I think my husband is crazy..... (Anchorage, Wasilla: transplants, YMCA, camping)

[Jkope12]

My husband has this idea that moving to Alaska would be an adventure. We live 40 minutes from Chicago now. So the cold and snow isn't a problem. I'm just wondering if its ever a comfortable temp where your not freezing. He was looking at Anchorage. We are very outdoorsy people. It's just a scary thought being so far away from anyone I know. I keep hearing people are not friendly??? Truth or not. Is there fAmily type events or a ymca? We are a younger family with small children. My husband is a registered nurse so the jobs won't be a issue. Please help me understand this crazy idea or maybe it's not so crazy.......

[AkCrimson]

You say you are used to the cold, but it's a different thing here! The cold lasts for a LONG time. Snow by Halloween, sometimes snow into May. And the dark, in the winter the sun goes down at 3:30 and comes up at 10am. Then the summers....the nice thing about other places is that the summers compensate for the crappy winters. Not so in Anchorage. The summers there CAN be nice, but for the most park it's low 60s and a dreary cloudy drizzly summer.

HOWEVER, Alaska is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The entire state is a post card. There is multitudes of fishing, camping, hiking, hunting, and just about any outdoor activity you would want to enjoy. There are also a lot of community events in Anchorage and it's very family friendly. I don't know who told you Alaskans weren't friendly...if you're nice, we're nice back.

In regard to being far away from people...that depends on what you can or can't handle. I'm far away from Alaska now and have been for the last 2 years. It's hard because it's expensive and time consuming to go home. On the other hand, your family will want to come visit YOU, if they can afford it. Ticket prices vary, but I remember my MIL got tickets for 650 from Ohio to Alaska last August. That's a pretty good price.

Then there is things like the cost of living...housing is expensive, groceries are expensive, shipping is expensive. A lot of companies won't ship to Alaska, or they will charge you an arm and a leg to do so. This is usually for heavy or bulky stuff.

You should always visit where you want to move before you make a decision....it can be a tough but rewarding life

[jdhpa]

Originally Posted by Jkope12

My husband has this idea that moving to Alaska would be an adventure. We live 40 minutes from Chicago now. So the cold and snow isn't a problem. I'm just wondering if its ever a comfortable temp where your not freezing. He was looking at Anchorage. We are very outdoorsy people. It's just a scary thought being so far away from anyone I know. I keep hearing people are not friendly??? Truth or not. Is there fAmily type events or a ymca? We are a younger family with small children. My husband is a registered nurse so the jobs won't be a issue. Please help me understand this crazy idea or maybe it's not so crazy.......

It will certainly be an adventure

There is an Anchorage ymca:

Anchorage Community YMCA

As long as you're comfortable going out of your home, meeting people (other parents, at work, church, etc.), and striking up new friendships, you should be fine. Maybe a better way to phrase it is, if you want to move to an area where you don't know anyone, you need to commit yourself to meeting people and making new friends.

[heathen]

If we thought your husband was crazy, we probably wouldn't be here

But sure it'll be an adventure. I can't imagine outdoors oriented people regretting living in Alaska, even if you get tired of it and leave after a couple years. Of course you'll miss things about living next to a city of national importance like Chicago, but I'd like to think our landscape will make up for it.

The weather can be rough. Anchorage has snow on the ground for a bit less than six months. There are lots of non-stormy winter days though to get out and enjoy possibly the best urban / suburban trail system in the country. Summer was a tough transition for me. There are very few wall-to-wall sunny days, though when that does happen, the temp is in the mid 70s and life is grand. I'm fine with temps in the mid 60s like it usually is, but there are A LOT of overcast days and drizzle, though heavy rain is somewhat unusual in Anchorage. You simply have to learn to get outside and enjoy that sort of weather or you won't get out much at all.

[bongo]

I found Anchorage very friendly! Since you are outdoorsy, there is a wonderful hiking club that hikes after work Mondays & Thursdays... a great way to make lots of friends. From that group we splintered off into lots of camping/backpacking groups:

Alaska_Outdoors : Alaska Outdoors

Best of luck with your decision!

[Moose Whisperer]

I think you are crazy living where you do now!

Many others have described the +/- of living up here. However, you should probably be prepared upfront that the one of the biggest hurdles for transplants is usually this:

Originally Posted by Jkope12

It's just a scary thought being so far away from anyone I know...

If you have close family and good, established friends where you are now, it can be rough. I personally moved up here to get away from my family, so I am happy. My wife however is close to her's and this is probably the hardest part. And it's not like moving down in the lower 48, we can't just drive to visit them whenever we want. Going down to CA requires a $700 plane ticket and essentially a full day of travel. The advice about making new friends helps, but it still is no substitute for family.

The one good thing in your case is that Alaska Airlines does have a daily direct flight between Anchorage and Chicago. It's still about a 6 hr plane ride though.

[blackzzz01]

Originally Posted by heathen

If we thought your husband was crazy, we probably wouldn't be here

But sure it'll be an adventure. I can't imagine outdoors oriented people regretting living in Alaska, even if you get tired of it and leave after a couple years. Of course you'll miss things about living next to a city of national importance like Chicago, but I'd like to think our landscape will make up for it.

The weather can be rough. Anchorage has snow on the ground for a bit less than six months. There are lots of non-stormy winter days though to get out and enjoy possibly the best urban / suburban trail system in the country. Summer was a tough transition for me. There are very few wall-to-wall sunny days, though when that does happen, the temp is in the mid 70s and life is grand. I'm fine with temps in the mid 60s like it usually is, but there are A LOT of overcast days and drizzle, though heavy rain is somewhat unusual in Anchorage. You simply have to learn to get outside and enjoy that sort of weather or you won't get out much at all.

It's funny to see...it's like a holiday on a warm and sunny day in Anchorage. Everyone seems to come out of the woodwork.

[heathen]

Hahaha, it's true. I remember an 80 degree Saturday in Wasilla a couple summers ago. The park on the lake right in town looked like Miami Beach. But a whole lot whiter.. And fatter..

[bmw335xi]

Anchorage will feel like any medium sized city in the US. It won't be an adventure seeing Costco, Olive Garden etc. The weather is more mild than parts of WI, MI, MN for example and people are no different. You'll be fine, don't worry!

[Rance]

It poured rain here all last night. It's not that cold!