Where would you choose and why?

[Hawkeye48]

I put Fairbanks, just because that's the only place in Alaska where I know anyone.

[jtcc00]

Originally Posted by Arcticthaw

Try adn.com | Alaska News, Jobs, Cars, Homes, Rentals, Classifieds and more and check their classifieds.

Here in Fairbanks, I don't think 400 would even get you a dry cabin anywhere close to town. Most University students that have cabins run about 500 right now. An efficiency apartment runs around 650 with one bedrooms in the 750 range. We have had a large influx of military with the Stryker brigade relocating to Fairbanks, and while they are building more housing on base the rental market is pretty tight right now.

How close are the cabins located from the city? Fairbanks run about the same as anc as far as living?

[Arcticthaw]

Originally Posted by jtcc00

How close are the cabins located from the city? Fairbanks run about the same as anc as far as living?

just looked at the Sunday paper Newsminer.com and rents for cabins start at 400 and up. The closest I saw was 5 mile from the University. Cost of living is slightly higher here than Anchorage. Though on occasion I have found things here less than in Anchorage. I haven't been there in a couple of years so am not an expert.

[astrogal]

I picked Fairbanks because Anchorage seems a bit 'citified' from what I know. I have always wanted to live in the bush...Fairbanks seems like a good leaping point.

Probably won't get there now though....just moved to SoCal....marriage is one thing but getting my fiance to commit to Alaska...I don't see that happening.

I'll vacation there someday though.

[5150AK]

Would limit the choices you give to Fairbanks. Wasilla /Palmer area sounds like it would work for you also. Remember tourist season is over once the termination dust hits.

[Glitch]

I voted for Anchorage because it is the best compromise. What I really meant was one of the smaller towns outside of Anchorage, like Talkeetna, Willow, Houston or Wasilla.

It gets colder during the winter the further north you go from the coast, and is drier north of the Kenai Pennisula. Compared to Anchorage, Fairbanks has much hotter summers and much colder winters.

Concerning the tourists, Anchorage definately gets the bulk of them every summer. Even though you don't have to interact with them downtown, you do interact with them on the roads just about everywhere. That is one of the nicest things about winter in Alaska - the tourists go home.

[jtcc00]

Originally Posted by jtcc00

How close are the cabins located from the city? Fairbanks run about the same as anc as far as living?

So is it a month by month thing? Ill need to find a cheap decent place for a month or so while i look for a job at least and then maybe look for another apartment. For a basic construction / whatever laborer job, would you go anc or fairbanks?

[JustT&Me]

Hello MaineR... Personally, I had lived in SE AK and LOVED it - it's much closer to the heart of what I had always imagined AK Native life to be, and I don't mind the rain. In fact, I prefer rain to piles of snow (coming from the Midwest). But... having read *your* post, I *voted* Anchorage, and these are a few reasons why:

1. It is well-known and stated often, "From Anchorage, you can see the rest of AK..." which is true. Much cheaper to begin there (flying in) from L48 and ...
2. ... to purchase tickets either by plane or rail to visit the other places you have listed once you arrive to determine your long-term enjoyment, once you decide AK is truly the place for you.
3. When you first arrive, it will be easier to find a job in Anchorage and to network in other places once you've established yourself in Anchorage.
4. Once you've decided where you want to be long-term, you can determine what you truly want and need in that place, and it will be more economical to drive it from Anchorage (where you will buy/find it) than to begin in other places and try to find what you need there. Anchorage has all that you will truly *need*... and in abundance either at "big box" stores or second-hand. And if you prefer, you can always shop online and have the new items shipped to your new location, saving you the hassle of trucking it anywhere in the first place!
5. Anchorage has a LOT to do and see... start where the tourists begin. While it might not be the AK you dreamed to stay long-term, why miss out on what it has to offer when it's so close? Much better to begin there, then if you leave, you will have seen all that you might miss there otherwise, and if you stay, then you might not want to later visit the places a tourist would be.
6. It will be less expensive to begin in Anchorage living-wise. In SE AK, I was paying $850 for a spacious, private *one*+ bedroom apartment... I had decided to treat myself my "first" year. Glad I did - I came back to L48 to ship the rest of my things up and found myself caught between a new job there and increased security here (just after 9/11) for traveling. Just think of it as a starting point - while you adjust to the distance, being away from friends & family, and explore this beautiful "country" (it's like a different country), although - I *do* know... AK is *in* the U.S.! Lol. Since your "needs are fairly simple," make it easy on yourself your first year! Just come and soak up AK at it's best from the center of where things can be found. I believe you'll find sooner than later - just where you really want to be, then you can stage your permanent move from there. (Pack your boxes before you leave, put them into long-term storage until Spring, and label them for a mover to ship once you know where you want them to go.)

Okay - that's a few tips from someone who's been there, who did her research, who never regretted going, and who's heart never ceases to be reminded... of how truly beautiful of a place Alaska really is... just pick up and go! You sound like an intelligent woman - you'll figure it out once you get there.

[snowpuppy]

"In the Bush" wasn't an option....so I didn't vote. My first experience living in AK was in a bush village. I had gone to the annual teacher's job fair in Anchorage and was determined to leave with a contract from a district in the bush. I wasn't moving to AK only to live in another "big city" environment- I wanted the true Alaska experience! I've never regretted that decision. Living in the bush has been awesome!