Anchorage Review 2.0 with pictures! (Palmer, Seward: transplants, apartments, crimes)

[CaliRestoration]

As some of you might remember, I gave an initial review of my impressions of Anchorage back in November that turned into a 150 post, 15 page **** fest. I'm hoping to avoid that in this review, but who knows, we're on City-Data, and **** fest are a normal part of life here.

Cliff notes from Review 1.0: Despite some natural beauty, I thought Anchorage was pretty grimy, had a huge homeless problem, and and 4th avenue was a dump.

Responses: Some thought I had hit the nail on the head about Anchorage being a pit, and others thought I was judging the entire city unfairly. In the end, both were probably right.

So fast forward to August 2017. I spent nearly 2 weeks in Anchorage searching for a property, aka "My home in the North". I had picked out 4 properties that fit my wants/desires and they ended up being in Palmer, Eagle River, and South Anchorage near the Seward Highway. I ended up buying the property in Palmer, a 3,200 sqft home sitting on 3.5 acres with beautiful views and easy river access plus 1,000 sqft of garage/workshop space. It cost me a pretty penny, but compared to the prices in California, it was a relative bargain IMO.

Review 2.0: Anchorage and the surrounding areas are still hard for me to understand fully.

A lot of it I really, really like. The natural beauty of the area, especially during the Summer, is just amazing. The air is so clean (outside the main downtown), the hiking spots are numerous, and just driving down the Seward Highway, or driving through Palmer was enjoyable to me because of how beautiful everything looked.


Above: Palmer

Conversely, there is a lot wrong with the social fabric of Anchorage, and it scars the city IMO. You can see the blight all over, even in areas you wouldn't expect it. I talked to many locals, some transplants, and some who have lived in the Anchorage area for 20+ years. They all agreed without one dissenting opinion (within the admittedly small sample of people I talked to, around 20 people including my new neighbors, realtor, and other various locals) that Anchorage has gone downhill and its social problems have gotten much worse over the years

This is why Alaska was so hard for me to fully embrace, and understand. I know I've only spent the equivalent of a month in Anchorage between two trips, but I feel like I've got a good handle on what's happening here, and now that I own a home in Alaska, I can say I have more than a passing connection to the state, and the Anchorage area in general. If I didn't have business obligations in the lower 48, I'd honestly spend much more time in the area, that's how much I liked it.

First the good. I don't think there's a state in the country that tops Alaska in terms of natural beauty, and access to nature. Between me being able to hike through Palmer, the amazing fishing spots (best I've encountered in my life when it comes to freshwater), and the conservative/libertarian value system of many of the people who live here, I could see myself spending many summers (and falls) in Alaska. Palmer is honestly where I see myself spending lots of my retirement time in the future.


Above: Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center

At the Market Festival in Anchorage, they start the festival by having someone sing the national anthem, and without pause, 99% of the people at the Festival stood at attention, faced the flag, and put their hands over their chest. This made me smile that Anchorage locals actually still respect the country they live in, and are proud to be Americans. In California, you might get 50% of the people doing this, everyone else would go on about their business, some who might get into a political diatribe about why the anthem is racist, or simply ignore that the anthem was even being played. Basically, I feel a lot of the people there, and in Palmer, have a lot of those small town American values that I felt were gone from the country. I was glad to be wrong.


Above: Reindeer Sliders were yum.

The Seward highway. Man. Is that not one of the most beautiful highway drives in America? Double Musky Inn, best food in the area. The Glacier cruises? Awesome. But the drive itself. I want to buy a Porsche GT3 and just drive that thing all day.

The gun culture here is also very balanced. It's not like in New York or California where people and politicians there basically want to ban all private firearms ownership, and look at people who own guns as unprosecuted criminals regardless of what crimes they may or may not have committed. Here the hunting culture is strong, and I was surprised at how even little kids around here had a good knowledge of gun safety and respect for guns as a tool for putting food on the table and for self defense. I saw 10 year old kids who had excellent trigger discipline, could shoot 4 inch targets off hand from 100 yards away without blinking an eye. I was really impressed. This is what responsible gun ownership looks like, and I wish anti-gun states like California or New York would take note. Educating kids at a young age about guns will keep them safe. Allowing them to get educated by their gangster cousin or friend will not.

Now for some of the bad. Anchorage's biggest problem is homeless people, natives in particular. They are a huge blight upon the city. The Anchorage Museum is currently showcasing the native peoples of Alaska, their culture, their past, their present, and the exhibits are really well thought out, interesting, and high production quality. Then you walk outside, and see a group of natives pacing down the street either high on drugs, or so drunk they have pissed themselves on the street in front of everyone, and can't even get off of the floor.

