What does Barrow have to offer? (Fairbanks: trip , jobs, medical)

[nyjz1298]

I've always been really interested in Alaska and especially the northern most town, Barrow. What does it have to offer? What is keep all of the non-native american population living there? What sort of jobs are offered? Isn't the cost of living pretty high? Also, what amenities does Barrow offer? Obviously there isn't a mall, or probably even a well stocked grocery store. To residents from the lower 48 that moved to Barrow, do you find life there restrictive?

[Metlakatla]

More importantly, what do you have to offer Barrow?

[nyjz1298]

At this point, possibly a disappointed tourist.

[EnjoyEP]

Originally Posted by nyjz1298

What does Barrow have to offer?

Well, for cold weather lovers, it is hard to beat Barrow!

[Clutch718]

Originally Posted by nyjz1298

I've always been really interested in Alaska and especially the northern most town, Barrow. What does it have to offer? What is keep all of the non-native american population living there? What sort of jobs are offered? Isn't the cost of living pretty high? Also, what amenities does Barrow offer? Obviously there isn't a mall, or probably even a well stocked grocery store. To residents from the lower 48 that moved to Barrow, do you find life there restrictive?

Greetings, fellow Brooklynite.

Why would you want to Barrow?; It's an arctic tundra.

Wet, cold, cloudy, and muddy in the summers,
Dark, frigid, and windy in the winters.

Consider Fairbanks. It has the cold, plus it's considerably sunnier than most other Alaskan cities. No oceanic influence to drive in rain day after day.

[FutureCop]

There are no penguins up there, polar bears are, though.

I know nothing about Barrow or the rest of Alaska for that matter. Only think I know are big mountains, snow, and polar bears. But I would love to visit. Must-see.

[Joe_Ryder]

Mud. Lots of mud.

It's boring. The natives fish. Be careful of Polar Bears. They know where the bus stops are. There is a thing that resembles a bus if you squint hard enough.

People go there to make money, nothing more.

You're looking in the wrong place for mountains and streams and all that cool stuff. It's flat. It's nothing more than a giant sheet of ice. Most jobs are 6 month contracts and crews are rotated. Medical personnel are needed but that's true everywhere. Do you like fresh food? Forget about it. IF you can deal with a life comprised only of work and endless boredom, you can make a few bucks. You'll likely spend it all and come back more broke than you left but the option is there.

In summer when it could get to a blistering 45 F, they have to spray down the all dirt roads to control dust. Lots of cold mud to play in.

[stiffnecked]

Well I have lived in Barrow. There are no bus stops anymore. They discontinued the bus service. Taxi's driven by Filipinos is what replaced the buses.

They actually have more than one grocery store. The nicest is the AC Store. It sells everything but at times the stuff you want can be in very short supply. The prices are hgher as they should be. Take milk, $8.00 a gallon. Who needs to drink it anyway. That's what they make calcium supplements for.

They don't just fish. They also hunt. Just about anything that moves they hunt. If you are afraid of guns you don't want to go to Barrow. Everyone has one or more. I think a friend told me that NewYorkers were afraid of guns.

During breakup it can be very muddy around town. Some years it dries out for a little while other times it doesn't.

What does Barrow have to offer? The solitude of being at the end of the earth. Sometimes I just enjoy the quite. It has a beauty all it's own. Take a trip up there and check it out yourself. I'd recommend going in July or August.

What does New York City have to offer? In my humble opinion not squat. I have been there three times. My best bud is a retired NYPD cop and lives over in Jackson Heights.
So he gives me the tour each and every time. I did not see one single thing that impressed me.

Too many people, too many buildings, too crowded, too much hostility and rudness. Just the opposite in Barrow. Except for the hostility. If your lilly white and act like a tourist with a camera dangling around your neck expect a little hostility. Especially if your standing in the middle of the street taking pictures.....

[Clutch718]

To each his own, right?

Not all of us want Seasons, convenience, diversity, culture, entertainment.

[stiffnecked]

Your absolutely correct. Some of us just to live life and do it without the fluff.