Moving To Fairbanks........... (Anchorage, Tanana: transfer, to buy, contractor)

[Stella7]

Hi, my Husband just called me this AM to inform me that it's about 99% that he'll be getting transferred through his company to Fairbanks. We have always wanted to live there, love the mountains, know ALL about the extreme cold, darkness, etc. And IF our son (2 yrs. old) and I plan on joining him we are prepared for what Fairbanks has to offer. We truly feel that it would be an ultimate childhood/upbringing for our son, and hopefully one more child and of course ourselves, my Husband will be making pretty-good money, he's a Pipefitter. BUT, here's the possible catch and what I'm posting about, his job is in 6 wk. incremements, initially the transfer will be for approx. 4, 6 wk. increments/assignments, with a very big possibility of more. First off, can a person drive a U-Haul while pulling a Cherokee up to Fairbanks from AZ. in January? I'm thinking that would be an enormous no, am I right or wrong? IF we decide to move all of us, moving-up at the end of April will be more logical for us down here, would the weather be good enough to drive-up in the first week of May? I've looked at the rents up there and home-sale prices (if we decide to buy) and it's not much different from here. Oh, and just so you guy's know we've both lived extensively in very cold climates, we're not from AZ., just been here a couple of years. Thanks for all of your advice in advance, it'll be MUCH appreciated! I feel as if we will be moving to the moon, it's an exciting prospect, one I've always wanted in my life, but also scary!

[Arcticthaw]

Originally Posted by Stella7

Hi, my Husband just called me this AM to inform me that it's about 99% that he'll be getting transferred through his company to Fairbanks. We have always wanted to live there, love the mountains, know ALL about the extreme cold, darkness, etc. And IF our son (2 yrs. old) and I plan on joining him we are prepared for what Fairbanks has to offer. We truly feel that it would be an ultimate childhood/upbringing for our son, and hopefully one more child and of course ourselves, my Husband will be making pretty-good money, he's a Pipefitter. BUT, here's the possible catch and what I'm posting about, his job is in 6 wk. incremements, initially the transfer will be for approx. 4, 6 wk. increments/assignments, with a very big possibility of more. First off, can a person drive a U-Haul while pulling a Cherokee up to Fairbanks from AZ. in January? I'm thinking that would be an enormous no, am I right or wrong? IF we decide to move all of us, moving-up at the end of April will be more logical for us down here, would the weather be good enough to drive-up in the first week of May? I've looked at the rents up there and home-sale prices (if we decide to buy) and it's not much different from here. Oh, and just so you guy's know we've both lived extensively in very cold climates, we're not from AZ., just been here a couple of years. Thanks for all of your advice in advance, it'll be MUCH appreciated! I feel as if we will be moving to the moon, it's an exciting prospect, one I've always wanted in my life, but also scary!

First of all we are not on the moon, but it gets REALLY BIG UP HERE!

The answer to your Uhaul question is yes you can in Janurary, but I would not suggest that time frame as Janurary and Feburary can be the coldest months we have. The possibility of you traveling in -50 on the Alcan if very high, and I would not depend on a Uhaul vehicle at those tempatures. Also you would need to put winter lubricants in the Cherokee, plus a block heater and oil pan heater are the minimums. I do think you could travel in late March or Early April, your trying to get up the road before breakup. The roads are in better shape and easier to drive. Still winter driving but no potholes and ruts to contend with.
Get online and buy a MilePost travle guide. This will help plan your trip and more importantly should tell you what services are available during the time you wish to travel. One important tidbit of information on traveling the highway. BE SURE to plan your trip so you arrive in WATSON LAKE in the daytime. The didn't use to sell gas after 9pm, and the sidewalks seemed to roll up early too. Know your vehicle milage to the gallon and plan your stops. In the winter sometimes there is long stretches between gas supplies.

[Arcticthaw]

I forgot to mention it was 80 above this weekend and I was out sailing and we also went kneeboarding and wakeboarding at Harding Lake about a 45 minute drive south east.
The cold here is dry so easy to dress for.
Is your husband comming through a company like VECO or through a union?
Either way I think the maintenace work up north will be good for a bit.

[mal_flisk]

It's probably Boeing, or a subcontractor for Boeing.

[Arcticthaw]

Hmmmm... I was seeing the Pipefitter, and don't quite imagine a pipe wrench being used on a jet engine, along with the 6 week assignments sounds like a camp job. Up north or Delta Greely.

[mal_flisk]

Boeing is running the Missile Defense System in Greely

[Stella7]

Thanks for all of your replies. I think he'd be working through Exxon, and yes on a camp. We're still not sure if we'll be moving to Fairbanks or Anchorage. We'll see once he gets up there. I'm quite excited.

[Ken G. Brown]

You CAN drive a U-Haul truck pulling a Jeep Cherokee in January, but I wouldn't recommend it. I met a guy this SUMMER in Watson Lake, B.C. on the Al-Can Hwy., and his U-Haul had broken down and he was getting no help from the U-Haul people he had rented from. I'd hate to be broken down in January anywhere on the Al-Can. I've driven it 3 times myself, and I'd rather fly. Do what the Eskimos do: give away your possessions and start over when you get here. We have Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble, etc.

[HG_75]

You say the mountains? I was under the assumption Fairbanks was very much flat?

[Arcticthaw]

Fairbanks sits in a valley at 430 feet above sea level. South and East is fairly flat, except for the hills that surround Fairbanks on three sides with the Tanana River to the south. The hills get high as about 2700 to 3000 feet at the domes. We see the Alaska Range to the south and that is about 120 miles away towards Anchorage and Denali National Park. North of us is the White mountains and the Brooks range farther north also. We may not be right next to them like Southeast AK, but we can get to them with a short drive.


With 376 +/_ miles to the next major city, a couple of hour drive isn't a big thing.