Which City Would You Recommend (Anchorage, Palmer: earthquake, place to live, safest)

[Arktikos]

No hurricanes, but yes to possibility of tsunamis. Avalanches are only of concern if you're skiing in the back country or living at the foot of a mountain. Depends on where you go and how small of a town you want,
but some places you can get by without a car. Interior locations are colder and drier than coastal areas.
For the coast, take a look at Homer,
Tenakee or Haines. Interior, I don't know. Maybe Tok or McCarthy.

[June1218]

Thank you very much. I'll look into those cities.

[keyman51]

You do not want McCarthy, It is a town in the middle of a National Park. You do not own your own land, you can not hunt locally at all. You can not drive to it, you drive your vehicle to a footbridge and then cross on foot. The locals have a key to the gate that they can drive a 4 wheeler over. There is no infrastructure at all and very little services. The nearest town is 65 miles (Chitina) and it also is in that park and no infrastructure. Tok is much better (if you want middle of nowhere but still on the road system).

[riceme]

Originally Posted by keyman51

You do not want McCarthy, It is a town in the middle of a National Park. You do not own your own land, you can not hunt locally at all. You can not drive to it, you drive your vehicle to a footbridge and then cross on foot. The locals have a key to the gate that they can drive a 4 wheeler over. There is no infrastructure at all and very little services. The nearest town is 65 miles (Chitina) and it also is in that park and no infrastructure. Tok is much better (if you want middle of nowhere but still on the road system).

Right. My cousin is based out of there for fires every now and then. One of his buddies once said, "One day I spent a week in McCarthy." A lot of the guys seem to think that sums it up pretty well.

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by June1218

Hello!

I am looking into a move to either Alaska or Maine and I am currently in research mode. I love the cold, absolutely love snow, and enjoy rain. My major decision factors will be natural disasters and safety/crime levels. I prefer small towns and I don't mind being in the middle of nowhere I live in Colorado now and honestly I hate it; bipolar weather, mud and desert like terrain, a lot of rude people.

I am a young female, I don't plan to move for a few years, my initial goal is to get to the state and work in town, my overall goal is to have a small homestead outside of town.

1) Is Alaska dog friendly? Are there a lot of restrictions on owning dogs or the number of dogs you can have?
2) Can you get around on 4 wheelers etc or do you need a truck/suv?
3) Is there cities/areas that do not have or are less likely to have avalanches? Earthquakes? Volcanoes?
4) Are there storms like hurricanes/tsunamis?
5) What kind of criminal activities happen? Is it a safe state in general?

Thank you for any advice you're able to share with me.

1. Alaska isn't really dog friendly. It's illegal to own a dog with short hair or one that weighs less than 75lbs. You can only own more than two dogs if you operate a certified dog sled team.

2. 4-wheelers are the best mode of transportation. Many roads are not paved and those tend to be extremely rough in regular trucks and SUVs. In the areas where there are no roads the only way to be mobile is with an ATV. Just make sure you buy the hollow wheeled models so they won't sink in the tundra.

3. There is snow on the ground 365 days a year. The only place that avalanches don't happen are in the coastal towns, but then you have to worry about tsunamis. Earthquakes are frequent but are not a threat like California. You don't ha w to worry about volcanoes. This isn't Hawaii.

4. Only happen on the coast.

5. Very safe state. As a matter of fact, crime only happens in the road portions where the troopers are at. No crime in the bush. What kind of crime? We have your typical crimes you'd see down south. It's all centered in the tourist areas.

[Haolejohn]

My above answer is not real, but it is on the Internet...

How cold do you like? There's a difference between Colorado cold vs Alaska cold. What sort of jobs will you be looking at? Homesteading? I'm assuming you mean trying to live off the grid? That will limit you IMO. Also understand that town and outside of town could be a looooonnnnnngggg commute.

[Tominftl]

Originally Posted by June1218

Thank you. I don't mind dealing with any of these disasters, I'm curious how often they happen. For instance, in Florida you can pretty much count on at least one hurricane a year. I've read there are a lot of avalanches in Alaska, but is there a city that perhaps sees less avalanches or none at all? That's sort of what I am trying to understand from Alaska, do they see all these natural disasters regularly or is it more rare, or depends on the city, etc. Thank you again.

Are you kidding me? I live in Fl. We haven't had a hurricane in 10 years. No place is perfect and if you watch some programs on TV you could answer your own question. Ak has a mud season and bugs too not to mention bears trying to get in your house if they smell food. My ex lives in ME and loves it.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Tominftl

No place is perfect and if you watch some programs on TV you could answer your own question.

Television programs are definitely the way to experience Alaska from the comfort of your couch. The reality shows are especially informative for those seeking relocation information. We try to keep the thing about the bears trying to get into people's houses quiet, though.

[Haolejohn]

After having a bear show up numerous times, I finally bought a bowl and started feeding him outside. Eventually we were able to house train him. I no longer have to worry about a town during or druggie popping in my house. Hopefully he learns to calm down around my kids. We do have a third child showing up soon.

[June1218]

Well didn't really expect some of these answers. I'm just trying to learn more about the state to see if it's right for me. Sorry to offend the Florida person, but when I think of a state that has hurricanes, I think Florida. Just as I think of California for earthquakes.

I work from home, I only need internet and phone service, so I'm not concerned with going into town for a job daily. I understand that where there is water and dirt there is mud, but where I'm located it's basically brown all year and we don't have a lot of greenery it's more desert like so when it snows, it melts shortly after and it's muddy. Yes I am wanting to have a homestead, chickens, sheep, food and what not.