Alaska - Narrow Minded? (Anchorage, Houston: 2009, homes, tax rates)

[bongo]

It is impossible to make generalizations about Alaska- it is a very diverse population. Remember, there are over 90 languages spoken by families in Anchorage school district. That says a lot about diversity.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by MommaF8

Hi Y'all! I haven't written much lately as I'm busily preparing for our move to Elmendorf AFB here in Jan. Anyhow, after 28 years of moving around with the Air Force, I've found that every place is what you make of it. I've never been anywhere where I couldn't find the good in it! I remember my first time overseas (Crete, Greece) where I was THRILLED to go, see, explore, meet the Greek people...& I had a BLAST! ((If we ever hit the lottery, I'm going back!)) However, there were others that did NOT take advantage of the wonderful opportunities, & all they did was stay at home / on base, whine & complain that they hated it there!
I am a firm believer in positive thinking & making the most of every situation. Heck, I got sent to Florida TWICE ((& I hate humidity!)) but I figure that it's purely a waste of time whining & complaining & judging places & people! Life's too short for that kind of thinking....
Basically, each place is what YOU make of it! If you are a pessamist, there is not going to be ANYWHERE you'll be happy.
That being said, I'm THRILLED as all get out to FINALLY get to go to Alaska! Years ago it was nearly impossible to get there if the military members didn't want to leave, they just stayed put. Now, however, there's an 8 year limit! Thankfully, if we like it as much as my daughter says we will (we loved Montana...& our eldest daughter said we'll like AK even MORE!) we'll retire up there after 1.5 years.
We'll be hauling our 2 dogs, 3 remaining kids (4 are outta the house!), & 2 miniature horses with us & we get to take the ferry up the 2nd week of Jan! We're so excited this wait is KILLING us!
Anyhow...sorry to go off on a tangent...thought my 2 cents might help. Or not. No matter....
BTW...can anyone tell me how rough the ferry ride is "usually" in Jan?

Excellent post! I'm in complete agreement with your philosophy. Get out and make the most with what you are given. I noticed the same thing you did when I was stationed in Okinawa and in Germany. Those who got off base and participated in the culture, enjoyed their stay far more than those who never left the base. Every new place is an adventure. Something to learn and explore. It is always better to be an optimist and wrong, than a pessimist and correct.

I spent a summer hiking around Glacier National Park, and I cannot think of anyplace in the lower-48 that resembles Alaska better. If you enjoyed the mountains, forests, and wildlife in Montana, then you will definitely love Alaska.

Make sure you get a rabies and health certificate from your veterinarian no sooner than 30 days before your scheduled departure.

I have never taken the ferry, but from what I've been told the ferry crossing through the Gulf of Alaska to Whittier can be rather rough at times. The Marine Highway through the Alaskan panhandle is very calm, but once you move out into the open ocean, then the waters can be rather turbulent.

[Metlakatla]

Hence their current governor.

There are plenty of right wing people in Alaska. But you don't see any of them going into the Delaware forum and trashing that state because of Joe Biden. You really need to get a grip.

[mal_flisk]

Wow mike, I guess I should blame you for Giuliani, or whatever his name is. How about blaming you for Hillary and Bill. Look, there are a lot of people in this state who are well pleased with Palin. As a governor. And if you think she's bad, you should have seen our previous governor. Murkowski makes Palin look like the white knight.

We didn't push to have her nominated, and it came out of the blue.

[akbound08]

alaskans are not close minded. this state is full of people getting away from there lives and trying to start anew. that means there are a lot of different types of people here, and i have yet to find one since i moved here that has been closed minded about anything. everyone i've met here has the philosify(or however you spell it) of "to each his own" meaning they don't care where you came from or what you did, they care about what you do in the present. alaska is full of open minded, caring, honest, and hard working people. its a great place to live and i am extreamly happy i moved here.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Hummmmm, Narrow Minded, as opposed to Big Headed, Arrogant, Conceited, if the obverse analogy holds true, I would suspect it to be somewhat of an apex of arrogance to singularly classify the residents of any given state, Human beings are generally more complex than that (Except in California, the land of fruits, nuts, and flakes) but, perhaps your particular mind does not grasp subtle distinctions in human experiences that allow for many of the differences. Perhaps you judge in the light of your own personal experiences of the world which may be a bit more limited, provincial as it were, where in your opinions out-reach your understanding.

[Duluth07]

Wow - great way to get your prejudices out in the open...being gay is 'boring' to you? What about your beige, ordinary, 'lets have tons of kids to pollute the planet', straight lifestyle that you live? Geez...if we could only find one exotic interesting feature about you. I guess we'd be grasping at straws for that one. So do you braid the hair under your armpits?

