Looking to Move to Alaska? Just DON'T (Anchorage, Metlakatla: best city, credit)

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Haolejohn

Or airplanes. The marine hwy only serves the SE portion of our state. I've never been on it, but my children have spent more time in airplanes than vehicles.

Yes, and SE also enjoys excellent air service.

In addition to small commuter carriers, Jets fly to Petersburg, Wrangell, Sitka, Cordova, Yakutat. No way communities of this size would have similar service down south. Of course it's not cheap, and nevertheless is subsidized by the federal government.

Dunno, but I would imagine that many folks coming from down south to live in the bush wouldn't be too concerned about the lack of internet service.

It's a good point though. Alaska does have relatively poor service, even in larger communities.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by chiluvr1228

Yet millions of tourists & snowbirds come down to this "sinkhole" every winter to soak up the sun while the rest of the country freezes.

Alaska gets millions of tourists as well. They come here to experience some of the planet's last pristine wilderness areas and to get away from hot, overcrowded sinkhole hellscapes.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Youcan't cure ignorance, I would say that would be my biggest complaint about the people in Alaska is that they aren'tvery well traveled generally speaking or open to other cultures. It's that small town mentality that comes with a lot of stereotypes. When I moved from Alaska to California, there were quite a few people saying, "oh my goodness, I would never go there because the crime is so high, I don't want to be killed by some crazy" and I'm just thinking sigh... like how do you even respond to someone so lost in their own ignorance LOL.

I hope that wasn't aimed at me, even though it seems to be. Not that I owe you an explanation, but I'm not even an official resident of Alaska, although I own a business (wait, make that two businesses) and plenty of land here. I like culture, art, music, and a certain degree of city lights in my life, and I haven't lived in Alaska on a year-round basis for about nine years. Now run along and try to feel superior at someone else's expense, Florida.

[Alaskamo]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Not sure from your wording if you realize that the lack of roads to most remote communities that are on the AMH isn't really a matter of inferior infrastructure.

What is it a matter of then? LACK of access.

Lacking something is not the equivalent to "inferior" - a term I did not use. I said "little infrastructure" in my original post. It is not economically feasible to build roads over vast distances in harsh climates for small populations, so there will never be roads to various remote communities. This is in complete contrast to most of the Lower 48 where even someone in the tiniest of towns can simply get in the car and drive.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Alaskamo

What is it a matter of then? LACK of access.

Lacking something is not the equivalent to "inferior" - a term I did not use. I said "little infrastructure" in my original post. It is not economically feasible to build roads over vast distances in harsh climates for small populations, so there will never be roads to various remote communities. .

Actually, even if it were economically feasible to build roads to the majority of the communities serviced by the AMH, there's a little something called the Pacific Ocean that stands in the way. That's why there will never be roads to certain remote communities. From your posts, I'm not sure you're aware that for the most part, these communities are separated by water.

I certainly understand your frustration with those who insist that Alaska can somehow solve their problems (I think that's a big part of the state's problem, btw -- people who moved up for the wrong reasons) -- but that type never seems to listen to reason. Maybe you'll attain your goal of saving at least one "newbie" from his or her own bad judgement, but certain of your remarks give the impression that you consider yourself a lone voice in the wilderness, and that's far from the truth.

ETA that many people who live in the communities of the Alexander Archipelago actually appreciate the fact that most places are not and never will be on the overland road system. It's not possible to move here and not be aware of that. This area used to get a significant number of people moving up on spec., by the way, but rising real estate prices and lack of affordable rentals has pretty much curtailed that.

[indy_317]

My wife and I just recently spent two weeks in Alaska and while we visited as tourist, I'll give my opinions about the various locations within the state. My views are coming from someone who is approaching forty years of age, has no kids, likes to be active in terms of day-hiking, overnight camping, road trips, and water sports. I'm not into hunting or fishing, nor do I really drink or socialize (though if I was single or my wife was more of a social person and drinker, I'd likely go to bars more than I do). I'm also not a huge fan of major cities, even though I spent my entire life in one that has a metro population above 1M. I love the mountains and I always wondered what living in Alaska would be like. I even applied for some jobs there about fifteen years ago or so.

For our visit, we took a cruise and did our own thing on land. The cruise was the most easiest way to see Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. We also had a day at Hoonah as well, which I wanted just to limit the number of do nothing 'days at sea' on the boat. Anyways, in Ketchikan I did some hiking, and of course my wife and I visited the tourist shops, all of which sell many of the same stuff, plenty of it "Made in China." This was the thing for all the tourist trap areas: The inside passage towns and Glitter Gulch up near Denali. Same coffee, same shirts, same trinkets, etc.. There are a few places that sell what they claim are true Alaska goods, but they are more pricey.

