Possibly Moving From Boston to Alaska (Anchorage, Juneau and: sales, 2013, to rent)

[KickAssArmyChick]

Hi, I currently live in Massachusetts but my boyfriend and I are thinking about moving to Alaska some time next year or in 2013. We are having a baby in a few weeks and we'd like to raise her in a more laid-back and safe area.

We love the outdoors (I used to live in Colorado) and we are ready to get away from the Northeast and the super high cost of living here.

Any advices on what areas/cities would be best to raise a child i.e good school system etc? What about jobs? My boyfriend has 10 years of experience working as a flight dispatcher / flight planner in the Army but could easily go back to working in construction like he recently did or something like that.

I work for a medical billing company and have clerical experience as well as a Military background. My boyfriend and I are also students and we'd like to live somewhat close to a University or College.

We wouldn't leave here unless one of us had a job but we'd like to know which cities would be best for what I listed above.

Thanks in advance.

[SityData]

BOSTON; .. .. is a GREAT place - TO LEAVE !!

Although I will never understand why people who live in Massachusetts always say they are from Boston (everyone does). (chuckle).


Let me burst your bubble - (this is just my opinion). If you want to do this 'smart' then save up some $$ and just get here; Getting a job will be no problem what so ever. It might not be exactly what you want; but you are here then you can be 'picky'.

Everything you want .. .. is here! In many different areas. Colleges ? Anchorage or Fairbanks are the main two cities. Each have everything you need/want.

Doing this from 4,000 miles away. You are going to have a difficult time. But by being here. most of your major obstacles are finished within a week or two i.e. housing and a job.

You are both young-ish. and starting a family with children. Getting here; and starting over .. all you need is desire and some cash and .. Welcome to Alaska !! Everyone has different opinions. I just gave you mine.

Oh - by the way.. my name is David .. I am from Boston!! Born & raised in "southie" !! Yes ! Boston it is a great place .. .. to leave. I left in 81 and haven't ever regretted it once.

If you have some cash saved, you can make it happen quickly. If you do not have ample funds. Then wait !!

[JavaPhil]

UAF is considered to be the better of the 2 main campuses, but Fairbanks comes with the weather. It can get down to -50 in winter and up to the 80's in summer. It is a smaller town, but has all the amenities of a large city.

UAA is larger, and has the LAS majors as opposed to Engineering leanings of UAF. Anchorage is much larger and has the drawbacks of a major city - crime is higher here. But the weather is mitigated by it's coastal location. It can (and usually does) get down to -20 for a week in the winter, and in summer, it's a rare day to get up to 70 or so. Summer days are usually about mid 50's to mid 60's.

Anchorage has a larger job pool than Fairbanks, and Fairbanks has a tighter knit community. Both have Army bases (Richardson and Wainwright) next to the city. There are other UA campuses (Sitka, Juneau, Kethikan for UAS, Bethel and Glennallen for UAA), but the towns are smaller and job opportunities are limited.

The cost of living is higher in the smaller communities, but with the concommitent reduction in crime. Alaska has a fairly high cost of living, but the lack of a state sales tax, state income tax may mitigate that. Certain citites and towns have their own sales taxes, but are usually fairly low. Anchorage does not have a sales tax, I'm not sure of Fairbanks. Someone else might know, I just never paid attention.

[MissHazelRedBone(:]

Anchorage would definitely be the better city. Fairbanks is barely a city if you ask me, more of a small town. I've heard not so good things about UAA, my aunt is getting her masters there and she says UAA is a bad school.

You sound like the type of person who would really enjoy Alaska (unlike myself). Well, hope all works out for you.

[Frostnip]

What are the two of you studying? That might be a deciding factor on which university would be better - UAF and UAA have very different selections of programs of study.
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[akck]

Your main choices are Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. Those are the main campuses of the University of Alaska. Job-wise, there are always openings for medical billing positions in all three locations. For your bf though, he might be looking at seasonal work for aircraft or construction (mainly summer). You will face the old Catch-22, in that for most jobs, you have to be here to be considered while you can't afford to come here until you have a job.

Safety-wise, you're looking at Juneau and Fairbanks or a smaller community outside of Anchorage (within commuting distance). Anchorage is like any big city south, including crime. School-wise, any of the areas have acceptable schools. Each district has good and bad ones, so it's best to rent first and find out which school are best.

[usafracer]

The cost of living in the Fairbanks area is a lot higher than you might think!!