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Old 01-31-2011, 09:32 PM
 
2 posts, read 6,296 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi Ketchikan (hopefully). we (my husband and our two children) are considering a move from fairbanks to Ketchikan (where i have lived for 18 years). i know it rains a lot and that there are hourds of tourists, but i am leaning towards thinking i would love it. i would really appreciate an insiders view of whether it is a good place to live with young children. we would budget to afford a boat so that we could explore and participate in other water based opportunites and recreation. My children love to swim and play soccer (it is unfortunate that Ketchikan doesn't have an ice hockey program though). I am familiar with small fishing communities having lived in Dillingham for two years and having fished there for 8 - but i also know that all communities have their own cultures, positive attributes as well as negative. If anyone could just throw information at us, we certainly would very much appreciate it.
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Old 02-02-2011, 01:44 PM
 
125 posts, read 331,699 times
Reputation: 68
I'd like to move there too. For AK it's really temperate albeit I understand there's not a lot of work.
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Old 02-02-2011, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
121 posts, read 342,237 times
Reputation: 83
I'd rather live in Petersburg or Sitka myself, but probably even less jobs there. One interesting place is Skagway, only 27 inches of rain a year, not as big as Ketchikan though. January averages 27/17 which isn't bad at all. AND you're not as isolated because you can drive there!
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Old 02-03-2011, 01:26 PM
 
1 posts, read 3,174 times
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Just to say, you can drive to Skagway but it's a really,`really long drive from anywhere! And it is much more "summer centric" than Ketchikan, in terms of the job market. While Ketchikan doesn't have the range of jobs that Anchorage or Fairbanks does, there are always jobs available for those that want to work! And they aren't all summer jobs either.
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Old 02-04-2011, 03:49 PM
 
Location: Anchorage, AK but missing Bethel!
187 posts, read 348,514 times
Reputation: 51
Ketchikan Parks & Rec has some EXCELLENT programs. I'd move there in a heartbeat (we ended up in Anchorage instead, this was just where a job was for my husband...). True there is no ice rink but there is a swimming pool and their rec center is just awesome. It's not really a "small community" as far as off-the-road-system places go, isn't it something like 14K people? They have a wal mart, multiple groceries... it's picturesque as all get out and lots of outdoor rec opportunities. My parents live there and love it.
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Old 02-17-2011, 10:39 AM
 
2 posts, read 6,296 times
Reputation: 10
Default thanks for replying creeboo

thank you for the information about ketchikan parks & rec, etc. it sounds like you wouldn't have any hesitations about moving your children there? do you know anything about the quality of the schools? i really appreciate any insight you or others who either live there or have spent time there may have.
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Old 02-17-2011, 11:40 PM
 
Location: Anchorage, AK but missing Bethel!
187 posts, read 348,514 times
Reputation: 51
my folks live right by Fawn Mtn elementary. It seems like a nice, well equipped school. There is a tax base in Ketchikan, I can say that much. I was in the public high school for a performance and it seemed very clean and well cared for. I can't speak much for academics as my kids are not in school there. If we lived in KTN, we'd go through the Catholic school system which had excellent ratings, but that may or may not be something you're interested in.
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Old 02-17-2011, 11:41 PM
 
Location: Anchorage, AK but missing Bethel!
187 posts, read 348,514 times
Reputation: 51
And me personally? I'd have no reservations about moving there. None at all.
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Old 02-18-2011, 11:10 PM
 
Location: Vegas, baby!
4 posts, read 6,672 times
Reputation: 10
I'm happy to see a recent post regarding Ketchikan. Most threads on here are pretty old. Anyhow, my husband and I are looking to move there in August from Vegas. Huge change, I know. We both want to move our girls out of here and into a town with people that, for the most part, have morals. I was curious about the schools also. So I searched up some generalized testing info and found this:


http://www.kgbsd.org/home/sites/default/files/report_card_to_the_public_2010.pdf (broken link)


If you check out the school district site there is individual links to each school where you can see the teachers and their credentials. From what I can tell, the town is pretty family oriented.
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Old 02-18-2011, 11:26 PM
 
Location: Dangling from a mooses antlers
7,308 posts, read 14,691,026 times
Reputation: 6238
Quote:
Originally Posted by tessiewessie View Post
into a town with people that, for the most part, have morals. From what I can tell, the town is pretty family oriented.
You might be getting the wrong idea about Ketchikan. They do have a problem with unplanned teen pregnancies at the high school. And getting my children through Schoenbar Middle School was hell. Seems like the kids run that place instead of the teachers.

Ketchikan is no moral mecca. It's just another fishing town with a drinking problem. Even with that it's still a great place to raise a family.

http://www.city.ketchikan.ak.us/depa...Police/pr.html

Last edited by stiffnecked; 02-18-2011 at 11:53 PM..
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