Want OUT of AK! (Anchorage, Fairbanks: relocate, income, job)

[Out of Alaska]

I have a "Happy Lamp" that saves my sanity in the winter... but the summers rock... I am vacuuming at midnight

[Rance]

Originally Posted by AKBound

LOL...You want on the east coast and out of AK....I live in Ga...I will trade with you anyday you want to...House for house...I will even leave 75% of the house furnished..

Ohh Yeah....Rance.....I must bowdown to you.....I have been lurking on here awhile...You have got to be about the coolest mod ever..I have tons of questions for ya...

Well, I can't PM you, and I can't give you rep yet, so...you'll just have to ask away! Welcome to the AK forum.

[Rainy]

You might try Oregon...but I gotta say that your post is a prime reason why people from the lower 48 should think long and hard about moving here and should try to spend as much time here as possible before making a committment.

I've been tired of it myself, especially since I was stuck for the winter in my least favorite part of the state, full of ignorant and ugly rednecks, but I never considered that place to be the real Alaska anyway; it really isn't. So I can sympathize to an extent with your thoughts on this.

As far as your children go it's going to be your attitude about their education that makes the real difference in their lives. And by the way, some of those fishermen that you're so afraid they may become wouldn't trade their lives for anything.

But it seems to me that you were complaining about not having Cali strawberries that were less than 2 weeks old or something, all the while living in some of the best berry country on earth...so I think you're probably a Californian at heart and should move back there.

I'd love to live in the Napa Valley myself.

[AKBound]

Originally Posted by Rance

Well, I can't PM you, and I can't give you rep yet, so...you'll just have to ask away! Welcome to the AK forum.

When I drive up..Coming from GA what cool things should I see on the drive in...When I come through Canada and when I cross into AK..I am moving to the Palmer area...

[floridamom2]

Small town and secluded is just what I'm looking for. Born and raised in east Orlando, I've watched the city invade, homes go up where I used to ride my horses through miles of woods. I live a mile from where I was born, with horses, chickens, dogs, cats...none of that now. The law says you can own no more than three dogs OR cats OR rabbits. How does the rabbit fit in?? I want my kids raised the way I was. Where can I find that?

[Tressa]

Originally Posted by floridamom2

Small town and secluded is just what I'm looking for. Born and raised in east Orlando, I've watched the city invade, homes go up where I used to ride my horses through miles of woods. I live a mile from where I was born, with horses, chickens, dogs, cats...none of that now. The law says you can own no more than three dogs OR cats OR rabbits. How does the rabbit fit in?? I want my kids raised the way I was. Where can I find that?

Try Wasilla or Talkeetna

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Rance

Well some people it does. Can lead to depression, cabin fever, and going all out postal.
But those of us that love it here and live here, it's no biggy. We have electricity for lights, flashlights, lanterns, drop lights...you name it. Snowmachines have headlights, ski resorts have lighted runs, job sites have portable flood lights. Heck even the runways have lights! It's harder for me to get to sleep in the summer months because of the long daylight hours. So thats where duct tape and tinfoil come in. Covers the bedroom windows real good! Other than that...I've been here all my life, and the long darkness or long daylight hours is no big deal.

I admire your attitude and appreciate your obvious pride in being an Alaskan.
When my wife & I visited there a few years ago, that came out in the people.
Being able to live and tolerate in an extreme environment, and really enjoy it and be unwilling to ever leave it. Really kinda a sense of "esprit de corps".
After all, Shangri-La is not really a particular place but a state of mind.

[Rance]

Originally Posted by floridamom2

Small town and secluded is just what I'm looking for. Born and raised in east Orlando, I've watched the city invade, homes go up where I used to ride my horses through miles of woods. I live a mile from where I was born, with horses, chickens, dogs, cats...none of that now. The law says you can own no more than three dogs OR cats OR rabbits. How does the rabbit fit in?? I want my kids raised the way I was. Where can I find that?

I think you might like the Sterling area. Fairly rural...yet within easy reach of modern shopping etc. Like 10 miles away, or you can drive to Anchorage 2 1/2 hours for major walmarts, best buy's, or better. And there are a handfull of other small towns located all over the Kenai Peninsula. Sterling you can still have all those critters in your back yard. No problemo.

[superior2alaska]

I think you may be content with the great lakes ~ I lived on Superior for almost 10 years and the weather is not too hot but has usable winters. I am currently in Portland OR and I couldn't handle the rain after living with the snow in winter. But it was worth it when we got 3 inches here and everyone put chains on their tires and the snow was gone my 3pm

Look at someplace like lake Michigan (I prefer the Michigan side) its beautiful there!

[darstar]

Originally Posted by insearchof

Ok, so I did something most people would never do, it was daring...
6 yrs ago, I moved my self and 2 children (single mom) from my home state of CA, i'd never visited ak and moved here pretty much site unsceen
all of my research was done via computer, I had made a friend on an aol site whose hubby was in the Air Force and they were stationed at Elmendorf, oh she bragged about how RICH the state was, tax free etc....
well, after a 2 yr time living in both Wasilla (3 mo's), then Eagle River, I moved to the Kenai Peninsula, was able to buy my very first home as i'm on a fixed income. well, I am MISERABLE here, not only has it been near impossible to make friends but the schools are terrible and i'm sick & tired of their approach to 'history' as being all exclusively ak native
shopping here consits of driving 3 hours thru a twisty windy treacherous (in winter) road just to get to a walmart

My mind is made up, I want outta here! I refuse to go back to CA, very little relatives there and we are not in the least close, in fact, I have no close friends or family anywhere... but I feel my children deserve to have more opportunities, they are not looking at becoming fisherman or drilling for oil
i've proved I can handle winter only, I want it as a season vs a 9 month sentance. I'm dreaming of the east coast, I don't handle extreme heat and/or humidity well at all because of a medical condition.

So, where would a single, responsible, clean, decent, commited to her family, single mom
move OUT of here to?

Take a look at Michigan's upper Pen. The UP. Not hot, low humidity, very friendly people. Try Marquette,.... NMU has 20m students, and the hospital is one of the 10 best in the US. Very progressive, liberal place. More biKe trails than anywhere in the country. Lots to do year round. Hockey - snowmobiles, ice rinks, a lot like Alaska in winter, and great summers, long falls, wonderful place, w/ worlds largest freshwater lake, at your door step !