How do they live? (Kenai, Homer: rentals, attorney, house prices)

[DoriKate]

I'm just curious about how people make a living in a place like Homer for example.

It appears that its very tourist oriented, which implies there are alot of service oriented positions (maids, bartenders/waiters, cooks etc). Looking at the house prices there, how do they make a house payment? or even make the rental cost at tip or minimum wages?

We are planning to move to Alaska, but can't seem to get the numbers to work out for that kind of place.

[warptman]

http://www.city-data.com/city/Homer-Alaska.html

[DoriKate]

Thanks for linking that Warptman - but it kind of reinforces my question...

The avg. income being $56,408 and the avg. house cost $203,507. Unless the majority of people are living in "Mobile homes: $42,229; Occupied boats, RVs, vans, etc.: $49,000" how do they swing it?

Check this out as comparison:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Souris-North-Dakota.html

This is near me.

I guess I'm just asking how others have made the numbers work, because we can't seem to get past them. I want to! I totally want those number to say - "yep - c'mon up - you'll be eating ramen noodles and PB sandwiches for a little while but it'll be worth it" Rather than working out the basic numbers and thinking..."Wow. I really wish I had gone to nursing school instead, I'd be Golden." I'll live in a van, no prob. I"ll live in a Van in Homer OR Anchor Point lol! Well OK not a Van, but anywhere else.

[Metlakatla]

About the tourism jobs---those are mostly taken by out of staters and often the businesses supply them with a place to stay. And the college students who come up to work in the canneries mostly camp out on Homer Spit.

[Marty Van Diest]

My oldest daughter just accepted her first permanent job in North Dakota. I checked it out and noted the low house prices...but this for Souris says the median house price is only $15K. Is that right? Are these real houses...not camper trailers?

[Marty Van Diest]

OK...I checked it out more. Population 75. Thats what, 10 houses and a couple duplexes?

[GrammasCabin]

I don't have any personal knowledge of Homer economics but I do know that the tourist industry does very little to sustain the locals there - or anywhere else in the small towns. Metlakatla's right, the industry imports their yuppie workers, imports their Chinese Alaska souviners and boards up the shops then the season's over.
It's tough, unless you own the grocery store, have a teaching or medical degree. We just do what we have to do. I paint houses in the summer, weather permitting, deckhand on fishing and tour boats and substitute teach part-time during the school year. It's that way with most of us anymore, scrounge the work wherever you can find it. Suppliment your food bill by gathering all the seafood and meat you can, grow your own veggies and if you want or need something you figure out a way to make it yourself. It's amazing how little you can live on when you finally figure out how little you really need.

[snkalaska]

The Homer area has had an influx of folks driving the prices on real property up. My neighbor sells building supplies and he says Homer has really been booming the last few years. The Kenai/Soldotna area is less expensive, but other posters are wondering about the lack of or high priced rentals. I don't why there's such a shortage either.

[Jason28]

Most sane people dont move out to Alaska without a job already lined up. If your born here that obviously doesnt apply. The cost of living is too high in a lot of areas to just move out here and hope things go well. A much more conducive environment to that is rural areas in the lower forty eight.

That being said, the career paths that would be most used and well paid involve medical, dental, airport stuff (pilots, controllers, state personnel), and anything you could place a monopoly on like attorney services, mechanics, plumbing, etc... If you plan on moving and just finding a job as you go save yourself the torture and stay where you are.

[mal_flisk]

If you've ever been in Homer in the winter, driving down the Spit, 98% of the shops are closed. The Salty Dawg and Land's End Inn are open, but not much else. Most of the tourist shops in town are closed too. There is a fair sized population of artists (even decent ones) living in Homer. Others service the boats in the harbor. Some work on the slope on rotation, some are on the platforms in the Inlet. Retirees have a percentage of the population. They made their nugget and are living off of the interest. Medical, government, education, all have their place. Infrastructure. Not much else.