Thinking of moving to Alaska after college. (Anchorage, Fairbanks: apartment, for rent)

[The Weird Girl]

Well, this is my first time posting on the Alaska boards (I made a recent post on the Hawaii one) and I wondering if there's any advice for an art student from Mississippi (me!) pursuing a career as an art teacher in Alaska? I guess I should say that I am African-American and female and I'm wondering if there's ever been degree of racism in Alaska against blacks and particularly females?

One of my classmates who is from Homer, Alaska claims that the majority of Alaska is not very open to outsiders and are a bit prejudice against those who don't go to the same church? Her accounts are a bit confusing but overall she says that it's very expensive and very boring and I don't want to judge a place by just one person so, here I am.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by The Weird Girl

Well, this is my first time posting on the Alaska boards (I made a recent post on the Hawaii one) and I wondering if there's any advice for an art student from Mississippi (me!) pursuing a career as an art teacher in Alaska? I guess I should say that I am African-American and female and I'm wondering if there's ever been degree of racism in Alaska against blacks and particularly females?

One of my classmates who is from Homer, Alaska claims that the majority of Alaska is not very open to outsiders and are a bit prejudice against those who don't go to the same church? Her accounts are a bit confusing but overall she says that it's very expensive and very boring and I don't want to judge a place by just one person so, here I am.

No...my step mother taught art in Alaska and loved every minute of it. She was not only not from Alaska but she was from a different country. Your friend from Homer has it wrong...but sometimes the experiences of someone who grew up in a place and suffered through all the interpersonal small town dynamics is very different from that of someone who came to it as an adult.

[hc5831]

Like Metlakatla said, lots of people who grew in small towns resent it. I have a friend who despises Missouri because he grew up in a hick town. He is always bad talking it and swears he'll never move back there again.

When I moved to Missouri and loved it. I saw none of the bad things he talked about. Maybe things changed in the 10 years since he left. More likely he is biased based on his personal bad experiences there.

Lots of small town kids want nothing more than to leave a small town and move to a big city with all the excitement. Lots of adults want the opposite. Including me.

[Rance]

Homer is a wonderful town and it does sound like a disgruntled young adult that grew up there. I don't think you'd have any racial issues at all. And as far as church goers...well I don't attend any church (other than the great outdoors), yet can sit elbow to elbow at the bar with a group and none attend the same church! I've lived here all my life and never have seen any issues with religion. I grew up on a hill containing 3 families. We were all best of friends yet all 3 attended different churches at the time. It's the folks that come here trying to shove their beliefs down any locals throat that causes grief.

[bigjojo]

I'll kind of echo what everyone else is saying; I come from a small town in Southern Oregon, and I can't wait to get out, but I've finally realized that it's not the town but my desperate need for something new and exciting. As far as racial issues go, I know they might still exist in some places, but this town I live in was once the kkk capital of the US, and now there isn't even a hint of racism, and I have not heard any racist or sexist comments during the times I've been in Alaska. My belief is that the amount of ignorance and plain stupidity in regards to race is rapidly diminishing (thank goodness!). There is a bit of "outsiderism" (nice word eh?) in Alaska, but that mostly because of people going there to make money in oil or fishing and then taking the money back to the lower 48; just a general lack of respect for Alaska. As long as you are temperate-mannered and respect the state, I would guess you'll be fine.

[RayinAK]

The only thing your friend was right was about being expensive to live in Alaska. For example, right now it costs around $1,300 per month for renting a 2-bedrrom apartment around Fairbanks. In fact, we had a house fire recently and the insurance company moved us to another house nearby. It cost a little over $1,300 per month, plus electricity. My wife and I had to come up with a $1,000 security deposit, too.

A great portion of the expense of living in Alaska is fuel cost for driving, and vehicle wear. In both Anchorage and Fairbanks one must drive a few miles to work or just buy groceries, and regular unleaded gasoline in Fairbanks is around $4.20 per gallon (over fifteen cents higher in North Pole).

[dcarrot]

With all the weather you folks down in Mississippi have had to put up with lately, I'd say get out of there. And from what I've seen Alaskans like women.

[tidelines]

Alaska is big country, open to good ideas and talent. It's just a place, and nothing to fear. If it's people you're afraid of, better find a way to overcome that hindrance because you can't escape them if you want to be in civilization. Art is necessary, and being a woman of ethnicity shouldn't hold you back from investigating what Alaska can offer you, or the other way around. It's a free country, as they say, and you're free to pursue your life as you choose. Don't be afraid; be informed and make good choices. Investigate, participate, and contribute - you'll find your niche along the way. It's how you live life that's important, after all. :-)

[freezengirl]

Ditto on all of the above advice and comments. I live in Homer and it is a wonderful little community. My mother was an artist and every day in Alaska I think of how much she would have marveled at the incredible beauty and the way the light changes what you see and how you experience it. I came to Alaska from outside also and had my own concerns about fitting in, wasn't a problem at all. I don't know what it is about this country, or the people who are attracted to it but it seems to encourage, inspire the artist within all of us.