Where to move to... (Anchorage: apartment, living, cost of living)
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Ideally, someone would reach out to me or my husband with a job offer and relocation assistance or something... hey a girl can dream right?
Yes, you can dream.
Dreams are a great way to figure out concrete goals.
I don't think that anyone is going to offer you a job or relocation assistance here, though.
So here's some advice instead: if you and your husband are child-free and don't have prohibitive mortgage payments, consider getting seasonal work in the areas that you've mentioned. You don't say what type of experience you have, but it's pretty easy to get hired for seasonal jobs without actually being there in person. A lot of people use it as a stepping stone to get established. Do a search on "coolworks.com" if it's something you'd be interested in.
If you move to Alaska without work lined up, bring a lot of cash and have an exit plan -- a lot of people find that Alaska just isn't what they thought it would be.
Ideally, someone would reach out to me or my husband with a job offer and relocation assistance or something... hey a girl can dream right?
Er ... yes, I'd say that's a dream all right. I'm sure you know that doesn't happen anymore, right? Unless you and your husband are top-tier executives or doctors who specialize in rare medical conditions. Even people in IT/engineering are having a hard time in this economic climate.
I agree with the others — go where the jobs are. If you and your husband are employed now, keep what you have. I don't think that many people realize how competitive the job market is right now.
That said: Austin, TX — don't bother. Everyone wants to live here, and it's just as expensive as CA. Jobs are scarce. Don't believe the hype. Don't know about other cities in Texas. But then again, I wouldn't live anywhere else in Texas.
Used to live in Anchorage. Just as expensive as Austin and CA, but I had much better luck getting a job, and in fact, once I relocated, I had an abundance of offers (in the legal field). But no one offered me anything until I had moved to the state. I think that a lot of AK employers assume that people will change their minds.
Location: Southern Californian originally from Oregon
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Are you clearly forgetting California's topographical diversity? There's a lot of open, rural areas in California with 4 distinct seasons. Understand that there's more to California than LA.
Are you clearly forgetting California's topographical diversity? There's a lot of open, rural areas in California with 4 distinct seasons. Understand that there's more to California than LA.
I agree with this. I've always really liked parts of California, but I've never lived there.
Er ... yes, I'd say that's a dream all right. I'm sure you know that doesn't happen anymore, right? Unless you and your husband are top-tier executives or doctors who specialize in rare medical conditions. Even people in IT/engineering are having a hard time in this economic climate.
*Shrug*
Medical people in general do not tend to have extraordinary difficulty finding jobs.
Yes, someone cold calling you and offering to pay your way to Alaska is a pipe dream. If you do work in medicine (and I don't see where the OP ever mentioned her career) and you are good at what you do, I can guarantee that there are a lot of recruiters who would love for you to call them.
In the lab I work at, it's hard to get permanent technical staff and about half our staff are temps that are hired from out of state, called "travelers." They do a year, six month, etc rotation and then move on, and we have to find someone else. There is such a vacuum of personnel willing to commit to a permanent job here that even though the situation is far from ideal for us, it's the only way we can keep our lab staffed. I can't speak for the other departments but I get the sense their situation is the same.
Some areas are so desperate for medical personnel that the state or the Indian Health Service will pay off your student loans in exchange for signing a contract to work in an under-served area.
*Shrug*
Medical people in general do not tend to have extraordinary difficulty finding jobs.
Yes, someone cold calling you and offering to pay your way to Alaska is a pipe dream. If you do work in medicine (and I don't see where the OP ever mentioned her career) and you are good at what you do, I can guarantee that there are a lot of recruiters who would love for you to call them.
In the lab I work at, it's hard to get permanent technical staff and about half our staff are temps that are hired from out of state, called "travelers." They do a year, six month, etc rotation and then move on, and we have to find someone else. There is such a vacuum of personnel willing to commit to a permanent job here that even though the situation is far from ideal for us, it's the only way we can keep our lab staffed. I can't speak for the other departments but I get the sense their situation is the same.
Some areas are so desperate for medical personnel that the state or the Indian Health Service will pay off your student loans in exchange for signing a contract to work in an under-served area.
There is also a demand for medical based educational jobs (SLPs, OTs, PTs, school psychologists, etc.) Many districts offer a small relocation allowance for those jobs, too.
Little different answer then what you have gotten, and btw i agree go where you can work, but one suprising thing i found having done the Cali to AK move was the cost of living. Im not saying this is the same for everyone but for us moving from OC to AK , the money saved from what we paid in rent in OC versus what we pay to buy in AK more then makes up for the additional cost of heating oil, gas, groceries. Add to that the lack of a what is it now in Cali 12% income tax???? Our dollar goes farther here easily. Oh one BIG difference...beer and smokes are a lot more expensive here then in Cali so figure that into your budgets if needed.
Little different answer then what you have gotten, and btw i agree go where you can work, but one suprising thing i found having done the Cali to AK move was the cost of living. Im not saying this is the same for everyone but for us moving from OC to AK , the money saved from what we paid in rent in OC versus what we pay to buy in AK more then makes up for the additional cost of heating oil, gas, groceries. Add to that the lack of a what is it now in Cali 12% income tax???? Our dollar goes farther here easily. Oh one BIG difference...beer and smokes are a lot more expensive here then in Cali so figure that into your budgets if needed.
The cost of heating fuel and electricity in Homer is a lot lower than the same in the interior of Alaska. For example to heat a house of 1,700 square feet of living space with a 2-car garage is around $1,000+ per month, and from $180.00 to $500.00 for electricity.
You're right to look at Idaho, by the way. I have a friend who moved out there from my native Alabama and absolutely loves it, and I was strongly considering the state myself. Can't tell you anything about Alaska from my own experience, unfortunately. Not yet, anyway. But if you're looking for an overall much more decent place than a lot of California, based on the criteria you specified, Idaho is a damn nice place. They have beautiful mountains (and if you look at the topographical map, most of it is covered in mountains), more of a four-seasons thing than you'll get in most of California, and the cost of living is relatively low for a Western state. I would say out of those you listed, for practical purposes only, Idaho is a solid choice. Gotta start somewhere.
A few things that you might like: it's the 7th least populated state, 12th lowest cost of living (and 2nd lowest in the Western states, only to Utah), largest amount of wilderness in the lower 48 at over 1 million acres (according to the State of Idaho), farthest inland seaport in the West (Lewiston), and it goes on and on. There seems to be a lot to like about Idaho, and I don't often hear bad things. I just hope they don't chew me out for talking about it like this, lol. Here's a link from the State: http://commerce.idaho.gov/assets/con...a%20glance.pdf .
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