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Thread summary:

Relocation to Alaska, daycare costs, weather and snow patterns, scenery, warmer spring weather, humidity, Anchorage economy, unemployment rates, median home price

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Old 09-30-2007, 07:44 AM
 
Location: Anchorage, AK
77 posts, read 252,753 times
Reputation: 33

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Hey folks!
I'm new here (well, I'm sure you picked up on that already) but my family and I are moving to AK not soon enough. We're going to wait a long and and painful 6 1/2 months (the plan is to leave in April unless the job of a lifetime comes up first). I'll share our story briefly...

A couple weeks ago, my husband totalled our one and only investment, our subaru. Other than that car, we pretty much own nothing. After that was gone, we decided to do something we've always wanted to go and just get rid of everything and go for a dream we've had and head up the alcan and settle and start a new life in Alaska. I'd love to leave, like, yesterday, but we won't have the finances until April. So, until then, I've got to research research research, and my husband's got to outfit our new (well, new to us!) Nissan Pathfinder for the trip.
I visited a cousin up there back in May for her wedding, out in Talkeetna, and absolutely fell in love with the place.
Are we crazy? Nah...just want to start over. Nothing wrong with that, right folks? Hehe...
We're coming from Duluth, MN. My husband is Australian (no worries, he loves the snow and cold; he's always hated the heat of Australia). And what I understand is there are a lot of Minnesotans up there faring well. Well, any advice is appreciated! And the sooner we can move, the better!
One thing I have been wondering is- what are daycare costs like?

Peace

-Tessa
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Old 09-30-2007, 10:43 AM
 
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
17,823 posts, read 23,462,250 times
Reputation: 6541
I also moved to Alaska in late-April and spent some rather chilly nights on the AlCan. It was still dropping to well below freezing and night, and there was still snow on the ground in places. I didn't have a choice, I needed to be in Alaska by May 4th. If you have a choice, I would advise postponing your trip by a couple of weeks. Early- to mid-May would offer you a more comfortable trip.

This would also be a good time to get a copy of The Milepost magazine. It is possibly the most comprehensive travel guide available for anyone driving to Alaska.

Do you have any particular place in Alaska you are planning to move? If not, you may want to consider moving to Anchorage or Fairbanks first and then pick your final destination after spending a year in one of those cities.

Since you are from Duluth, MN, you are certainly not strangers to cold winters. You will find Anchorage has much warmer winters than Duluth, and Fairbanks is only slightly colder than Duluth. In either case, you will not have the strong, bitterly cold winds you commonly get off of Lake Superior in the winter.
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Old 09-30-2007, 12:59 PM
 
Location: Anchorage, AK
77 posts, read 252,753 times
Reputation: 33
We're not too worried about a cold drive - we're definitely used to the cold weather and snowy drives. This past winter, March, we got knocked in with a doozey of a blizzard, the 6th worst blizzard in Duluth's recorded history, and two winter's ago, the hubster and I were stranded on I-94 into Minneapolis from Eau Claire, WI for 8 hours as the freeways were closed due to a blizzard. I recall one winter living in northern Wisconsin as a child when the windchill was such that it was something insane like 80- and school was cancelled for three days! We are definitely aware of our chances here...and our moving date thus far is April 21st, so not too far off from May...
I absolutely agree w/ you about settling in a city first. The plan is to settle in Anchorage for several years before moving to a smaller community. I currently work for a company that I can potentially telecommute from up there, but frankly speaking, I hate my job. However, it's good to know that I have job security!
I am going to pick up the Milepost...I just keep forgetting to get it when I'm at Barnes & Nobles. And I never have the debit card w/ me when I'm at the computer. And I wonder, though, should I get the 2007 version, or should I wait until the 2008 version comes out (when does that come out?)
I do look forward to the winters in Anchorage -- not so bitter! I love winter, but my Australian in-laws do not believe me when I tell them it actually gets too cold to snow! I'm also looking forward to summers that aren't quite as humid (this past summer I often checked weather.com when the humidity up here was so gross I couldn't stand it...and last summer, when we were living in Wisconsin, we had a several week stretch when the temperature wouldn't dip below 85, even at night, and the darn humidity wouldn't break 85%!!!!).
Oh, it's just going to be hard to wait 6 months!!!
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Old 09-30-2007, 11:48 PM
 
Location: Boston
905 posts, read 2,401,779 times
Reputation: 461
I am faced with the same situation, i want to go this month but due to family things i couldn't go until January at the earliest. Might be best to wait until march when when it warms up a bit although the cold is fun to me. So many factors, its giving me a headache. I just need to leave this town I'm in now,lol...
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Old 10-01-2007, 12:02 AM
 
Location: Fairbanks Alaska
1,677 posts, read 6,444,728 times
Reputation: 675
Default Janurary Travel in remote lands

Quote:
Originally Posted by InfectedMushroom View Post
I am faced with the same situation, i want to go this month but due to family things i couldn't go until January at the earliest. Might be best to wait until march when when it warms up a bit although the cold is fun to me. So many factors, its giving me a headache. I just need to leave this town I'm in now,lol...
I would deffinetly suggest you wait till it warms up! Janurary is no time to travel for those not properly prepaired.

You could be traveling through one of the many places where there is absoulutly nothing for 150 miles in either direction at -40 and then drive into a valley and feel everything in the vehicle slow down as the outside tempature drops to -60. The heater no longer produces enough heat to even keep the windshield clear. Stopping is not the answer as you may not get the vehicle to move again if you stop for very long. Now I am talking about a properly winterized vehicle, not something you just drove up from outside. All you can do is hope for another hill and that the tempature will rise as you get higher! -30 would feel downright blamy! Historically vehicles are built pretty well, but -45 seems to take a real toll on everything. Metal parts like turnsignal switches will break off if bumped when your trying to start your car. At colder tempatures I have seen significant failure of Automatic transmissions as they were shifted from park to forward or reverse.

