Given a home in Central,AK planning on moving there (Fairbanks: houses, rent)

[megensmom]

We have been given a home by my Father in Law. We would love to move there in the spring. However I have like a million questions and would also love to find someone that lives there to help us out with them.
When he left 2 years ago. The home was in excellent condition. He sold some of his stuff so we know we need a propane fridge,generator,power inverter and batteries.
We have 3 kids 2 teens and a 5yr old.
Some things I need to find out about are:
What about telephone,internet,cable he said he had all those in his home so I just need company names.

What about water for drinking,dishes,etc?
Will garden seeds from here in the south grow up there?

[megensmom]

Also wanted to add my husband will be looking for work. He is currently employeed in a Rock quarry. He has good welding skills,large heavy equipment operating,diesel mechanic,and plenty of construction skills.

We have lived off the grid before in NC but we could run about 15miles to the main town and eat out,etc.

[Glitch]

You will need to be more specific about the location if you want specific answers. "Central Alaska" could be anywhere from Bethel and the Yukon Delta to Glennallen and Galena. If you are referring to somewhere in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, then the Matanuska Electric Association would be your electricity supplier and the Matanuska Telephone Association would be your telephone/Internet provider. You can get cable TV in some areas, Digital TV via your phone line in other areas, or satellite TV in areas that don't have either.

As far as water is concerned, your Father-In-Law probably had his own well (unless you are referring to the Glennallen/Chitna area). If you are talking about someplace outside of town, then he probably also had his own septic system.

Concerning your garden seeds, you are better off buying them in Alaska. We have a short growing season, and unless you also have a greenhouse on the property, the lower-48 seeds won't do as well.

Can one really live "off-the-grid" in the lower-48? There are three types of Alaskans: 1) Urban Alaskans (those who live within a city/town limits); 2) Rural Alaskans (those outside of the city limits, but with road accessible property); and 3) Bush Alaskans (those with no road access).

[megensmom]

Central is the name of the town,village or whatever the proper term is. I guess it would be considered rural since there is roads and the home is 2miles outside of the town of Central.

We lived off the grid right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had a generator,small power inverter,no phone or cable. We were 2 miles from the nearest neighbor and they had these things but the cost was over $20,000 if we wanted them so we learned to live a different way and we also piped water from the mountain stream.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by megensmom

Central is the name of the town,village or whatever the proper term is. I guess it would be considered rural since there is roads and the home is 2miles outside of the town of Central.

We lived off the grid right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. We had a generator,small power inverter,no phone or cable. We were 2 miles from the nearest neighbor and they had these things but the cost was over $20,000 if we wanted them so we learned to live a different way and we also piped water from the mountain stream.

Sorry about that, I thought you were referring to a location not the town. You should be prepared for extreme conditions. Extended periods of -50°F to -60°F are common in the winter and as high at +90°F in the summer. As far as facilities, utilities, and services available in Central, AK, this URL may be of some help:

Community Database Online for Central Alaska

[megensmom]

Thats ok I was confused at first by the name. Central sounds like location not a name.

[Glitch]

Make sure your vehicle is "winterized", meaning you've got a block-heater, oil-pan heater, battery heater, and your anti-freeze is capable of handling -60°F below. Home heating oil tanks are not regulated by the state, which can be both a good or bad thing. I would check on the status of your heating oil tank when you first arrive in the spring and make sure it is in good shape. Having a wood-burning heater/stove for extra heat may be a good thing to consider as well. It takes more work, but you can always get wood.

As far as employment is concerned, there are not many jobs available in Central and unemployment it around 13% to 14%. Most Central residents are only there seasonally, leaving before winter sets in. The few that do stay live a subsistence life-style. You may want to consider finding work on the north slope with one of the oil companies or with Alyeska Service Company located in Fairbanks. Central is too far from Fairbanks (about 125 miles) to commute on a daily basis, but slope jobs are usually two weeks on the slope (12/hour days, 7 days/week) followed with one week off and they are the best paying jobs in the state.

It will probably be too cold to start a garden until at least mid-May (unless you have a greenhouse), and the growing season is too short to grow onions, beans, tomatoes, or peppers from seed. Buy the sprouts from greenhouses in or near Fairbanks. The best growing vegetables are lettuce/cabbage, squash, radishes, and anything that can reach full maturity in 6 to 8 weeks.

Your phone will typically run between $20 and $25 per month for basic services. Internet you can get dial-up for as cheap as $10/month, or DSL for $50.00/month. Your biggest expense, besides your heating oil, will be your electricity bill. Particularly in the winter when you will be running your lights all the time you are awake. You will only have about 3 hours of daylight by Winter Solstice, so be prepared to buy a few extra lights. More than the extreme cold, the lack of light can make Alaskan winters particularly tough to endure.

[megensmom]

As of right now the home is off the grid but there a good chance that we will be on grid soon but I wouldn't want to totally rely on it being on grid. Learning about a power inverters and generators will be something we need to do. We are planning on having a wood stove for sure as we have 1 now and the place had one in it but it was given to someone.

[Marty Van Diest]

Because it's been awhile since I lived in Fairbanks, but I think the road to Central and Circle is not kept open in the winter,

You will need to depend on air transport in the winter or a 100 mile plus run by snowmobile

[megensmom]

We are starting to really budget hard so that we can about as close to $10,000 saved up for our trip.One of the things we are getting ready to do is send my husbands resume out to mining companies,etc. He has all the skills needed for a job in that field in fact he works in a rock quarry now. We have heard there is Fort Knox but what other mining companies are they?
We have gotten pictures of the new place so we know what work we will need to do ASAP after we arrive. I have also contacted the Utlities companies and will pre-pay for those so that they are on when we arrive.
My main learning thing now is going to be food storage. If anyone has some good links or info. I would love to have it. We are a family of 5.