Info on Sitka please! (Anchorage, Hope: sale, rentals, hotel) - Alaska (AK) - City-Data Forum

vivvers · 10-08-2013, 02:33 PM

I am relocating to Sitka, AK from Louisville, KY. I am wanting the locals point of view if you are out there. I am also wanting to know if taking I-90 to the north is too risky weather wise at the end of Oct, first week of Nov. I plan on taking the ferry from Bellingham, WA to Sitka.

Should I ship my things or sell them all here and replace them when I get there? I'm not talking about purchasing new furniture, just gently used. I will be travelling with my 15 yr old daughter.

Info on Sitka H.S. would be great too! I am praying that the rental I am wanting goes thru this week. If not, well, I'll need information on rentals also. I don't want a delapidated dump nor a mansion. Somthing 2/1 would suit us.

Finally, I am planning on selling my car here (it's a convertible - no need for one up there) and what would you all suggest for a replacement.

I am getting a fairly generous relocation package but definately want to save as much as I can.

Thanks for the help!

takuriver · 10-08-2013, 09:14 PM

Congrats!!
N
Sitka is a beautiful town, locals here say it's what Juneau used to be 40 years ago. Rentals are hard to come by and expensive so take what you can get and look to upgrade as you can.

Don't ship your stuff unless you are really attached to it. When people move South, they usually sell their stuff and you can get good household goods at decent prices. It's a great community to live and I'd probably live there if the winters weren't so slushy. As far as cars, just get a Subaru which is the unofficial State car.

Dakster · 10-08-2013, 09:35 PM

Any northern road in October you take your chances. I-90 was just closed due to snow -- and then reopened. You should check the various travel sites just before you leave and as you are driving. Be flexible in the times you drive (or leave the Hotel) and which route you take. I even do this in the summer.

lv2hoop · 10-08-2013, 11:03 PM

Yeah, but it's not common to have a road closure. More than likely that you'll drive to Bellingham with no road issues. Going over the passes on I-90 you could encounter rain, sleet, and snow but often you'll be back to normal road conditions shortly thereafter. Best to be prepared for the worst, and then you're almost guaranteed to have smooth driving.

akck · 10-09-2013, 10:26 AM

If your employer is paying for the move, bring up everything that you think you'll need that they'll pay to move. As for a car, I'd go with an AWD SUV, Forester, Rav 4, etc., mainly because you can haul stuff in it. As for I-90, weather will always be hit or miss. Do pay attention to weather reports each day and have an alternative route planned. I-84 will avoid a Snoqualmie Pass, but it is a detour to get to Bellingham.

If you haven't been to Sitka, it is isolated. You'll have limited shopping and you can't drive to another city without first getting on a ferry. Be aware you'll be seeing Sitka at its worst, when it's wet and dark, and it will be difficult to get used to it. That's pretty much the same story for all of SE Alaska. I've found taking vitamin D-3 supplements help and just know that spring and summer will arrive which makes Sitka one of the nicer places to be.

rntim · 10-10-2013, 05:01 PM

Sitka is an awesome place! Get a truck or SUV--all 14 miles of road aren't all that great. We bought a Toyota Tacoma right before moving here from the Fl. Keys. We lived in Anchorage for several years and choose Sitka when we got sick of the lower 48. We downsized and did have some household stuff shipped-took a month to get here because they do have to barge it up. We had a decent moving package and not much out of pocket even with driving to Bellingham and hoping the ferry . We had a placed lined up prior to arrival and all went smooth. There currently are some good rentals in the Sitka Sentinel-the local paper. Its on-line also. The weather is currently pretty wet. There are 3 grocery stores, several small shops, a McD's and lots of stuff sold on-line locally all the time. The only new thing I bought was a chainsaw here. For us, groceries are about equal to what we paid in the Keys but beware things are a bit pricey. People are nice , helpful and very friendly. I'm from western MT. and Lookout Pass can be a bit scary to some if snow is on the ground but they are excellent at keeping the roads drivable. Sorry I can't tell you much about the schools--don't have kids but I can say they have lots of school programs, sports, etc. Check out Sitka.com and go to forums--that's where you find all kinds of classified ads including housing. As said earlier, its getting kinda uckey here weatherwise but the mountains are always beautiful. We are heading up to Anchorage this weekend to visit for a few days but if you need any questions answered I'd be glad to try. rntim1@yahoo. Hope you have a safe trip! By the way, we spend maybe 30 bucks a month on gas--and its 4.50gallon right now.

Alaskan Mutt · 10-11-2013, 05:26 AM

I have not lived in Sitka for a lot of years. However isolated small towns rarely change much.

There is not a wide selection of shopping. Furthermore it is not the garage sale season. So you might get lucky finding furnature on craigslist or in the classifieds. Also check church and store bulletin boards. Otherwise you will be buying and shipping things up from the states. If that is going to be the case you might as well let your employer ship what you already own.

Shopping for clothes will not be any better. In this day and age of the internet I would get with friends, coworkers or whoever and see if they have any recommendatins or favorite online shopping sites.

If having something mailed from the lower 48 you will want to think twice about shipping via parcel post. Do not know how it is now but it use to take 4 to 6 weeks for the package to arrive once shipped.

In the summertime womens softball was very popular.

No sense wishing it would not rain so much.

There are not many money raising opportunities for high school students. Buying a raffle ticket once in a while goes a long way.

Dakster · 10-11-2013, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lv2hoop

Yeah, but it's not common to have a road closure. More than likely that you'll drive to Bellingham with no road issues. Going over the passes on I-90 you could encounter rain, sleet, and snow but often you'll be back to normal road conditions shortly thereafter. Best to be prepared for the worst, and then you're almost guaranteed to have smooth driving.

I agree... I wasn't trying to say that they are often closed - just check since there was a section closed for a short amount of time already. I always prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Usually ends up very close to the best when I do that.

akck · 10-11-2013, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alaskan Mutt

Shopping for clothes will not be any better. In this day and age of the internet I would get with friends, coworkers or whoever and see if they have any recommendatins or favorite online shopping sites.

I'd guess that Amazon.com is one of the main online sources. Many items qualify for free shipping and some have reasonable shipping to Alaska. We do go through the ordering process a lot, only to cancel the order once the shipping cost is shown. Then it's a new search for a vendor with reasonable shipping costs.

vivvers · 10-12-2013, 07:00 PM

Thank you all for the information! I have checked out sitka.com and have only briefly looked at the online paper. I'll take a look at that very soon. I live in a small town east of Louisville but obviously not isolated. My current commute to the University of Louisville Hospital in downtown L'ville is about 55 miles round trip. I can use up $30 in gas in 3 days........I am either selling my convertible (I would be laughed at up there I'm sure) or I'll trade my older daughter for her AWD Escape.

I also wanted to ask about the daylight vs. darkness ratio. I have heard that some take Vit D supplements for this. How difficult is this to get used to? Not the supplements, but the darkness. Are there periods of sunlight daily or is is just kind of a greyish blah.?

I think I have decided to bring up a few of my favorite pieces and mementos and get the rest up there. I'm definitely into downsizing anyway. Thank you for the tips on the clothing. As my daughter is 15 this is something that we will discuss