We're on the way to Juneau. What can we expect? (Juneau and: apartments, rent)

[CSININDY]

Husband's transfer has offically came through. We are Alaska bound. We are heading to Juneau. I have discovered it's only accessible by air and water. We are looking at filling our Nissan Xterra with the most important stuff we need and shipping it to Juneau and we are flying up with our 3 cats. any advice or suggestions? I've been to ANC once in Aug and was shocked at the much cooler temps than the Midwest. My husband has never been. What are we in for?

[warptman]

Rain, rain, and some more rain.

[Barkingowl]

Looks like rain but on a brighter note you'll be leaving those triple digit summer days behind you.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by CSININDY

Husband's transfer has offically came through. We are Alaska bound. We are heading to Juneau. I have discovered it's only accessible by air and water. We are looking at filling our Nissan Xterra with the most important stuff we need and shipping it to Juneau and we are flying up with our 3 cats. any advice or suggestions? I've been to ANC once in Aug and was shocked at the much cooler temps than the Midwest. My husband has never been. What are we in for?

What state are you leaving behind, Csinindy?

[Redhawk]

In Juneau
Temperatures have been in the upper fifties for highs for the past few days with lows in the high forties, skies have been overcast for the last three days, rain today! We did have some beautiful clear weather for a couple of days a while back though.
Welcome to Juneau!

[Xa'at]

I'm going to break out of the mold and say... non-stop wild partying. That's right, you heard it here first. We use the rain as a front so people don't realize that we spend all day partying like animals.

Wow, I'm really not all that sure why I said that.

But seriously, the best advice I have for you is to avoid Alaska Air at all costs. I'm serious, avoid them like you would avoid the black plague carried by Osama Bin Ladin. They will rob ya blind, and probably take your cats too, when you're not looking. You'd be much better off loading all that stuff into your car, and getting on the ferry. It takes a little longer, but you're allowed to bring nail clippers, small children, and they don't charge you $100 for an extra bag.

Also, never buy a house sight-unseen. If need be, rent for a few months, there's quite a few two bedroom apartments on the market (although you might have a harder time with the cats- I know MacKinnon apts takes animals but I think their biggest is a 1 bedroom) and trust me, you do not want to end up stuck with a house that looked great on the internet but turned out to be constructed using driftwood and hot glue.

[rotorhead]

What you can expect is rain. I've personally never been to a place where it rains more often than Juneau. Only recently did I have a chance to see the top couple thousand feet of the mountains that surround the city, they've always been buried in clouds and rainshowers on my previous visits. You can check the temps on lots of internet weather sites, but it's much, much cooler in the summers than the midwest. Ironically, winters might be a bit warmer than you're used to if you're from the upper midwest, since the climate in JNU is moderated by the proximity to the ocean.

I'll second that house-buying advice from Xaat. Never, ever, (did I mention ever?) buy a house or land in Alaska (or anywhere, for that matter, but especially up here) until you set foot on it in person first.

You'd be shocked and amazed at how good realtors and sellers are at cropping out and choosing viewpoints for their online ads, systemically excluding all the funky, ugly, and just plain bad factors affecting their properties. You expect them to lie like dogs on the written description but most home buyers can figure out that code after doing a bit of shopping around (dollhouse=small, fixer-upper=squatters ghetto, handyman special=decades of total neglect, etc.). What you don't expect is how well they can lie to you with photos.

Coming from the midwest you can expect a SEVERE case of sticker shock as well, decent single-family detached houses on fairly level, good sized lots in OK neighborhoods start in the mid 300s, and really nice places easily top a half mil. Do some looking around on the internet to get a general impression, and then use it as a basis for a reality check once you get there. If you're coming from Chicago or a more expensive area it's no big deal. If you've been living in suburban Iowa or similar you're not gonna get a lot for your money up here compared to what you're used to.

Check the archive of past posts for advice on buying property in Juneau. There are some factors you might not expect (like avalanche areas) that bear consideration in the home buying adventure.

[Crossfire600]

Originally Posted by Xa'at

I'm going to break out of the mold and say... non-stop wild partying. That's right, you heard it here first. We use the rain as a front so people don't realize that we spend all day partying like animals.

SSSSSssshhhh - Now everyone is going to find out! Xa'at - you and I definitely have to meet for coffee when I get up there....you make me laugh!

To the original poster - Big Congrats - and hope to see you up there in the next few months (we just put our house on the market to make the move up) This is a wonderful site and check out the old postings, too.

Dawn
Crossfire's wife

[CSININDY]

We've moving from Indiana. We lived for some time in Key West, FL and are used to high price small islands that are heavily visited by tourists. The ferry is booked solid so taking our car and boating up isn't really an option, unfortunately. We have spent the past 7 days driving our to WA state to regroup for the final push. We can't stand the idea of driving another hour in the truck and just want to get there. Any ideas?

[CSININDY]

Thx for the advice. So what's the story with Alaska Airlines? Personal experience? Do you have any other ideas for getting up there fast? The ferry is booked. We have to be there by the 6th.