Mat-su Valley vs. Kenai Peninsula (Anchorage, Wasilla: house, camping, taxes)

[globetraveler]

Originally Posted by 6.7traveler

The entire lower 48 has turnes into a giant suburb controlled by HOA's that dictate what kind of trash cans you can have, what style mailbox you can have, what color your house can be. Hopefully Alaska has the last sliver of freedom left I am looking for.

As I discovered when house hunting, that also means that your neighbor can do what they want as well. If your neighbor decides to put dozens of abandoned cars in the yard, several 40 ft shipping containers, and assorted other stuff, you get to stare at the mess.

[AKStafford]

I live in the Valley and love it and usually recommend it as as great place to live. But based on what you are saying, you might actually prefer the Peninsula. And it sounds like you'll have the time and money to figure out your location once you get here.
Central Peninsula Hospital is located in Soldotna, and they are getting ready to building the Dena'ian Wellness Center in Kenai, which will be a large Native Clinic.
Either way, good luck to you.

[muttonhead]

The reason I say visit is because you may have a very different feeling about a place than you think you will. Before I went to AK I was sure I wanted to live in Homer. Now that I've been, I wouldn't want to live there although I like to visit. I like Soldotna more than I thought I would. I like Palmer but not Wasilla. I prefer the Interior to the Kenai. I wouldn't know any of this without visiting. Its worth the money for one of you to come up and look.

It could mean the difference between finding a new home or not enjoying your time.

[sassymom97]

I have lived in Soldotna, Kenai, & currently Wasilla. I personally like Wasilla the best, however, for the thing you didn't want which is the "box stores". Soldotna, for me, was too isolated, however it sounds like it would be a great fit for your family. I do love camping down there in the summer, and the fishing is by far the best on the Kenai. I do miss driving on the beach down there as well. I think either place you choose, you will be satisfied with your desision. We also have drove the alcan twice, the most beautiful by far was in March!!! I am sure no matter which town you pick, you will more than likley be happy, I have made some wonderful friends in both places. =)

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by muttonhead

I agree, you should fly up and visit the towns before committing. It will be worth the expense and time. No amount of advice on here can replace that gut feeling you will have by putting boots on ground.

I wonder how many people go sight unseen and never leave. My grandma's sister did just that. She grew up in Oregon, and had always wanted to go to Alaska, but had never before been. One day she just decided she was going to do it. She got herself a job and a place to live (BEFORE going), and left for Alaska, sight unseen. She never moved away, and lived the remainder of her life in the Wasilla/Palmer area. She absolutely loved it there, and rarely ever left Alaska, except for her and my grandma's summer trips to Yukon Territory to gamble, and every few years or so coming down here to visit.

My grandma always said if she ever won the lottery she would buy a log cabin in Alaska and move and never look back, even if it meant having to leave my grandpa in order to do it if he wouldn't go with her.

Of course that won't work for everybody, just saying it does work for some if they really want it badly enough.

[sassymom97]

I moved there sight unseen. This is actually my third time back in AK. First move here was in '03 from CA to Soldotna, it was a shock to say the least, went back to CA 5 months later, then 6 months after that back to Soldotna. I was young, and I like a small town with city feel (aka, shopping, stores, ect.) which Soldotna lacks. My husband however LOVES Soldotna in comparison with Wasilla, which we also moved to sight unseen. He knows all the spots for fishing and hunting. I am content here, (Wasilla) for now. We have been here almost 4 yrs now and are planning yet another move, this time to WA. Alaska is a beautiful place, amazing fishing, pretty scenery, I do however miss the convinece of an interstate to visit family. Moving to a place sight unseen can be scary, but also exciting! Thats where web sites like this is an amazing tool for reserching places. :-)

[6.7traveler]

Thanks for all the replies. Right now we are leaning towards Palmer for the higher pay selective and flexible schedule but plan on definitely checking out Soldotna and Homer when we are there before we commit to anything. If we did choose Palmer we have found rentals and property in Sutton to the east. Is this a doable commit for my wife? Also what would be the farthest west we could to make the commute under an hour in the worst of conditions? Willow? We obviously want as short of commute as possible with the most amount of privacy.

[heathen]

Sutton is a reasonable commute to Palmer, though the hospital is on the far side of town. Probably 30-40 minutes from Sutton. The traffic isn't bad, but can be a little slow on the 2-lane between downtown Palmer and the hospital. There are alternate routes for that section if there is an accident. Just a fair warning that you'll probably hear banjos in your head when you drive through Sutton. This may be a good or bad thing... Get to know your immediate neighbors before you commit, there are some "undesirables" out there. And note that the Matanuska Valley is a wind tunnel. Still, I'd be happy to live there, if the house and land were right.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend living anywhere out west where you have to commute through Wasilla (Willow, Big Lake, Hourston). Glitch will tell you it's not that bad, but I personally can't stand Wasilla at rush hour. Areas that I like are Fishhook Road, Lazy Mountain (Clark / Wolverine Roads), parts of the Old Glenn Highway, Smith and Maude Roads, Bodenburg Loop, Buffalo/Soapstone, and Knik River Road, where I lived for a couple years. Also, the area immediately north of the hospital is a bit more built up, but still pretty woodsy (Bogard, Trunk Roads, etc.)

[sassymom97]

I went to school with people in Palmer (right by the hospital) who did the commute almost daily from willow. If your used to commuting, it's not bad, might be a little boring after awhile, and the towns are pretty good about keeping the roads maintained during winter, it's the moose you'd have to watch out for. Getting on google maps is a great tool for finding information on distances from point A to point B. Willow & Sutton are both really quiet & very small communities, but the commute is quite beautiful, although anywhere you drive here is beautiful. Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Marty Van Diest]

Many people who work at the hospital are told that they need to live no more than 20 minutes away. Willow and Sutton are more than 20 minutes. I would prefer Sutton for a commute over Willow because the traffic and scenery are both better.

Most people who haven't been here drive through Sutton and not even know it...it's that small. It has an elementary school, a post office, and a library. But that's about it. A couple stores that are not even large enough to call "convenience stores".