horses, dry cabins, gardens oh my...moving to Alaska, need advice (Anchorage: spring break, for sale)

[Rance]

Originally Posted by Elizabeth_Nashville

Anyone familiar with a town called Cantwell?

Click this link, then choose Cantwell from the list on the left.

Alaska Division of Community and Regional Affairs

[Teak]

Originally Posted by Elizabeth_Nashville

Anyone familiar with a town called Cantwell?

I have passed through Cantwell many times; actually it is a popular fueling stop. Why?

Very small. Just a few stores and two (or three) gas stations. Beautiful scenery in the area, but you can't eat scenery.

[Metlakatla]

The greenhouse is going to be expensive because it won't just need to be heated "sometimes", and then there's the light factor. Most people in Alaska use them to either start plants in the spring or to extend the growing season in the fall.

Teak is right; Cantwell is a beautiful place, though not much there. I'm not sure about horses in the area. It gets so windy and cold there during the winter.

Have you considered the Talkeetna area?

[Captain Crunch]

Don't forget the bear-factor....both grizzlies & blacks

These guys are a regular problem for me...

[gobrien]

Originally Posted by Captain Crunch

Don't forget the bear-factor....both grizzlies & blacks

These guys are a regular problem for me...

Was it waiting for a tasty snack to step outside?

[Teak]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

The greenhouse is going to be expensive because it won't just need to be heated "sometimes", and then there's the light factor. Most people in Alaska use them to either start plants in the spring or to extend the growing season in the fall.

Teak is right; Cantwell is a beautiful place, though not much there. I'm not sure about horses in the area. It gets so windy and cold there during the winter.

Have you considered the Talkeetna area?

Perhaps if we list the agricultural areas of Alaska, it would help. Here is a short list:

Mat-Su Valley (Wasilla, Palmer)
Kenai Peninsula
Delta Junction
Tok area (?? not sure, but it seems a good possibility)
Johnson River area (do a GoogleEarth search; I can see hay fields in the satellite photo)
North Pole area
Fairbanks area (especially Chena Hot Springs road)
Salcha
Talkeetna
Kenny Lake area
Manley Hot Springs

Others?

Cantwell is high, cold and windy. I would give it a miss except for winter snow-mobiling (very popular) or summertime Look-See tours.

[gobrien]

I know I am biased but I highly recommend Delta. There are many people who have started from scratch building farms and ranches, businesses to help you on your way, and people to give advice. Top that with no property taxes or building codes and throw in a large population of strong young people to help out as needed. Yes, the winters can be pretty harsh at times, but the benefits outweigh the risks. There is also a lot of available land. And from my experience, bears are rarely a nuisance like they are further south. I grew up there, in the woods on ten acres and never once saw a bear. My son saw one near the horse ranch where he lives but that was it.

[Elizabeth_Nashville]

Originally Posted by Teak

I have passed through Cantwell many times; actually it is a popular fueling stop. Why?

Very small. Just a few stores and two (or three) gas stations. Beautiful scenery in the area, but you can't eat scenery.

Cantwell looked right, in terms of temperature and heavy snowfall. I did notice that it was small, but having lived in Klickitat, WA (pop. at the time, 320), I figured that would not be an issue. They have a medical clinic, and I'll be coming up as an RN, so if I needed to work outside the home, I figured that would be a likely place. But I'm researching a bunch of places with heavy snowfall, that are remote, where I could have my horses, etc.--Cantwell was just a curiosity.

[Elizabeth_Nashville]

Originally Posted by gobrien

I know I am biased but I highly recommend Delta. There are many people who have started from scratch building farms and ranches, businesses to help you on your way, and people to give advice. Top that with no property taxes or building codes and throw in a large population of strong young people to help out as needed. Yes, the winters can be pretty harsh at times, but the benefits outweigh the risks. There is also a lot of available land. And from my experience, bears are rarely a nuisance like they are further south. I grew up there, in the woods on ten acres and never once saw a bear. My son saw one near the horse ranch where he lives but that was it.

Does Delta get a bunch of snow? I thought I looked that one up, and the snowfall was really negligible. I do love the no property taxes or building codes!

[Elizabeth_Nashville]

Originally Posted by Teak

Perhaps if we list the agricultural areas of Alaska, it would help. Here is a short list:

Mat-Su Valley (Wasilla, Palmer)
Kenai Peninsula
Delta Junction
Tok area (?? not sure, but it seems a good possibility)
Johnson River area (do a GoogleEarth search; I can see hay fields in the satellite photo)
North Pole area
Fairbanks area (especially Chena Hot Springs road)
Salcha
Talkeetna
Kenny Lake area
Manley Hot Springs

Others?

Cantwell is high, cold and windy. I would give it a miss except for winter snow-mobiling (very popular) or summertime Look-See tours.

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it