For People Who Left...... (Fairbanks, Barrow: homes, living in, moving to)

[MeganAK]

Hi All,
Just have some questions to people who left Alaska after living there for at least five years:
1) Did you find it difficult to adjust to the Lower 48?
2) Why or why not?
3) Where did you go?
4) Do you always miss it?
5) Do you have any places in the US that you would particularly
recommend for Alaskans that are feeling displaced but don't
necessarily want to go back?

We left 1 1/2 years ago and are having a tough time readjusting. We feel very isolated, very different. We have a hard time finding like-minded people. We feel like outsiders who just don't belong. We are not really wanting to go back because of the family issue as well as some other factors, but would love it if we could find somewhere else that we would at least feel like we belong. Any thoughts?

[AnnieA]

MeganAk, I sure hope you get some answers. I am interested and I felt the sadness in your post. Good luck to you and your family. (I am no help, I am in Florida <s>)

[Barkingowl]

Away from the big cities would be your best bet.

[dradiin]

My father in-law moved to Montana somewhere near the *** river, we get the feeling from him that the lifestyle is semi comparable to Alaskan life. Course your mileage will vary depending on how close you live near large city populations. Where he is at its very remote.

Hmm for what its worth though, i am a new Alaskan resident so i am not exactly sure if i know how your feeling about not being in Alaska, i know that i never want to go back to any of the lower 48 now, i might consider moving to a more southerly (Alaskan) location in 15-20 years but Barrow is my home.

[AADAD]

You left Alaska Megan?

[mizzile]

Originally Posted by MeganAK

Hi All,
Just have some questions to people who left Alaska after living there for at least five years:
1) Did you find it difficult to adjust to the Lower 48?
2) Why or why not?
3) Where did you go?
4) Do you always miss it?
5) Do you have any places in the US that you would particularly
recommend for Alaskans that are feeling displaced but don't
necessarily want to go back?

We left 1 1/2 years ago and are having a tough time readjusting. We feel very isolated, very different. We have a hard time finding like-minded people. We feel like outsiders who just don't belong. We are not really wanting to go back because of the family issue as well as some other factors, but would love it if we could find somewhere else that we would at least feel like we belong. Any thoughts?

I'm in the same boat

1. yes, it's difficult to adjust.
2. There are too many people and too many rules. People are not self sufficient and they think that being slightly uncomfortable means they are having an "epic". They are much less likely to take on independent decision making; they always want a guide or a leader. It's frustrating when trying to find adventure partners.
3. I've been everywhere for the most part
4. Yes, I always miss it, except on very rare occasions.
5. Depends on what you didn't like about Alaska....tell me more about why you left.

[rwjoyak]

Originally Posted by MeganAK

1) Did you find it difficult to adjust to the Lower 48?
2) Why or why not?
3) Where did you go?

Somewhat. Moved to Sacramento from Fairbanks so ran into pretty profound changes in population, climate, attitude and lifestyle.

We moved because of my change of employers. Our kids were 8 and 6 at the time. After the move we bonded closer as a family unit, partly because we never made as good friends as we had in Fairbanks after growing up there. The balance between work and play tipped more toward work for both of us as well. So we did more things with just the 4 of us than I think would have happened if we had stayed in Fairbanks.

Until moving a year ago to New Mexico (after 16 years in Sacramento and 4 in Kentucky) we often felt like strangers in our communities except for relatively few work friends. On the plus side we have great relationships with our now adult kids, which I believe were strengthened by our time together "wandering in the wilderness."

Originally Posted by MeganAK

4) Do you always miss it?

Yes, to some degree that varies by season, what else we're doing, etc. Still miss our friends and family up there. Also, in particular I miss the long summer daylight/twilight. Whenever it gets to be long evening shadows I get homesick for Fairbanks. We also miss the natural beauty and how easy it is to get out into it.

Originally Posted by MeganAK

5) Do you have any places in the US that you would particularly
recommend for Alaskans that are feeling displaced but don't
necessarily want to go back?

We have absoutely fallen in love with NM, which reminds us a lot of Alaska in many ways. See my posts about this in a recent thread in the NM C-D forum - http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-m...jerseyans.html. If you can make a decent living here or are retired I believe it's a great place.

Originally Posted by MeganAK

We left 1 1/2 years ago and are having a tough time readjusting. We feel very isolated, very different. We have a hard time finding like-minded people. We feel like outsiders who just don't belong. We are not really wanting to go back because of the family issue as well as some other factors, but would love it if we could find somewhere else that we would at least feel like we belong. Any thoughts?

What you're describing does sound a lot like what we went through although burying ourselves in our work helped some for us. Between work and raising our kids that pretty much consumed our life for most of the past 20 years.

Like I said in my NM postings, NM feels a lot like home to us, much more than any place we've been since leaving Alaska. And that includes finding like minded people.

Another part of our personal journey has been that we're at a different time in our life now. Kids out of the house, my wife retired and me moving toward retirement, so we have more time to reach out to others. Plus we're living in an active adult community geared toward group social events, etc. So part of our new-found love for NM, in addition to the parallels to Alaska, is the results of our concentrated efforts in the last year to make and spend time with new friends. Both of us are friendly but not particularly outgoing so have to push ourselves considerably to reach out, but doing so has been absolutely worth it.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Richard

[blueflames50]

MeganAK...so sorry that it is so difficult making the change back to the -48...I imagine this is true for many who leave AK after living for some time in AK..hope things get better...then again when can you move back to AK???

[akravenlady]

I lived in Alaska for 7 years. I've been back living in the -48 for 2 1/2 years. I've been back to Alaska 4 times since moving away. I HATE living down here. I do feel very isolated. I do want to move back. No one understands me. I have no friends here and spend all my time alone which isn't so bad as I lived pretty isolated while I was in Alaska too but at least I had friends there. Not here. I have no living family besides my adult daughter. I live alone. Aside from finding a compatible spouse or life partner, there is nothing I want more than to be back living in Alaska. Nothing.

[warptman]

Originally Posted by akravenlady

I lived in Alaska for 7 years. I've been back living in the 48 for 2 1/2 years. I've been back to Alaska 4 times since moving away. I HATE living down here. I do feel very isolated. I do want to move back. No one understands me. I have no friends here and spend all my time alone which isn't so bad as I lived pretty isolated while I was in Alaska too but at least I had friends there. Not here. I have no living family besides my adult daughter. I live alone. Aside from fininding a compatible spouse or life partner, there is nothing I want more than to be back living in Alaska. Nothing.

Come on home!