Dream? or Deathwish! (Anchorage: work, home)

[AK_DUG]

If I were you I would sell the 2wd truck and fly up to Anchorage. You will not be happy w/out a 4WD truck or at least a front wheel drive car. For the money you will spend driving up or shipping, you should be able to find an affordable used car. A co-worker just bought an 96 AWD Subaru for under $2500. It has over 100,000 but it runs great and will get him though the winter safely. You are risking it by driving a beater truck in the fall. The roads can get icy and the temperatures drop. In addition, once you get up here, if you decide to trade vehicles, your truck will be worth next to nothing. 2WD trucks sit on the used vehicle lots for a long time, because no one wants them. Anyway, that is just one persons view. Good luck!

* I flew up in 97 from Illinois, and have never regretted making the move. It is a great place to live.

[Tressa]

I myself would be more concerned about where I would live as in hotel, motel, apartment, Brother Francis for the homeless, jobs are not plentiful up here unless you are working in the retail industry. the People mover is all over town from the hillside to downtown out to Eagle River that shouldn't be an item to dwell on IMO. Housing is not cheep and unless you have a job waiting for you when you get here I would suggest you not come until you do. Not a place to come up to on a chance, once here it's hard to get out and very expensive to do so.

Anchorage is my home and has been for 32 years, my post is only realistic.

[AryssainAustin]

I just recently moved from Anchorage to Austin after living there for 6 yrs.
Winter was just too long.
My advice is try to get as much as you can for your truck and buy a used 4wd in Anchorage. The roads gets really icy during the winter even with studs.
If you're thinking about depending on peoplemover as a mean of getting around, I don't think it's sucha good idea but maybe you're more adventurous than I am. Honestly I don't know anyone that takes the bus there.
Don't know what kind of job you're looking for but if you're not picky you'll find something. Most singles I know up there usually have roommates because housing is not cheap.
I'm assuming you're female? When looking for rental try to avoid the east side...it might have the cheapest apts. but not the safest.

I still have familys and friends that I miss dearly up there but I hated the long dark winter and the feeling of isolation.
here in Austin when I have the urge to drive out of town or even to a different state, I hope in my car and go. you can't do that in Alaska.

Good luck in your move, let me know if you have any more questions.

[Rainy]

Fiddlekitten...have you thought about getting some kind of seasonal job? That will let you have a chance to check the place out.

As far as farmed salmon in the supermarket...my family has been in the wild salmon industry for years. It's highly available in Alaska even if you don't catch it yourself but you just have to think outside the supermarket box. And if people didn't buy the farmed salmon in the AK supermarkets, it wouldn't be there. Kind of sad. Sorry about the strawberries. I'm allergic to them anyway.

[Alaskan_Adventurer]

October is definitely too late to make your drive. Many of the gas stations and hotels are seasonal and some of them will be close in October. We frequently have snow on the ground here in Anchorage in mid-October and it can be even earlier in the Yukon. If you had made the trip in the past and were experienced, then I would say go for it. You can't even imagine how isolated the Yukon is during the off season. I made the trip in early April and I drove a good 5-6 hours without seeing another person. Now that is isolation, lol. One thing I will say, the isolation is beautiful. The whole drive was fascinating and you will remember it forever. If you do decide to do the drive, make sure you bring a little extra gas, just in case. Many times I would expect to gas up, but the gas station was closed and I couldn't get fuel for another 100+ miles.

I am not trying to scare you. The drive is rather straight-forward, but just be prepared. Get a full tuneup and have your entire car checked out before hand. Bring spare headlights, etc.

[rotorhead]

I'll also second that opinion on regular rwd trucks, they're essentially worthless as winter trasportation compared to even the most basic fwd car. Even with good studded snow tires, rear wheel drive in a pickup is possibly the worst combination you can get for driving in the snow and ice. As far as shipping goes, everything is high season now so it'll cost you to get it up anyway you choose. If you can get a decent price for it down south, selling it to buy a used Subaru or something similar might be a good option. Even if you don't get top dollar and you can't afford to buy a car when you get up to ANC, that money will probably pay for both a years bus pass and lots of cab rides.

[Marylandkitten]

"Fiddlekitten, have you thought about a seasonal job?"

- yes and no!! Everyone's posts are saying the long stretch, the final sinker, is if you can be cool with the whole winter scene being what it is. Cold, dark, isolated and lonely? I would rather not fly up there for a few months in the summer to get my little slice of heaven... But I do see your point, yes.

Update : my mom's buying my truck from under me. yay! I will be able to do my 4 wheel drive search once I get up there, and it's the peoplemover in the meantime. Wish me luck.

So we know what the weather is like end-of-October... but what is it like end-of-August? Close enough to be the same? not so cold? not snowing yet?

[Rainy]

I don't know if I'd use those adjectives to describe winters in the Anchorage area...it's a city, after all. Pretty decent climate, really, and not so dark and I imagine there's lots to do. And winter is when you can really get a feel for the state, after the tourists are gone and most of the residents aren't quite so busy.

Driving up in August should be just fine for you...but now it seems your not driving?

End of August can be iffy but the weather should be pretty good in Anchorage then. Termination dust is not unheard of then but still the weather is usually okay.

[Marylandkitten]

Yes it's looking more and more, like I will be leaving the 2WD with good ole' mum. <3 and flying up there with what I can.

I've heard different sides of the story, where jobs are in abundance, and were jobs are not easy to come by at all, due to businesses opting for the long-term residents of AK, rather than the newcomers.

Any advice would be more than helpful. With no special degree or whatnot, the majority of my jobs have been desk clerk/admin/secretary/clerical/admin things. And I've never really struggled in the past finding something to pay the bills. I'm wondering if it's any easier or harder up there? While it's not a multi-million dollar salary figure I rake in every year - again, it gets the bills paid.

Everyone on this forum has been so great with their 2 cents and bits of information. I don't know what I'd do without you guys in planning my move up. Hope everyone's having a great day!!

[mal_flisk]

There are plenty of jobs for those willing to invest a little time to finding them. Baristas come home with about a hundred bucks a day in tips and there are coffee stands all over. More per capita here than in Seattle, if you can believe it. It'd do for a temp job until something better came along.