From North Carolina and moving to Alaska..

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by surferchickee67

Thanks! That does help. We're prepared to send him up there to test and stuff. At least for one or two times. After that I'm not sure what we'll do. Maybe head on up and rent a small place for a while.

Wow, I'm not sure I'd want to be in law enforcement in Alaska, I mean, I read all about the great "Talkeetna Halloween Robbery" and I don't know if I would really like to tangle with criminal masterminds like those three, the manhunt and chase alone is near legendary. On the serious side, local criminals would have the advantage, they know the territory, the road system is not extensive, (there is but one state in the lower 48 with fewer miles of paved road than Alaska, it is Rhode Island), it would take time to learn the area, keeping in mind that, in Alaska "being lost" can easily mean "Dead"

[Alaskan_Adventurer]

If you guys are able to sell your house and get that kind of equity out of it, then you would have no problems simply moving up here. Our cost of living is high, but not that high. 100k+ in the bank would be more than sufficient to move up, rent for a few months and hunt for another house, including a large down payment if it is even needed. After all, it is a buyers market atm. A 3 bedroom home would run you at least 220k. You can rent a 3 bedroom apartment to start off for about 1200.00. And that is on the south(best) side of town. It is the people who move up here with very little cash and no job that become a problem. I hope this helps.

[birkland]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

I just watch. It's much safer that way. It's a real dangerous area to get stuck on a sandbar.

Or stuck in the mudflats. An airman's wife (I believe) died that way some years ago in Turnagain arm. Couldn't be freed before the tide came in.

"Big" (LOL) surfing scene in Yakutat, I hear.

I am a former Alaskan. Loved it, but couldn't take the cold. Now in Raleigh (love Wilmington).

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Alaskan_Adventurer

If you guys are able to sell your house and get that kind of equity out of it, then you would have no problems simply moving up here. Our cost of living is high, but not that high. 100k+ in the bank would be more than sufficient to move up, rent for a few months and hunt for another house, including a large down payment if it is even needed. After all, it is a buyers market atm. A 3 bedroom home would run you at least 220k. You can rent a 3 bedroom apartment to start off for about 1200.00. And that is on the south(best) side of town. It is the people who move up here with very little cash and no job that become a problem. I hope this helps.

Please include heating fuel and electricity in the cost of living. For example, I bought a well-insulated home near Fairbanks, back in 1992. The house has 1,700 sq.-feet of living space, plus a 2-car garage as part of the house. The average cost for utilities reached $600.00 per month two months ago, at a cost of $3.22 per gallon of heating fuel, plus electricity. If fuel cost nears $4.00 per gallon by summer, my wife and I will be paying around $800.00 per month (average). Multiply that number by 12 months, and that will give you an idea of what I am implying.

Now, add those numbers to the high property tax in Anchorage or Fairbanks, and that will give you some ideas. For example, around $2,000 property tax on a $100,000 house, plus around $600.00 for basic property insurance yearly.

If the house is located within city limits and sewage, water, and trash collection is added to the cost, that's more money to be paid by the property owner. There are other costs associated with living outside of the city limits, but that's a story for another time.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by birkland

Or stuck in the mudflats. An airman's wife (I believe) died that way some years ago in Turnagain arm. Couldn't be freed before the tide came in.

"Big" (LOL) surfing scene in Yakutat, I hear.

I am a former Alaskan. Loved it, but couldn't take the cold. Now in Raleigh (love Wilmington).

Quite a lot of people end-up stuck in the mud there, and the high tide moves in very fast.

[Rance]

Fortunately they pretty much have a system now to unstick folks in the mud. Using pumps and water to flush them free.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Rance

Fortunately they pretty much have a system now to unstick folks in the mud. Using pumps and water to flush them free.

That works sometimes, unless the tide returns too fast for a rescue.

[Rance]

Or the word does not get out in time yes. It's just a good idea to stay well away from the mud flats.

[Kongakut]

My advice is:

Keep an open mind once you get here. It could appear ugly and unplanned.
Look to live in the Turnagain area. It has a nice neighborhood feel.
Eat at the Moose's Tooth, if you like pizza and beer.
Bring your own N. Carolina furniture.
Buy your cross country skiis the first season.
Plan on loving it or hating it.
Oh, and definitely come on up. It's a great place to live.

[aquariusmom]

Cordova is hiring a cop right now, and the clinic is always hiring nurses....

for jobs check the ALEXSYS system, its great!