Ok, reality check time about "moving to Alaska" (Fairbanks: jobs, housing)

[DannyL]

Originally Posted by WIcheesehead

I too am considering a move to anchorage. I am being recruited by the school district there. I have no concerns about the weather, wisconsin, is not that great either. i go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. What's the dif? But I am concerned about where to live in the anchorage area. Should I look for a place in Wasilla? I have two girls, 9th and 6th grades.

Since you're a verteran of Wisconsin winters, Anchorage winters should be a non-issue to you. Keep the same mind-set come winter, and you'll do fine.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by soldn2slavery

As a former long-time (20 years) Alaskan, I agree that it seems a lot of people move up with unrealistic dreams. They come up in the gorgeous summer and see the breath-taking beauty and decide to move up. Then, winter hits and they lock themselves inside waiting for it to be summer again. After going through 9 months of darkness and maybe no snow or suffering through weeks of -20, they realize that Alaska is still a difficult place to live and are ready to head back home.

I've been away for more than 10 years and I still miss it almost every day. I love Anchorage, the restaurants, the music, the mountains, Cook Inlet, moose in the yard, grizzles on the bike trail, the Corsair, Double Musky, hiking Crow's Pass, biking the logging roads in Girdwood, Beluga in the inlet and Dall sheep on the cliffs, alpenglow, termination dust, fishing for grayling along the Denali Highway, spending an entire day watching Child's Glacier and waiting for a really big one to drop off, fishing the Russian River at two in the morning to avoid the really big crowds, Eklutna Lake, fishing for silvers in Montana Creek, kayaking Whittier and Seward, Norman Lowell's homestead, Fur Rondy, Mr. Whitekeys', Whale Fat Follies, the Talkeetna Bluegrass festival, the brightness of a full moon during a snowy winter night, ... .

I don't miss going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark for much of the year. Mosquitoes. Water so cold it hurts. Putting foil on my windows to block out the light during the summer. Traffic, summer and winter. Ice. Salt and sand on the streets. Over-priced housing. Never-ending road construction. Potholes and frost heaves. Combat fishing on the Russian River.

I'm willing to put up with -20 temperatures. That is what winter sports are for.

[mal_flisk]

Palmer or Wasilla if you're looking to live out of town and commute. Just remember, that winter drive after a foot or 2 of overnight snowfall is a bear. It's 40 miles minimum into Anchorage from the valley.

[Tressa]

Originally Posted by rotorhead

But still and all, winter driving skills aren't exactly an Alaska exclusive. I'd say the folks from Green Bay and Buffalo and other places like that have pretty much got it down to a science. The problem is when you get the folks up from Texas and Arizona who only see snow when they visit Colorado to ski.

The truth be told, perhaps the worst winter drivers are the long-time Alaskan cheapskates who are too stingy to put real snow tires on their truck.

Funny how all the cars in the ditch along the Glen after the first big snow all have Alaska plates. They're the ones who waited too long to get to Johnsons Tire and switch out.

Your absolutely correct in Alaska if you work here for 10 days you are required to change your plates so it would make sense that the vehicles in the ditch have Alaska plates, but maybe just here 11 days who knows.

[alaska1]

Hi Danny, I been to Alaska and love it. I don't think there is a in between thing. You love it or you hate it. Alaska has lots of mosqitoes in the wooded areas. I would recomend one winter there if possible.There are very long days in summer, but in winter there is a lot of darkness.Not everybody can handle it. If somebody actually moves up there to stay I would do a lot of research and go there with an open mind. Unless you are a outdoor person , there is not that much to see or do. Hotels are pretty expensive, tours also. Maybe 2 out of 5 would stay, I think a couple of years. I would leave options open.Many people don't really know what to expect of this wonderful state.I love the Palmer -Wasilla area. The climate is a little better there.The next time you go to Alaska, go visit. It is worth seeing.
Some of my best friends live there.Someday we'll go back to stay.Until then , we go visit.
Your Alaska pictures are really nice.Good photos. I've got pictures of a moose mom with twins. They are adorable.




growing to be a big city

Originally Posted by DannyL

There's been several threads lately about moving to Alaska. But in all honesty, how many actually "move" and stay?
1 out of 3, 2 out of 5, 2 out of 6?

I'm not trying to diss anyone's dream here, but I think a lot of folks move up here with no concept of reality, or a real plan (or a backup plan, or a backup-backup plan).

[alaska1]

I can't agree more.

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I'm willing to put up with -20 temperatures. That is what winter sports are for.

[akrev]

We have been here 7 years and can not imagine living any where else. We love the winter, we love the summer Alaska is a year round paradise. Getting adjusted to the long summer days was different at first, can't stop because the sun is still up, than you look at the clock and find out it is 1am. By the 2nd summer we were able to sleep. 5 1/2 hours day light in winter isn't hard to get used to.

We both grew up in the mountains of Colorado. That is when Colorado had big snows in the winter, never knew when you had to melt snow for drinking water because the well froze up.

Alaska is wonderful when ever you are here.

Deb

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by akrev

Getting adjusted to the long summer days was different at first, can't stop because the sun is still up, than you look at the clock and find out it is 1am.

No kidding. One time I went on a weekend vacation to Whitehorse and while I was in my hotel room I started watching TV, lost track of time. Next thing I know I look at the clock and it's 11:00pm, and the sun is still high in the sky... I went down to the lobby and it was full of people! It was very surreal, even for someone from Juneau, because there the sun is usually setting around 11 and it's as a rule a lot darker because of the near perpetual heavy cloud cover.

[cobolt]

I think if I were to move to AK, I wouldn't have trouble with the short days. The bigger issue for me is the lack of light during the day hours. What I mean by this is I moved to the Pac NW (WA) a few years ago. I love rain. I love rainy days. ALways have. But the gray, soggy blanket constantly hovering about 8 months or so out of the year is difficult. I've lived in so many places that I honestly didn't think it would be a big deal. It is. You find yourself lathargic and lazy in the winter when you have this constant drizzle and stratus cloud ceilings of about 1000-3000 ft. Growing up in Chicago, we had some pretty brutal winters, but we still had sun. If I were to move to AK, I'd probably have to forgo the SE, although I really love that area. I believe I can deal with the snow, the cold, the shorter days----but the constant gray factor? No, that would be the deal breaker for me.

Cobolt

[PR2CA2AK]

I assume there are a lot of reason why people move in and out of Alaska. It is like anywhere else. I've been moving state to state since 2003 and the reason always been work related. Now, my husband is stationed in one of the military bases in Ak. I decided to give it a shot and try to find a job there. I have a career and I would'nt quit my job just for following my sweetie. When I was in the process of finding a job a research online and in books about Alaska. That was a lot of useful info, specially about the winter time / lack of light though I still don't know how I'm going to react. He'll be there for a long time so I guess I'll just have to put up with it even if I don't like it. Either you're part of the problem, or part of the solution. I don't think I'd like to stay locked up in my house. That will only make it worst and unbearable.So I hope I meet very active people and go out to do all those things i've read people do. It sounds like lots of fun.
I don't know exactly what a back up plan would be? If I have a job and my husband too then we don't have to worry about money. Of course, if by the end of his stay, we weren't able to get use to the weather then we'll move someplace else. That doesn't bother us.