No Wait till March when the tempatures are warmer and the sun is higher on the horizon. Makes for a much more enjoyable ride and the scenery gets better too!
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Old 10-01-2007, 01:02 AM
 
Location: Wasilla, Alaska
17,823 posts, read 23,462,250 times
Reputation: 6541
Quote:
Originally Posted by tessa_marie View Post
We're not too worried about a cold drive - we're definitely used to the cold weather and snowy drives. This past winter, March, we got knocked in with a doozey of a blizzard, the 6th worst blizzard in Duluth's recorded history, and two winter's ago, the hubster and I were stranded on I-94 into Minneapolis from Eau Claire, WI for 8 hours as the freeways were closed due to a blizzard. I recall one winter living in northern Wisconsin as a child when the windchill was such that it was something insane like 80- and school was cancelled for three days! We are definitely aware of our chances here...and our moving date thus far is April 21st, so not too far off from May...
I absolutely agree w/ you about settling in a city first. The plan is to settle in Anchorage for several years before moving to a smaller community. I currently work for a company that I can potentially telecommute from up there, but frankly speaking, I hate my job. However, it's good to know that I have job security!
I am going to pick up the Milepost...I just keep forgetting to get it when I'm at Barnes & Nobles. And I never have the debit card w/ me when I'm at the computer. And I wonder, though, should I get the 2007 version, or should I wait until the 2008 version comes out (when does that come out?)
I do look forward to the winters in Anchorage -- not so bitter! I love winter, but my Australian in-laws do not believe me when I tell them it actually gets too cold to snow! I'm also looking forward to summers that aren't quite as humid (this past summer I often checked weather.com when the humidity up here was so gross I couldn't stand it...and last summer, when we were living in Wisconsin, we had a several week stretch when the temperature wouldn't dip below 85, even at night, and the darn humidity wouldn't break 85%!!!!).
Oh, it's just going to be hard to wait 6 months!!!
You could pick up a copy of the 2007 Milepost or wait until January for the 2008 Milepost, either way, little will have changed. Anchorage winters and summers are mild by comparison to Minnesota or Wisconsin. Typically in the 15°F to 25°F range with little or no winds. The only winds Anchorage gets during the winter is in January, the Chinook Winds, and they are from the south and always warm. It does drop below 0°F in December and February, even dropping below -20°F, but usually only lasting for a couple of days. Summers in south central Alaska are equally mild, with temperatures ranging from 65°F to 75°F normally, and with little humidity. The further you get from the coast, the more humidity you will experience and the more extreme the winters and summers. Anchorage averages 13" of precipitation annually, half of that in snow. The typical snowfall for a winter is 76", but there has been as little as 36" and as as much as 130" in a winter.

The Anchorage economy is strong, and unemployment low. The median price for a home in Anchorage is $290,900, up $65,900 since 2003. As with the rest of the lower-48, home prices are still over-inflated.
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Old 10-01-2007, 11:32 AM
 
Location: In My Own Reality
1,461 posts, read 2,179,990 times
Reputation: 1650
Talking I moved for the Scenery!

Quote:
Originally Posted by tessa_marie View Post
Hey folks!
. So, until then, I've got to research research research, and my husband's got to outfit our new (well, new to us!) Nissan Pathfinder for the trip.
I visited a cousin up there back in May for her wedding, out in Talkeetna, and absolutely fell in love with the place.
Are we crazy? Nah...just want to start over. Nothing wrong with that, right folks? Hehe...
We're coming from Duluth, MN. My husband is Australian (no worries, he loves the snow and cold; he's always hated the heat of Australia). And what I understand is there are a lot of Minnesotans up there faring well. Well, any advice is appreciated! And the sooner we can move, the better!
One thing I have been wondering is- what are daycare costs like?

Peace

-Tessa
Nope, you're not crazy! First time I came up here a few years back I almost stayed! I should have. I moved up a few years ago in april and everyone is right about maybe waiting til may when it's kinda springish. Coming from the humid DC area I definitely don't miss the summer or even winter humidity.

As to the childcare costs, I think they are comparable to the costs on the east coast. I have worked with kids here and there so I checked. It depends on the child's age and whether you want an inhome provider or childcare center.

I find that there are jobs here but it's obviously not the same as the lower 48's. It depends on what you do. Good Luck!
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Old 10-02-2007, 05:28 AM
 
Location: Anchorage, AK
77 posts, read 252,753 times
Reputation: 33
Ahhh over the weekend I put in a couple of resumes and last night I put in a resume for a job through my cousin's company, so I'm starting to put my name up there! Yay!
I'm starting to see what's available and it's very exciting!
But like I've told friends and family, unless a job with some decent moving expenses comes along, we won't be moving until spring comes...so until then, we'll just deal with another Duluth winter and I'll take the time to unload our crap now. And enjoy the stories and advice you folks have!
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Old 10-03-2007, 08:33 PM
 
Location: Boston
905 posts, read 2,401,779 times
Reputation: 461
Well I would most likely be flying up so even in January it wouldn't be bad. Although the ferry up the coast sounds so fun! I just can't wait to get up there, I honestly think it will really help with me understanding a lot about myself and where I want to go in life.
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Old 10-03-2007, 09:56 PM
 
Location: Bethel, Alaska
21,368 posts, read 38,145,934 times
Reputation: 13901
Is it strange of me being a life long Alaskan that wants to move down to the lesser 48? My mind has been down there since August, my brother moved to Montana and he loves it. I had a great time down there and I want to go back, sad, huh?
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