Where is the best place in Alaska to live? (Ketchikan: rentals, house)

[KasieS]

Hi

I am sure people have posted many questions about moving to Alaska but I have some also!!

I am a 30 year old single mom of a 10 year old boy, 3 dogs and a cat. We went on a cruise to Alaska last summer and fell in love with everything about it. We visited Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau, our favorite was Ketchikan but the homes are kind of expensive. We would really like to move to Alaska so I am looking for some recommendations of a good place for us to move to. I have a monthly income without working of about $2000 and could find a job pretty easily if I needed to. We need a house with a yard for the animals!!

Please Help I want to get out of Utah in the next 2 months

Thanks
Kasie

[warptman]

Point Hope!

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by KasieS

Hi

I am sure people have posted many questions about moving to Alaska but I have some also!!

I am a 30 year old single mom of a 10 year old boy, 3 dogs and a cat. We went on a cruise to Alaska last summer and fell in love with everything about it. We visited Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau, our favorite was Ketchikan but the homes are kind of expensive. We would really like to move to Alaska so I am looking for some recommendations of a good place for us to move to. I have a monthly income without working of about $2000 and could find a job pretty easily if I needed to. We need a house with a yard for the animals!!

Please Help I want to get out of Utah in the next 2 months

Thanks
Kasie

Well, Kasie, no you didn't fall in love with everything about Alaska because you didn't see everything about Alaska. You saw the Inside Passage during the summer.

I can't tell you where the best place for you to move would be and neither can anyone else here. You liked Ketchikan and yes, it's expensive, but nowhere near what Skagway and Juneau are. It sounds like you've got a bit of a financial cushion, so Ketchikan might not be a bad place to start. Be advised though...that Ketchikan during cruise season and Ketchikan during the rest of the year are two very different things. I happen to like Ketchikan a lot, personally.

Forget Juneau. It's much more expensive than Ketchikan and unless you're prepared to buy a home, you simply will not find a place to live where you can bring your animals.

Skagway has the best schools in the state, which is something that you might want to consider for your son. But again--Skagway in the winter is much different than what you've seen as a cruise ship passenger. That whole main street in Skagway is closed down and boarded up nine months out of the year. That said, Skagway is a really great little community, but finding year-round work there is not easily accomplished.

You don't say what you do for work, but year-round jobs aren't often easy to come by in SE Alaska. I'd suggest that you do some heavy research on various places . If you really liked SE Alaska, you might want to consider places like Haines, Petersberg, and Sitka. instead of just the port cities that you saw on a cruise. And please keep in mind--that what you saw on your cruise really isn't at all reflective of the realities involved in living in the Inside Passage. It can be a great place to live but...it needs to be approached with realism. Invesitage job prospect, schools, housing, etc. before you jump into anything too quickly.

[usafracer]

I suggest you come up in the winter before you up and move to AK.

[KasieS]

We are going to come to Alaska the first week of April just trying to decide where to start. I love the cold weather snow or rain in Utah we have very hot summers. I hope I am not jumping into anything but I need a new start and of all the places I have been I just have this feeling like Alaska is the place, sounds crazy I know.

As for work I have worked as a 911 dispatcher, airport operations coordinator, EMT and pretty much dispatched anything that needs dispatching.

[stiffnecked]

Both Ketchikan Police and Alaska State Troopers have openings for dispatchers on a fairly regular basis.

[ShipOfFools42]

The point of this response is to let you know that you're not crazy, and that there are other people considering the same thing you are. In fact, I'm probably even crazier than you, as you will see if you choose to read my post.

Well, you're not crazy. I'm PLANNING on moving there, and I've never even been. In fact, I've never even been west of the Mississippi River. I have, however, done a boatload of research on Alaska, and I will not move up without visiting first, just to make sure I'm not making a big mistake. Alaska, as you surely know, is ENORMOUS, and the Inside Passage (while large) is just one small part of it. For instance, the places you saw could hardly be more different than, say, Delta Junction. Temperature, length of winter/summer, geography, ocean/no ocean, road system/no road system, and on and on and on. The place is absolutely massive, and there are probably nearly as many distinct regions of Alaska as there are in the rest of the country. So yeah, going up for a visit is a good idea for sure, and something I still haven't been able to do, for lack of money. Metlakatla always gives good responses, and her points are all very solid and should be listened to.

Anyhow, I'll move aside and let you get responses from some actual residents, but I wanted you to know that you're not the only person who wants to make a move that a lot of people would consider "crazy". Hell, half this forum thinks I'm crazy (to put it nicely, lol), but they haven't shut me down yet. Just go see how you like it. Oh, and if you can't visit in the winter, at least do a TON of research, because the really short daylight hours in the winter can apparently REALLY get to people sometimes. Sun barely comes up, and then goes right back down, at least in a lot of areas. Hell, in Barrow, you get to a point where it flat out doesn't come up at all for over a month. So yeah, lots to consider, but don't let people talk you out of it before you even get started with your research.

[Candle]

Originally Posted by warptman

Point Hope!

I prefer Wales.

Point Hope does have a more positive name though.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by KasieS

We are going to come to Alaska the first week of April just trying to decide where to start. I love the cold weather snow or rain in Utah we have very hot summers. I hope I am not jumping into anything but I need a new start and of all the places I have been I just have this feeling like Alaska is the place, sounds crazy I know.

As for work I have worked as a 911 dispatcher, airport operations coordinator, EMT and pretty much dispatched anything that needs dispatching.

Your job skills should serve you well in SE. You could probably apply online for open positions with Alaska Airlines and maybe the places the places that Stiff mentioned. Of the place that you've mentioned, Ketchikan is probably your best bet; I would highly suggest doing some advance research rather than just showing up, though. Rentals are really hard to find, even in Ketchikan, but if you get a good head start you should be able to find something.

[KasieS]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools42

The point of this response is to let you know that you're not crazy, and that there are other people considering the same thing you are. In fact, I'm probably even crazier than you, as you will see if you choose to read my post.

Well, you're not crazy. I'm PLANNING on moving there, and I've never even been. In fact, I've never even been west of the Mississippi River. I have, however, done a boatload of research on Alaska, and I will not move up without visiting first, just to make sure I'm not making a big mistake. Alaska, as you surely know, is ENORMOUS, and the Inside Passage (while large) is just one small part of it. For instance, the places you saw could hardly be more different than, say, Delta Junction. Temperature, length of winter/summer, geography, ocean/no ocean, road system/no road system, and on and on and on. The place is absolutely massive, and there are probably nearly as many distinct regions of Alaska as there are in the rest of the country. So yeah, going up for a visit is a good idea for sure, and something I still haven't been able to do, for lack of money. Metlakatla always gives good responses, and her points are all very solid and should be listened to.

Anyhow, I'll move aside and let you get responses from some actual residents, but I wanted you to know that you're not the only person who wants to make a move that a lot of people would consider "crazy". Hell, half this forum thinks I'm crazy (to put it nicely, lol), but they haven't shut me down yet. Just go see how you like it. Oh, and if you can't visit in the winter, at least do a TON of research, because the really short daylight hours in the winter can apparently REALLY get to people sometimes. Sun barely comes up, and then goes right back down, at least in a lot of areas. Hell, in Barrow, you get to a point where it flat out doesn't come up at all for over a month. So yeah, lots to consider, but don't let people talk you out of it before you even get started with your research.

Thanks I am glad I am not the only "Crazy Person" around!!