Looking to move to Anchorage? DON'T. (homeless, donated, expenses)

[Metlakatla]

I think the last Alaskan bar I was in was out on Chena Hot Springs road -- can't remember what it was called, though, but my mates and I felt quite comfortable there. I liked the little bar at the Gilmore Hotel after it was remodeled years ago because it was so attractive -- kind of a Victorian ambiance; don't know what it's like now. I used to stay at the Narrows in Ketch a lot on business and thought their bar was OK. I loved the Fairview in Talkeetna back in the Stone Age.

[highlife2]

Originally Posted by Osito

I don't see how snowmobiling could get old. I could go nuts on one of those things.

If it gets TOO cold for too long and there is not enough powder then the opprotunities for good riding get slim. Also with more and more people getting into snowmachining you have to go out further and further to get away from trail pack mogles. At a certain point it becomes an ordeal to load up machines and drive out over 100 miles.

[AndyAMG]

I blame "Alaska fever" that started as soon as it started showing up on TV. After that it was Alaska mania. Ice Road Truckers, Flying Wild Alaska, Out of the Wild, Deadliest Catch, Gold Diggers, Gold Rush, Extreme Survival, Loggin' somewhere in Alaska, Alaska Loggers, Tougher in Alaska, The Alaskans, The Alaska Wing Men, Bering Sea Gold, Life Below Zero, Bristol Palin stands around in Wasilla all day and says stupid stuff. Sarah Palin drives around Wasilla all day and says stupid stuff then gets on a boat.

I mean seriously they just started grasping at straws for shows about Alaska because the 35-54 male demographic ate it up like free BBQ. History, Discovery, TLC.. every show was about Alaska. Pretty soon they had copy cat shows on every network and the shows started getting ridiculous. I was waiting for a show that incorporated flying on small airplanes, snowmobiling, moose hunting and cutting down trees and fishing. I'm surprised there was no "Oilmen Alaska" or "Alaska Park Rangers"

Every Ted Nugent type in the lower 48 started flocking to AK like bugs to a bug zapper because of some idea that they could live in the wilderness and no one would ever bother them they could do drugs or threaten people with firearms to their hearts content and there would be no pesky johnny law to mess with them. Then they got there and realized everything is expensive, there are restrictions on hunting and fishing, and Alaska is socially conservative. Oh and the man to woman ratio. It is claimed to be 107:100 but in the 18-34 demographic its gotta be more like 120-100 in the cities and much worse elsewhere. Maybe over all in the state across all ages the ratio is 107:100 but In Fairbanks that was not apparent. I read recently over 18 the ratio is 109:100 in Fairbanks.

My father said Alaska was better before the 90's. It was more like North Dakota, no one had any interest in it because of the brutal weather. I have read many things about the poeple of North Dakota being fed up with oil workers and ruining North Dakota. I have never felt so safe and content with a society as I have in North Dakota. Talking to many of my old Minot friends things are not as good as they once were. ND is becoming a male dominated dystopia just like Alaska. I believe that is what gives Alaska its woes. People say that is ridiculous but ask the people of Williston what too many men does to a town. July 31, 2013. Williston Herald. "Total crime rose just 7.9 percent in North Dakota, but rape cases rose 41 percent in the oil patch." Total crime rose just 8% in ND in one year over. That's pretty bad with a population of 700,000.

[Metlakatla]

I think it's just about even in Anchorage and Juneau. Really, it isn't the big deal that most people think it is. Again, I'm not sure where you visited or the type of places that you hung out in when you did, Andy, but I don't think your experiences are reflective of the norm.

Alaska's high rape rate is a result of intoxication among Natives. It was just as high before the oil boom. Stranger rape isn't really all that common there. Not to disparage the Natives; it's just the sad truth. I'm not sure if you realize this, but the oil workers in Alaska work on the North Slope and don't have nearby place like Williston to run wild in. They live in pretty strictly run camps while working, and most of them fly out to the states during their time off. Unlike ND, Alaska's oil fields are a world away from the rest of the state.

Anyway, you're making a lot of assumptions based on visiting a few times, and I'm guessing that you chose to spend some time in some pretty seedy places. Also, keep in mind that many of the people you see as a tourist aren't Alaska residents, particularly around the cruise ship ports. About 90 percent of the people you see working in the stores, restaurants, and other businesses around the ports are seasonal workers from other states and countries.

I'm not sure that many people actually moved to Alaska because of the "shows." They may have sparked a fantasy here and there, but getting to Alaska and surviving there are often out of reach of the type of person you describe. The shows were made because those who produced them got kickbacks from the state, by the way. Didn't matter if anyone watched the things or not.

Alaska didn't suddenly get "discovered" in the 90s, so your dad is wrong. The pipeline of a couple of decades earlier brought undesirables up in droves, but most of them either made something of themselves or drifted back south. Before that, there were several gold rushes. Weather never stands in anyone's way when there's money to be made.

Anyway, Alaska is more than Bristol Palin, the Ice Road Truckers, and whatever seedy bars you planted yourself in during your several visits.

[Dakster]

If oil continues its downward price spiral, ND won't have to worry about the oil patch workers being there for too much longer. Unfortunately, that has a negative affect on Alaska as well. Although oil was important in Alaska well before oil in ND took off. If this is indeed a slow done or pullback, *maybe* ND can actually use this is as a time to get themselves prepared for when it kicks back up. (I doubt it though).

BTW - Met - I agree with your thoughts and analysis on AK as stated above.

[toleshi]

Originally Posted by DagnyT63

Not sure what you're smoking before bedtime.......but you should share.

LOL! That made me giggle! I can't stop! It's ok. I haven't dreamed about that place since. Plus, I heard Alaska has some decent stuff for bed time smoking! LOL!!!

[Rock Climber]

I'll agree that a general first impression of mine when visiting Anchorage was that the city was "sketchy". I barely left the downtown/airport areas of the city, though. There did seem to be a very large homeless population for a relatively small city.

[dragracing57]

Anchorage is for grown people, not for kids. Anchorage is for people that enjoy nature and enjoy life. If you are looking to have fun as in the lower 48 here....this is not the place for you. Grow up first the decide what you want to do. If you are 35 or less wait until you turn 50 and think about that peaceful place you want to be......Then contact me....

[rhiannon67]

Originally Posted by dragracing57

Anchorage is for grown people, not for kids. Anchorage is for people that enjoy nature and enjoy life. If you are looking to have fun as in the lower 48 here....this is not the place for you. Grow up first the decide what you want to do. If you are 35 or less wait until you turn 50 and think about that peaceful place you want to be......Then contact me....

I think this is true. Our goal is to call Anchorage our new home by the end of this school year. I'd be there even sooner but it's probably better for my second grader to finish his year in one place.

I've never seen any of these homeless people everyone keeps mentioning..and we've been to Anchorage many times already.

[Metlakatla]

There is definitely a noticeable homeless population in Anchorage. If you haven't seen them yet, you will.