This wasn't just on 4th, 5th, or 6th, J Street, C Street either, it was literally everywhere. Many of them are sitting in the parking lots of strip malls with signs, looking perfectly healthy, and asking for money to get back home to where ever they came from even further up north, or some are honest and claim they just need another bottle. When I visited the mall on 5th Avenue, I saw two homeless guys who were sexually harassing a girl at one of the stores. I told them to **** off or I'd call security (I was also concealed carrying). They called me a few choice names, smelling like beer and ****, and walked off into the parking structure. Either way, it's wrecked the city in many ways. Not just the sight of these people in raggedy clothes, their trash which is thrown everywhere, but just the awful smells. There isn't a single parking structure in Anchorage that doesn't smell of rancid urine. Every stairwell is stained with urine, or feces, and the chemicals the city workers use to clean it do very little to hide what transpired in those areas.

It's not even isolated to parking structures. I was walking down 5th Avenue near Glacier Brewhouse where I was going to have lunch (great place btw, delicious food), and you see these people who work in the city with their business attire on, just casually strolling by and I can't stop thinking about how the entire sidewalk smells like urine. It reminded me of walking down Market Street, San Francisco which IMO is equally as stinky. The only problem is, Anchorage is not a huge city, you can drive across it in 15 minutes, and it has 1/4 the population of San Francisco, and in my estimation it seemed like it had a higher concentration of homeless people.

Now I'm not saying this just to be simply critical of the city, but it was prominent during BOTH trips I took to the Anchorage area and I had to point it out. I also saw a lot of guys standing at the corner or behind gas stations who were obviously selling "something" as people would drive by or walk by, and their would be an exchange. I guess this is a problem with any city though, so I won't single out Anchorage.

In the end, Anchorage and the surrounding area is a story of two places. The picturesque God given nature that everyone sees on TV and in magazines, and the gritty, grimy, inner city that is prevalent in many cities around America. That being said, I'm glad to call Alaska home (when I am there).

[AlaskaErik]

Anchorage used to be a great place to live, but the pipeline changed all that, and it's been downhill ever since. Gradually, at first, but in the 2000's, it really went downhill. I moved out to the Valley in 2004 and I avoid Anchorage as much as possible now.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

Anchorage used to be a great place to live, but the pipeline changed all that, and it's been downhill ever since. Gradually, at first, but in the 2000's, it really went downhill. I moved out to the Valley in 2004 and I avoid Anchorage as much as possible now.

Why do you think the pipeline changed things for the city? I'm honestly curious and don't have a lot of the history/background of the pipeline.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by CaliRestoration

Why do you think the pipeline changed things for the city? I'm honestly curious and don't have a lot of the history/background of the pipeline.

The price of houses doubled in a short period of time. Apartments were expensive and hard to find. And downtown became a much seedier place. The population also increased significantly. I joined the Marine Corps right out of high school in 1973. When I got out six years later, Anchorage really was a different city.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

The price of houses doubled in a short period of time. Apartments were expensive and hard to find. And downtown became a much seedier place. The population also increased significantly. I joined the Marine Corps right out of high school in 1973. When I got out six years later, Anchorage really was a different city.

Interesting perspective. Thank you.

[Chilkoot]

You don’t say anything about a family. Don’t you have a wife and 2 kids? Did they visit? Big Palmer home for just one person.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by Chilkoot

You don’t say anything about a family. Don’t you have a wife and 2 kids? Did they visit? Big Palmer home for just one person.

Yes the family did visit, as well as my father, brother and his family. They all have keys too.

[Chilkoot]

Originally Posted by CaliRestoration

Yes the family did visit, as well as my father, brother and his family. They all have keys too.

Since you have a family with children it would explain your increased concern of the homeless situation in Anchorage. Sounds like you have a wonderful place in the valley.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by Chilkoot

Since you have a family with children it would explain your increased concern of the homeless situation in Anchorage. Sounds like you have a wonderful place in the valley.

I've got plans to invest into the local economy here. I'm not just going to be a permanent summer vacationer. I'm planning to invest sizable assets into the Anchorage area as I see some business opportunities here that aren't simply tourism focused.

[Chilkoot]

Yes, I see you made quite a bit of money from your California properties. Investing in Alaska may be good for everyone.

You’re life will be much easier if you embrace the Alaska Native culture rather than continually bashing them, however.