do we have to allow Juneau to stay the way it is? (Anchorage: income, to live in)

[Alice2]

There are those who say, loudly, if you don't like where you are just get out. What do others think, who live here, who love it here, hate it here, have been here? I was inspired to post this after finding and reading this little blog from visitors this morning.
Juneau, Alaska Travel Website: Don And Cindy's Alaska Adventure by Cindya on July 04, 2010 — Everlater
"On to our first look at Juneau...5 cruise ships are in and the place is thick with tourists...yikes! This downtown area is set up all for the cruise ship folks. Crazy."

Why do we just put up with the town being totally taken over by the tourist industry and shrug our shoulders and say there's nothing there for us, we just won't go there?

Other towns that welcome tourists do not have to sell their downtown heart-and-souls for it. What happened to us? Did our city government CHANGE, somewhere along the way, or did we just let go of the leash?

I hope to check back and see some thoughts on this topic.

[bthorn31]

I can't really speak to Juneau, but I have lived in tourist beachside resort towns before. The type where the summer population tripled and shops and restaurants closed in the winter. I worked as a waitress and when people found out I was a local they invariably asked, what do you do in the winter? as if there was no life outside of summer tourist season.

The face of the town changed with the tourists, and so did the traffic patterns, but for most folks it was accepted because the summer dollars provided a tidy portion of the winter income - and survival. That doesn't mean the town didn't breathe a collective sigh of relief when Labor Day weekend came around and most of the tourists left.

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by Alice2

Other towns that welcome tourists do not have to sell their downtown heart-and-souls for it. What happened to us? Did our city government CHANGE, somewhere along the way, or did we just let go of the leash?

I hope to check back and see some thoughts on this topic.

It's about ecomonic survival. What difference does it make anyway? Who really cares? When I lived Ketchikan it was the same way. Our lives there did not revolve around what went on downtown. So I don't really see what the big deal is.

[RedJacket]

Originally Posted by Alice2

There are those who say, loudly, if you don't like where you are just get out. What do others think, who live here, who love it here, hate it here, have been here? I was inspired to post this after finding and reading this little blog from visitors this morning.
Juneau, Alaska Travel Website: Don And Cindy's Alaska Adventure by Cindya on July 04, 2010 — Everlater
"On to our first look at Juneau...5 cruise ships are in and the place is thick with tourists...yikes! This downtown area is set up all for the cruise ship folks. Crazy."

Why do we just put up with the town being totally taken over by the tourist industry and shrug our shoulders and say there's nothing there for us, we just won't go there?

Other towns that welcome tourists do not have to sell their downtown heart-and-souls for it. What happened to us? Did our city government CHANGE, somewhere along the way, or did we just let go of the leash?

I hope to check back and see some thoughts on this topic.

Juneau isn't unlike many other tourist attractions in the country. Vacationers bring money, and some, the attitude that their money allows them to act like idiots.

Your city relies heavily on tourism money and that's not going to change. I'm sure many businesses would have to slam their doors shut if it all stopped.

That may be fine with you, but that's not fine for everyone. For some folks, it really is the trip of a lifetime.

[Alice2]

I wasn't saying we shouldn't have tourism, or be a tourist town, as it seems to have come off here. I meant why can't we still have the town be for the people who live here. I wanted to hear from people who cared one way or the other. The bigger picture is wanting to live in a town where the people who live here 'own' it, who are the driving force in which way the town grows / develops, with LIVE-ABILITY being talked about with every turn of every corner.

I suppose this town can not get back what it has already lost. It could be re-energized into a live-able community if enough people care about it.

When outsiders with a fresh view say point-blank it is "Crazy" the way the town is set up, that means that lots of other places are not done in this manner. It means we are developing in the wrong way. That would lead me to believe that there is also a "right" way, and that it can be done.

There is always the option to change course. Other communities have done it. We can too, and I believe we will sooner or else later, when enough like-minded people set out to accomplish a change.

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by Alice2

When outsiders with a fresh view say point-blank it is "Crazy" the way the town is set up, that means that lots of other places are not done in this manner. It means we are developing in the wrong way. That would lead me to believe that there is also a "right" way, and that it can be done.

Sorry to disagree. When outsiders come in they bring their preconceived ideas and notions with them about how things should be done. Quite often you'll hear they say "Well this isn't how we did things back home". Very telling. Juneau is what it's citizens wanted it to be. As is Ketchikan and Skagway. And every other Alaskan community.

[Moose Whisperer]

I can't speak for Juneau, but the tourist industry even does the same thing here. All the tourist shops in downtown Anchorage have very little to do with the "real" Alaska (what, the Alaska wilderness if filled with license plate frames and moose calendars?). But it's the same everywhere. My family is from Hawaii, and I spent half of my childhood on the Islands so I'm quite familiar with the local culture there. Obviously the tourist part of Hawaii is quite different from "real" life there. But like what Stiffer said, since the outside world sees Hawaii as multi million dollar resorts, white sand beaches, Luaus, and Hawaii-five-O TV shows, at what point does that perception become the reality anyway?

[freezengirl]

Originally Posted by Alice2

I wasn't saying we shouldn't have tourism, or be a tourist town, as it seems to have come off here. I meant why can't we still have the town be for the people who live here. I wanted to hear from people who cared one way or the other. The bigger picture is wanting to live in a town where the people who live here 'own' it, who are the driving force in which way the town grows / develops, with LIVE-ABILITY being talked about with every turn of every corner.

I suppose this town can not get back what it has already lost. It could be re-energized into a live-able community if enough people care about it.

When outsiders with a fresh view say point-blank it is "Crazy" the way the town is set up, that means that lots of other places are not done in this manner. It means we are developing in the wrong way. That would lead me to believe that there is also a "right" way, and that it can be done.

There is always the option to change course. Other communities have done it. We can too, and I believe we will sooner or else later, when enough like-minded people set out to accomplish a change.

I don't think this is an outsider/insider question. In any community the people that live there can and should participate to make their community reflect the needs and wants of the community. It is not a static thing. Getting involved with your community, participating in planning meetings, town boards are all good places to start.

[freezengirl]

Originally Posted by Moose Whisperer

I can't speak for Juneau, but the tourist industry even does the same thing here. All the tourist shops in downtown Anchorage have very little to do with the "real" Alaska (what, the Alaska wilderness if filled with license plate frames and moose calendars?). But it's the same everywhere. My family is from Hawaii, and I spent half of my childhood on the Islands so I'm quite familiar with the local culture there. Obviously the tourist part of Hawaii is quite different from "real" life there. But like what Stiffer said, since the outside world sees Hawaii as multi million dollar resorts, white sand beaches, Luaus, and Hawaii-five-O TV shows, at what point does that perception become the reality anyway?

Moose Whisperer, that is a rhetorical non-answer. You and Stiffneck have missed the point of the question she was asking. I bet if you stop and think about her question, you could contribute some good insight into a question that faces all of our communites.

[Moose Whisperer]

If you are looking for meaningful insights into life's questions, you have come to the wrong place. Of course, if you still feel the need to dictate to others how they should respond, you could always apply to be a forum moderator.