Open future and bound for Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks: housing, rent, work)

[lrwhite00]

I am very interested in moving to Alaska and am planning a visit in May. I've never been there but am doing all the reading I can on AK and it's different parts. I am interested in going to school there (university) and so I guess I'm some what limited to where to move. I am thinking either Fairbanks or Seward. In Seward I can take classes from the University of Alaska in Anchorage. I am just looking for some advice and I am wondering if anyone else is in the same boat as me. I am planning on moving up there in mid July 07. I need roommates I guess, and I don't know if I should look before I get there or just go and see what happens. No plans are made except that I'm leaving North Carolina in July.

[nhlfanatic]

If you are thinking about moving up here for college, here are some pointers. UAA in Anchorage has the most to offer but housing is very high here. Upside to that is you will stand a better chance of finding a roommate or there are dorms. UAF (Fairbanks) also has a lot to offer and housing is WAY cheaper than Anchorage. Downside - it's colder than "you know what" in Fairbanks in the winter. I've actually had my nose freeze shut walking two blocks in sub-zero weather. Okay, then there is Seward. The have some sort of Technical school that quite a few people actually attend but most of them I know have all dropped out and the ones who finished (mostly culinary) never went on to become great chefs. Seward is a pretty small town and not much to do there in the winter. I haven't spent much time there so there may be things I don't know about winter recreation. I always felt a little bit like an "outsider" during visits. I guess in a town the size of Seward where everyone know everyone else, visitors are not hard to pick out. UAA also has community colleages throughout the state but they do not offer as many classes as Anchorage and Fairbanks. Good Luck!

[mal_flisk]

Seward is a good two hours from Anchorage in good weather. Note that qualification. Add at least another half hour to 45 minutes in winter. If there is snow on the road, add at least an hour. If there is an accident, add one hour, minimum.

Seward is a great town, but is not exactly a student hotbed. Fairbanks is a bit larger, and has a couple of good bookstores and some great cafes. The University is a top rated school. They have a great comp sci dept. 3-4 Crays, no waiting. Heh. The biology dept is great, as are most of the others. UAA Anchorage leans toward Lib Arts, but has some great depts as well. Anchorage is a lot warmer than Fairbanks in winter but decidedly
cooler in summer by 10-15 degrees.

There are a number of different factors to consider, and you need to visit to decide.

[BudinAk]

I live in Seward, so maybe can give you a little better insight. There is no college here, but we do have a vocational school: AVTEC. There are dorms, but I don't know anything about costs. They have a website: http://avtec.labor.state.ak.us/
Seward is a small coastal town of about 3000 residents, swelling to maybe 4000 in the summer due to the influx of tourists, construction tradesmen, and fishermen. The town is the headquarters for the Kenai Fjords National Park, a wonderfully beautiful place...you won't ever regret seeing it: http://www.nps.gov/kefj/
In the summer it is a paradise for sports fishermen, who seek out salmon (5 species), halibut, trout (rainbow, cutthroat, dolly varden), steelhead, flounder, and many others. It is also the site of the annual 4th of July Mt Marathon race, a footrace up and down 3022' Mt Marathon. The record is somewhere around 46 minutes! There are numerous hiking trails in the surrounding mountains, some of them are over 20 miles long. Hunters will find bear, moose, mountain goat, dall sheep, rabbits, grouse, and ptarmigan. Winter recreation enthusiasts will like the cross-country skiing, snowmachining, and ice fishing to be had only a few miles out of town. The entire area is a photographers dream....natural scenic beauty that is simply unbeatable. There is an abundance of places for campers to pitch a tent, which includes the beach in town. Even if you don't choose to live here, be VERY sure you visit some day...it will be worth it! I would have to say May is a little too early (snow still on ground in shady areas), but last half of May might be ok. June-July-August are better.
If you are coming to Alaska for college, I would consider going to either UAA (University of AK Anchorage), or UA-Fairbanks. I went to both, and can say there is basically little actual campus activity in the Anchorage location...students come to their classes, then drive off to work or home....there's no dorms there (at least there weren't any when I went there). You have to find your own room and board somewhere in town. When I drive to Anchorage from Seward it usually takes me about 2hrs and 20 min, averaging 55-65mph. Fairbanks has a real campus with student dorms, etc, and would probably be way more "fun" for a young person. (I overdid it on the "fun" part while there...) AVTEC in Seward will get you a diploma and maybe 12 months training/schooling, but no college degree. Here's a pic of Seward looking west across Ressurrecton Bay, with Mt Marathon in the background (the 4th of July race site). If you look hard, you can actually see part of the foot trail the racers use...look on the upper half, grey area, middle just under first peak. They actually only go to this first peak, not the second one that is higher in the back. Still, 3022' is a long way to climb in less than an hour. Hope all this helps & best of luck to you!
Bud

[tkx7]

I think it's funny how the land area of Rhode Island is 1,214 square miles and the city of Anchorage alone is 1,961 square miles