white man speak Inupiaq. They always say what ?? because they want to hear you say it again!! The huge smiles and laughter always gives their true intent away!

Welcome to the Arctic, I just know your gonna love it!

[stiffnecked]

Don't stuff your trunk full of junk. Sell all that crap. Forget the car. It would be much cheaper just to start over.

[SityData]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

Don't stuff your trunk full of junk. Sell all that crap. Forget the car. It would be much cheaper just to start over.

A very wise suggestion!

[AADAD]

Forget the car for gosh sake Kotz is 3/4 mile by 1/5 miles. You do NOT want a car there save your dough.....Kotz is about as pristine as it can get for a village. Enjoy your time there. Feel welcomed.

[starlite9]

Shortly snowmachine will be a major transportation mode, then in spring a four wheeler. Car is OK, but you can walk to most points in town pretty quickly.

But before you take the plunge to that much of a lifestyle change, it might be a good idea to go visit the place first. My daughter works there off and on with her job for months at a time, she likes the place, but wouldn't want to live there though!

Personal choice, but that is an expensive place to be should you decide that it isn't what you dreamed it was.

[JavaPhil]

Barges are usually spring and summer.

[mizzile]

You really, really need to visit first.

[ysr_racer]

So you're moving to some place you've never been to? Good luck with that.

[ShipOfFools42]

God, you guys are always so encouraging.

I, for one, think Kotzebue sounds like a mighty nice village. Wouldn't move there sight-unseen, but there are two women in Kotzebue who write blogs that I particularly like. One is a lady from New Hampshire, and one is a Native, half Finnish and half Inupiaq. The white lady is tundratantrum, and the other is finnskimo. Entertaining reads, but based on what I read on their blogs, I would never move to Kotzebue without at least one visit. Then again, I won't move to Alaska without at least one visit, so maybe I'm just scared.