barrow (vacation, work, home)

[nsm123]

I was reading and looking at alot of pics of barrow alaska. It seems so frigid and cold there. Do people ever move there for the love of that type of climate or are most people just born there and just stay? Do people in that kind of climate ever long for the tropics? It seems like a very tight knit community. What do they do for entertainment there?

[beone]

I have been looking for pictures. Can you provide some websites?

[BarrowsBaby]

People mostly get duped into moving here through promise of work, or high pay. The truth is, the North Slope has a VERY high pay rate, but it doesn't seem that high once you go to the grocery store. Most times once you get here it is too expensive to leave...even for a vacation. You may come here for work expecting to make tons of money to buy a home or a car, but in reality, once you get here your basically stuck because the cost of living is so high.
Almost no one comes here for the climate, and most were born and raised here and that is all they know. The tight knit community part...I don't know about that. No two cultures actually get along. The natvies and phillipinos clash, the natvies and whites clash, and the phillipinos and whites clash. No one really gets along with anyone.
Lets see...for entertainment, if your not into the native arts and activities, you can get drunk, do drugs, have sex (get pregnant and spend your life caring for children), vandalize things, rob the few stores we have, or steal cars. Or you can just sit on your ass and watch TV while eating munchies...forcing your ass to get 3 times bigger than it's been in your entire life.
Hey, I'm just telling you what you want to know.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Wow. Some people have no vision. It must be very difficult to live in Barrow under those circumstances.

It is true that many people come here expecting to make big bucks. Some of them do to, but they don't stay for the money. They stay in Barrow for the adventure. And the community.

Something approaching half of the population if Barrow has moved here from elsewhere. Many (and I am one example) came here for the cool dry climate. The immigrant population is indeed immigrant too! On a typical day a stroll around Barrow will expose you to 4 to 6 different languages. There of course are Inupiat Eskimo people, and typical Americans of European descent. There are also Fillipino, Korea, Somoan, Hawaiian and Mexican people here is significant numbers. A few Chinese, folks from the Caribean, and a couple from Eastern Europe too. It is a very international place.

Oh, and they do all get along rather well. Everyone here is your neighbor. There is no "Korea town",;there isn't a place where only certain types of folks live. And when somebody needs help, anyone and everyone lends a hand. We are all neighbors.

Barrow is one heck of a place for people with adventure in the soul, and an open mind. It's a great place for small children and for young adults. Like any small town, it is really a tough place for teenagers if they don't have extremely good wits or great parents.

[RAMFEB31]

My gosh, which should I believe? 'Barrows' or 'Floyd'? One seem to paint a rather dismal pic while the other is rather upbeat. As a one time visitor years back, I've seen the upbeat side. Is there another face I've not seen?

[Xa'at]

Seems like there's been a lot of people asking about Barrow lately...
Barrowbaby and Floyd- you guys seen the sun yet?

[Floyd_Davidson]

The sun comes up for the first time each year on January 23rd, so we've been getting it in the eye for just over a week.

[RayinAK]

I would think that an unscrupulous person somewhere could start some sort of scam to sell land, or to get people to Alaska for a small fee.

There are more than one way to see things, and I saw at least two on the posts above. The first one was down to the point, and sarcastically funny. I didn't see it as a negative post, but a realistic one. We do spend a lot of time getting fat in front of the TV and keyboard during the winter months.

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

The sun comes up for the first time each year on January 23rd, so we've been getting it in the eye for just over a week.

Rock on!
I saw the sun the other day... Made me sneeze.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

There are more than one way to see things, and I saw at least two on the posts above. The first one was down to the point, and sarcastically funny. I didn't see it as a negative post, but a realistic one. We do spend a lot of time getting fat in front of the TV and keyboard during the winter months.

I'm pretty sure that I know who "BarrowsBaby" is in person. I'm not sure what she said was sarcastic, or even funny. But I would not want anyone to think she is not being honest, or that her point of view is not honest. Keep in mind that she was born and raised here in Barrow; hence, she is not here because her particular skills and talents are a good match, but rather because that was true for her parents at one time.

The contrast between her view and mine is precisely what someone thinking of moving to Barrow needs to see! Fleeing from whatever you are to a strange place far away will not solve problems. But on the other hand, for those who are exploring the world or exploring their own makeup... if they know how to match what Barrow is with their own reality, it might well be the greatest place they've ever been (and otherwise, it might be the absolute worst too!).