What's the daily life in Ketchikan like? (Metlakatla: house, school)

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by MillennialUrbanist

I'd much rather read first-hand accounts from people who spent time there, than the dry, encyclopedia-style descriptions you often find on Google. But I guess the people have spoken . I will use Google next

If you're seeking information simply for entertainment then use Google. If you're planning a move ask questions. Why waste people's time, efforts and energy if you aren't serious?

[Metlakatla]

I don't mind so much answering the questions of the curious, but it gets old when you contribute to a conversation and don't even get a thanks. The sense of entitlement is a little much sometimes. <<That wasn't really directed at the OP, at least not entirely, but a "hey thanks" to those of us who took time to answer your questions would have been appreciated.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by sunigal99

Some of us enjoy reading about the lifestyle in other parts of the US without any intention of moving there.

If writing about your town is too much trouble for someone not moving, don't answer.

You're sharing, we're learning. That's not a waste of time.

I for one agree, so it makes no difference to me whether someone is serious or not prior to responding.

We're a small state population wise, and there are only a handful or two of Alaskans who regularly participate in this forum, with none of them currently living in Ketchikan that I'm aware of.

Stiffnecked used to, Metlakatla lives nearby on a seasonal basis. So, not much help can be summoned here.

Ketchikan is a small, working class town, probably similar socially to other such US towns in many regards.

[MillennialUrbanist]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

If you're seeking information simply for entertainment then use Google. If you're planning a move ask questions. Why waste people's time, efforts and energy if you aren't serious?

What difference does it make if I plan to move there? I figured people would be mildly flattered that someone shows interest in their town, even if non-serious. But with me being an urbanist, perhaps I might not be happy there long-term. After all, I do need my regular fix of ethnic food and salsa dancing, which Juneau is more likely to have.

Perhaps an Alaska cruise is in order. Most of them stop in Ketchikan, and some in Juneau as well. Granted, a 6-hour port of call visit isn't the best way to get a feel for a town, but at least I'll get to see it first-hand.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Blind Cleric

Stiffnecked used to, Metlakatla lives nearby on a seasonal basis. So, not much help can be summoned here.

I go to Ketchikan pretty often on business and have for years, have plenty of relatives there, used to live there, read their newspaper on a daily basis, and will be owning rental property there soon. I disagree that I'm not much help, although the chances of me knowing about salsa dancing options are nonexistent. That's the sort of thing that Google comes in handy for. And even though Stiff no longer lives there, it sounds from his posts that he knows the place pretty well. Both of us can answer a lot of questions about Ketchikan without having to look the answers up online -- our responses in this thread were the only ones that were not reliant on Google, such as yours.

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by MillennialUrbanist

What difference does it make if I plan to move there? I figured people would be mildly flattered that someone shows interest in their town, even if non-serious. But with me being an urbanist, perhaps I might not be happy there long-term. After all, I do need my regular fix of ethnic food and salsa dancing, which Juneau is more likely to have.

Perhaps an Alaska cruise is in order. Most of them stop in Ketchikan, and some in Juneau as well. Granted, a 6-hour port of call visit isn't the best way to get a feel for a town, but at least I'll get to see it first-hand.

I don't think most Alaskans are in search of flattery from lower 48'ers. Generally speaking people use these state specific forums to gather information about areas they are relocating too. If your moving here I suggest you come visit first.

[Metlakatla]

And actually, the entire focus of this forum is supposed to be relocation.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

.. our responses in this thread were the only ones that were not reliant on Google, such as yours.

Your assumption is incorrect. I googled nothing.

[Frostnip]

There's something of the "dance for me, you northern monkeys" in a lot of these "No seriously, I'm super seriously considering moving to such-and-such a place, answer all my easily googleable questions" threads, I think. I don't really find that flattering, myself. I get the appeal of fantasizing about moving to some faraway destination, but...eh. If someone's genuinely interested in information and doesn't have specific needs because they already know they're never actually coming here, there are already a lot of threads in this subforum about pretty much any community in Alaska you could want to know about, and this site has a handy dandy search feature that works for just that.

I'm happy to spend time helping out someone who's relocating, or who has some other practical need for more boots-on-the-ground info than google can provide.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Blind Cleric

Your assumption is incorrect. I googled nothing.

Perhaps you should have used Google; you might have gotten the average rainfall amount correct.