In Juneau we visited Mendenhall and road the tram, in Skagway we rented a car and drove up to Emerald Lake in the Yukon. We then got a rental car in Anchorage and drove to Healy. We spent two days checking out Denali, and I got some hiking in. The third day we decided to check out Fairbanks where we went to see a movie and checked out the museum at the university. We then drove to Anchorage, stopping off in Talkeetna to check that town out. We then had two full days in Anchorage so I hiked the Glen Apls, had lunch at Earthquake Park, checked out Eagle River Nature Center, checked out downtown, checked out Goose Lake Park, and took a trip to Girdwood.

Overall Alaska is beautiful, and if you are a recluse, or want minimal human interaction, an abundance of outdoor recreation, it is a great state for that. For me, I don't need much, but I at least need the basics. I really liked Juneau and the Anchorage area the most. Fairbanks was an OK town, but it just feels so remote, that I don't think I would like living there full-time. Juneau is a smaller city, but it has decent shopping options, but lacks an roads to the mainland. So if I had to move to Alaska, I likely would choose to live in or near Anchorage.

One thing I did notice is that Anchorage, like my city Indianapolis, has a lot of homeless. Our homeless are usually either mentally ill people or drug addicts. Other than that, I felt that Anchorage was an easy city to navigate. It has the basics and offers abundant outdoor recreational opportunities. We visited when the weather was decent. We got lucky in that we didn't get that much rain during our two week trip. The winters though might bother me. I'm all for having four seasons, but anymore I don't want lots of snow and really cold temps that linger for weeks, or months, on end.

If one is in search of mountains, near-by (say within a days drive) outdoor recreation, and sparse population, you can find plenty of that in the western part of the country. There are locations that offer good weather year round (as in mild temps, mild rainfall, and little to mild snow accumulation). Employment would likely be easier to come by as there are more major cities between the more sparsely populated areas.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

..
ETA that many people who live in the communities of the Alexander Archipelago actually appreciate the fact that most places are not and never will be on the overland road system. It's not possible to move here and not be aware of that...

Right. And speaking of those who move somewhere and want to change things, there are plenty who want to change this reality.

My question is: Lack of access to what? "The road" from Juneau to Skagway would actually still require a short ferry shuttle.

Then, congratulations, you've accessed Skagway, which is a tiny town hundreds of miles from Anchorage and over a thousand to Seattle. Now what?

Our remoteness dictates that air travel is the king of access in Alaska. Anyone perusing a map of the state should quickly recognize this. Access is expensive, but it's there.

[akpls]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Youcan't cure ignorance, I would say that would be my biggest complaint about the people in Alaska is that they aren'tvery well traveled generally speaking or open to other cultures. It's that small town mentality that comes with a lot of stereotypes. When I moved from Alaska to California, there were quite a few people saying, "oh my goodness, I would never go there because the crime is so high, I don't want to be killed by some crazy" and I'm just thinking sigh... like how do you even respond to someone so lost in their own ignorance LOL.

Not well traveled? Maybe you'd like to compare your frequent flyer accounts or passport to those even of my kids. Alaskans have to be some of the more well-traveled people around. And I've seen more dual or multi-culture families in Alaska than anywhere I've been.....hands down. Generally speaking, I find your statement a bit ignorant.

[Alaskamo]

Originally Posted by Blind Cleric

My question is: Lack of access to what? "The road" from Juneau to Skagway would actually still require a short ferry shuttle.

Then, congratulations, you've accessed Skagway, which is a tiny town hundreds of miles from Anchorage and over a thousand to Seattle. Now what?

Our remoteness dictates that air travel is the king of access in Alaska. Anyone perusing a map of the state should quickly recognize this. Access is expensive, but it's there.

Most individuals in the Lower 48 DO NOT CARE enough to retain basic info about Alaska, regardless of the ability to Google anything and anyone these days. When national news outlets routinely place Alaska as an inset to the left of California on political maps, many in the Lower 48 are still truly surprised that one would have to drive into Canada to reach the state via vehicle. Not a joke.

When you initially asked me a question regarding what is lacking, I answered with facts, not an emotional plea to get better road systems so we can overrun the remote areas with outsiders. I also do not write for the approval of regulars who talk to each other here for years. I write for the person at home who will not even sign in to post a question but is simply searching for current info. None of these people care about the constant circle jerks that go on in popular forums. The bottom line is Alaska is not the place to be right now, unless one has several years to commit to waiting out the downturn and stabilization process.

[Music_Man]

I still think he owns a Pitts!