So let's really get down and dirty here. Why is it 'safe' to go after gay men with your prejudice and bigotry? Because being labeled anti-gay is fine for you jesus freaks, but being labeled a racist isn't? I've heard from the native people there that whites are extremely evil people who couldn't care less about native culture, not to mention how white treat blacks and hispanics. So instead of attacking those you think are 'safe targets' (white gay men), let's REALLY hear what you think of other people (those who aren't the same color as you)?

[mal_flisk]

Whoa, Duluth, flame on dude! Who went after gay men?

Most people here could give a hoot about someone else's lifestyle. Most of us just want to live our own in peace, and indeed, most of us haven't got the gall to go after anyone else. My kids (all 3 of them, by the way) have got minds of their own. I raised them to question the status quo.

As a retired military guy, I find that believing in the standards set by society has gotten this country into a lot of trouble. Thinking outside of the box is the way to solve problems. Otherwise the solutions that we come up with are the ones that gave us the problems in the 1st place.

Most Alaskans are sociable, easy-going and laissez-faire to a fault. It might actually be that we could be a little more interested in our neighbors doings, but most of us don't want to be bothered.

Lighten up just a tad my friend. Letting one person get your goat and causing you to lash out at all isn't the way to make friends and influence people. My ton of kids are nice young men, and being half-white hasn't harmed their outlook on life. They are industrious, polite and usually well-behaved. My youngest got himself grounded for a week, but that was a week ago, and it wasn't really serious. (He's 15, and the usual hormones are at play here).

I would not want to be labelled anti-gay, or racist or bigot, but you're tarring with a VERY wide brush here.

Take most of what you read here as just the usual engagement of keyboard before brain, and you'll see that most of these folks are just as happy to talk with you as any one else.

[Violet-light]

Hiya oso!

Your question's an interesting one.

As a five year resident of Anchorage, I'll answer your question thusly: yes and no. Or better: it depends on what your views on "tolerance" actually are, which of course leads one to ask how you yourself would define what you mean by "narrow minded."

Like what a lot of the posters have already commented, Alaska (and Anchorage in particular) is extremely diverse in terms of the origins of its people. There is a large military presence here, which, perforce brings through people from around the country.

Anchorage is also a global destination point for people from all over the world. (I think you'd be hard pressed to find another city this size where seeing a Tibetan Buddhist monk or an Orthodox Priest walking down the street is a common sight).

I think the trick with Alaska is just finding people you identify with. I'd say the prevailing general attitude is conservative, but not "rabidly" so (in the sense that others are trying to dictate how others should live their lives). There is certainly a general anti-government bent (which I share, to an extent), and people here strongly dislike the idea of "outsiders" (anyone from Outside Alaska - and, yes, that's a term that we use) coming up here and imposing their beliefs upon us.

Incidentally, I am a native Californian, and while I find the CA bashing tiresome at times (California is so very diverse too, much more than people realize, I think), I can agree that the attitudes up here are "less invasive" in the sense that we don't attempt to use legislation or anything else to force others to think a certain way. To do so would be utter anathema to almost every man, woman, and child in this state and would not be tolerated. (I would add, of course, there are always exceptions to this rule, but they would form a minority, I would think).

You will find an extremely diverse range of political and religious attitudes up here, and these will vary in intensity and concentration from locale to locale.

The capital city of Juneau is generally considered to be amongst the most politically liberal in the state (along with parts of Anchorage), while parts of the Kenai Peninsula, the Mat-Su region (north of Anchorage), and portions of the Interior are amongst the most conservative. But these, again, are generalizations, and you will find people of all walks of life in all parts of the state.

This does not even begin to include attitudes and ways of life in the "bush" (rural, off-the-road Alaska), which vary greatly and about which I'm unqualified to speak (since I've not been).

Don't believe all you may have heard about the people of this state. While it's true that our economy is dependent on petroleum (wouldn't your home state have used the kind of "resources" we had up until this point if it had them?), and it's true "gun control" is like a four-letter-word here (consider living in a place with vast tracts of wilderness, where a firearm is simply a part of how you make it through your day or recreate, whichever applies), these facts don't imply that we're "closed minded" per se. (Not that I'm implying you thought so - I'm merely making my own assumption as to the origins of a "narrow-minded" tag as it applies to Alaskans).

While I've only experienced Anchorage myself, I will say that, overall, this state is diverse, welcoming, and, generally speaking, tolerant of others and their views.

Just don't try to force them on other people!!!

[Metlakatla]

While I've only experienced Anchorage myself, I will say that, overall, this state is diverse, welcoming, and, generally speaking, tolerant of others and their views.

Just don't try to force them on other people!!!

Will someone please inform the raggedy ass governor of this?