The sky is blue (Anchorage, Metlakatla: for sale, rent, crime)

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by starlite9

We have people here that are on unemployment because they don't want to work and will ride that wagon until the wheels fall off it. There are jobs here to be had, but you need to be willing to start at the bottom if necessary to make it, so if people really want to come to Alaska to get a better life, then I'm all for it, I just expect them to pull their own weight in the process and not rely on the rest of us to pay for their new vacation home.

In my somewhat considerable experience with employees, the out-of-staters who come to Alaska looking for work are much better than the locals. Hiring locals is usually a waste of money.

[gobrien]

In that case, I wouldn't have jumped in with assumptions, so I can see why you would wonder.

[ysr_racer]

How could moving to a place you've never been to, and only seen pictures of the most beautiful places possibly have a down side

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Kindly have your personal conversations in someone else's thread, Ray.

OK, boss. I will stay where the sky is blue. This one has turned quite cloudy already.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by ysr_racer

How could moving to a place you've never been to, and only seen pictures of the most beautiful places possibly have a down side

Cabin fever is rampant in here, which makes some people quite grumpy and controlling

[Metlakatla]

Alaska's not the most expensive place in the country to live, by the way. Certain parts have their costs, but even those parts aren't the list of the most expensive locations.

The 7 Most Expensive Places to Live in America - ABC News

[gobrien]

The pay is also considerably higher in NYC, at least in my field.

Accountant Salary in New York, NY | Indeed.com

http://www.indeed.com/salary?q1=Acco...nchorage%2C+ak

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by gobrien

I have a skill that pays me well in areas that need my skill. It's rare to find any business that needs accountants in Delta Junction or on Ft. Greely, which is why I moved to Anchorage.

Having a skill is a good thing. There have been times where I had to work outside of my skill level doing just plain labor, didn't like it, but it paid the bills when I was raising a family in between a doing what I wanted to be doing. You have to do whatever it takes to raise your kids and put food on the table. Things have since changed for me and I have a good network of friends should the need arise to find a new job.

I'm not much for food stamps when I'm able to work, but too many folks have taken that and justify it because thèy need the handout. But yet it's illegal to feed wild animals because they will forget how to fend for themselves, funny how that works...

Hope you find what you're looking for, sometimes a move is what it takes to get your motivation kicked in gear. Delta isn't going to have a wide range of jobs other than a small spectrum of what Anchorage or Fairbanks would have. If you're a book keeper type, those two towns will have a lot of opportunity for you, but you have to go find them if you are an unknown. There is a host of places that you can use for tools to search, newspapers, job center, Internet and just walking into a place and handing in a resume and go from there.

[RayinAK]

The cost of living in Fairbanks and Juneau are the highest in Alaska, but when data for the cost of living is gathered for Alaska and other places, only cities are taken into consideration, and not villages. For example the composite index for the cost of living in a few places in Alaska for the third quarter of 2012 is as follows (composite index 100%):

Juneau = 141.5
Fairbanks = 139.8, but it made it to 142 just two weeks ago
Anchorage = 125.9
Kodiak = 130.4
Phoenix, AZ = 96.0
San Diego, CA = 134.4
Denver = 105.1
Boise = 97.2

The list on the Community Research Quarterly has 27 cities, and the one with the lowest cost of living index was Memphis at 85.6%. NY was the highest at 229.5, and Boston at 142.8.
http://co.fairbanks.ak.us/communityp...012FallCRQ.pdf

Now, in relation to the cost of living in Juneau compared to Fairbanks, what is not taken into account is the very long and colder winters. Heating fuel is very expensive in Fairbanks. That may be the reason why the cost of living index increased 142% on the 4th quarter in Fairbanks (winter). November through January, and sometimes February, are the coldest months.

[Nephler]

The sky is blue???
Damn, I need to get out more.