Got offered a job in Anchorage, currenty live in Houston, Texas (Eagle: to rent, house)

[drvasek]

My wife and I will be flying in soon to check out the area, see where I would work, and check out places to live.

Any suggestions on what we need to see/experience and what we need to know/learn about Anchorage while we visit to help us make our decision. We will be visiting for 4 days.


My wife and I are both former military so we have both moved around quite a bit. She was born and raised in western Illinois and I was born and raised here in Houston, Texas.


We both prefer to live near the city, not in it. We prefer to live a little farther out and are looking for a more country feel but not totally rural. My job location is near the airport. The employer will not be paying for the move. I do not prefer a long cummute (who does) but its worth it for a view and privacy.

We know this is a huge move and big change for us so we are not taking this lightly. Any information would help us make a more informed decision.

Thanks in advance.

-dave

[AKStafford]

People that want to avoid the "city" typically look for homes in Eagle River, Chugiak, Peter's Creek or the Valley. The Valley to the airport would give you about an hour commute.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by drvasek

We both prefer to live near the city, not in it. We prefer to live a little farther out and are looking for a more country feel but not totally rural.

There are place in Anchorage that have a rural feeling (by -48 standards).

[roadfamily6now]

Sure, you can try South Anchorage, or some of the subdivisions on the far East side. There are lots of nice sections of town that are not very "city" like.

[jlg79fe]

Hey drvasek, My wife and I are in pretty much the same boat although we are both from Illinois. I will be heading up there in July. I am also going to be working at Stevens... Pm me if you want... I will be following this thread! :-)

[drvasek]

Are there areas like this that are less than 30 minutes commute to the airport?

We don't mind neighbors we just don't want their house 10 feet from ours.

We have been checking this site: http://www.alaskarealestate.com/


We are looking for 3+ Bed, 2+ Bath, Garage, Pet Friendly....

[AKStafford]

Originally Posted by drvasek

Are there areas like this that are less than 30 minutes commute to the airport?

We don't mind neighbors we just don't want their house 10 feet from ours.

We have been checking this site: http://www.alaskarealestate.com/


We are looking for 3+ Bed, 2+ Bath, Garage, Pet Friendly....

Eagle River or Chugiak. Or the Hillside or South Anchorage.
The big question is what is your budget for a house?

[roadfamily6now]

Commute times vary. Sure, on a good day, you can live in Peter's Creek and make it to Anchorage is 15-20 minutes but it's 22 miles from Anchorage. then you have to go through town, which could be easy or not. Don't attempt to drive ANYWHERE at rush hour.

And our airport is not connected to a highway. You have to drive through town to get there.

The Municipality of Anchorage is the size of Delaware. Can you drive across Delaware in 30 minutes or less?

[drvasek]

Originally Posted by AKStafford

Eagle River or Chugiak. Or the Hillside or South Anchorage.
The big question is what is your budget for a house?

Well after some research I do realize the cost of living is higher compared to here.

We are currently renting a 2,200 square foot home. 4 bedrooms, + a study, 2 bath, 2 car garage, decent fenced yard, built in 1997 on a 1/4 acre lot in a great neighborhood for $1,600 a month.

We plan to rent for 1 year or so to make sure I'm ok with the job and that we are happy with Anchorage before we get locked into a home investment.

I search for the same criteria and it can be anywhere from $2,000 - $3,000+ a month. So we already know we are going to have to down scale when we come up there to look in a few weeks.

I'm sure we can afford around $2,500 a month but I can't even see myself paying that much for something I don't own. So we will have to sit down with our Realtor that we already have scheduled and see what is out there.

[Danadane]

Originally Posted by jlg79fe

Hey drvasek, My wife and I are in pretty much the same boat although we are both from Illinois. I will be heading up there in July. I am also going to be working at Stevens... Pm me if you want... I will be following this thread! :-)

My partner and me too! We just went up last week. Can't wait to finally move this summer! I posted a similar thread a few down and got some good tips