Where is the best place in Alaska to live? (Anchorage: home, to buy)

[tigre79]

If you like the scenery of Southeast but think you might like it a little less rainy, or would like to be on the road system, there are other coastal towns you could consider as well. Haines is one I've seen mentioned that has a bit drier climate, as do Homer, Seward, and Valdez. Each town is going to have its own particular quirks (for example here in Valdez we've got kind of an issue with snow), and none of them are going to rate high on the sunshine-meter, but there are other choices aside from the few you saw on your cruise.

[Wynternight]

Originally Posted by tigre79

If you like the scenery of Southeast but think you might like it a little less rainy, or would like to be on the road system, there are other coastal towns you could consider as well. Haines is one I've seen mentioned that has a bit drier climate, as do Homer, Seward, and Valdez. Each town is going to have its own particular quirks (for example here in Valdez we've got kind of an issue with snow), and none of them are going to rate high on the sunshine-meter, but there are other choices aside from the few you saw on your cruise.

If you call what, 11 feet in a few days an issue? A pittance, I say!

[Dakster]

Wynternight - is that a below normal, normal, or above normal amount of snow in a few days?

[LittleJazzyP]

Originally Posted by tigre79

here in Valdez we've got kind of an issue with snow...

I do love your understated way of putting things.

[greyrussell94]

I spent two weeks in AK in summer 2010. Surprisingly, I never visited the SE AK/Inside Passage Region. We landed in Anchorage then took a flight to Barrow just to see the Arctic Ocean. Then we went back to Anchorage then started the road trip. From Anchorage we drove along the Denali Hwy through the Mat-Su Valley up through Denali NP and finally stopping in Fairbanks where we stayed with friends. We went back down the Denali Hwy through Anchorage and spent the last four days of our vacation in the tiny town of Whittier on the Prince William Sound. From here we hiked, when on a glacier tour on the Prince William Sound, and explored the Kenai Peninsula.

Alaska is absolutely beautiful and I would love to live here. From the places I saw the Mat-Su Valley is probably the best place to live. It is has beautiful mountains and picturesque lakes and farmland. It seemed to have anything you would need with a rapidly growing population of nearly 90,000 as of the 2010 census for the Mat-Su borough. It's also very centrally located in Alaska with a 300,000 pop. city (Anchorage) just a short drive down the 4-laned Glenn Hwy.

[ShipOfFools42]

Originally Posted by LittleJazzyP

I do love your understated way of putting things.

Lol, no kidding. Thompson Pass recently got 7 FEET in 36 hours. That's 2.5 inches an hour for 36 hours solid. And apparently the giant snow cone in Valdez where they dump all the snow is now six stories tall... and it will still be there in July. So awesome. Do you pass that snow cone often, Tigre? I would just love to see that in person. Also, walking around town through 8-foot high tunnels of snow, that would be pretty disorienting.

[Frostnip]

I prefer the small road system towns in the interior, myself, and I live just outside of one. For me it's the best of both worlds because it's less expensive and has, to me, fewer challenges than living in the bush or in an island community. But there's still privacy and quiet and undeveloped land all around, without the hustle and bustle of the more built-up areas. I know most everyone around and they know me. A peaceful life, but weekend trips to Anchorage or Fairbanks when needed are a simple drive away.

Unless there is an avalanche. But still

Plus, the crisp clear nights and auroras in winter, and the endless days in summer

[cjg5]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools42

And apparently the giant snow cone in Valdez where they dump all the snow is now six stories tall... and it will still be there in July. So awesome.

If it is still there at the beginning of next winter, and they add onto it, and that happens a couple of times, they'd have their own man made glacier! That's actually a pretty damn cool thought.

[tigre79]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools42

And apparently the giant snow cone in Valdez where they dump all the snow is now six stories tall... and it will still be there in July. So awesome. Do you pass that snow cone often, Tigre? I would just love to see that in person. Also, walking around town through 8-foot high tunnels of snow, that would be pretty disorienting.

There are a couple of big piles in the middle of town; I can see the tops of them from my front window. And smaller snow dumps all over town, of course. The roads here are pretty wide, so the high banks don't feel claustrophobic to me. I guess you get used to it. The difficult thing is that a lot of houses become caves. You can keep clearing it away, but it'll just keep coming. A lot of people in one-story houses give up and just have snow up to the eves, only clearing it out enough to keep the roof from being damaged and to keep access to their fuel tank open. In a lot of two-story houses people cover the lower windows with plywood to keep them from breaking when the roof sheds, so the lower floor becomes sort of like a basement. One time I went over to a friend's house, and you couldn't even see out their second-story windows because of the snow hanging off the roof. Living like that for several months a year gets to some people. Combine that with frequent canceled flights and road closures, and it's not just the streets that feel claustrophobic to some people, it's the whole town. But the snow's not always this high, and there are summers (by some definitions, anyways), and if you love backcountry snow sports, saltwater fishing, hiking, and just generally living in a friendly little town in the middle of nowhere, it can be a wonderful place. The scenery isn't bad, either.

[IL2AK4job]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools42

The point of this response is to let you know that you're not crazy, and that there are other people considering the same thing you are. In fact, I'm probably even crazier than you, as you will see if you choose to read my post.

Well, you're not crazy. I'm PLANNING on moving there, and I've never even been. In fact, I've never even been west of the Mississippi River. I have, however, done a boatload of research on Alaska, and I will not move up without visiting first, just to make sure I'm not making a big mistake. Alaska, as you surely know, is ENORMOUS, and the Inside Passage (while large) is just one small part of it. For instance, the places you saw could hardly be more different than, say, Delta Junction. Temperature, length of winter/summer, geography, ocean/no ocean, road system/no road system, and on and on and on. The place is absolutely massive, and there are probably nearly as many distinct regions of Alaska as there are in the rest of the country. So yeah, going up for a visit is a good idea for sure, and something I still haven't been able to do, for lack of money. Metlakatla always gives good responses, and her points are all very solid and should be listened to.

Anyhow, I'll move aside and let you get responses from some actual residents, but I wanted you to know that you're not the only person who wants to make a move that a lot of people would consider "crazy". Hell, half this forum thinks I'm crazy (to put it nicely, lol), but they haven't shut me down yet. Just go see how you like it. Oh, and if you can't visit in the winter, at least do a TON of research, because the really short daylight hours in the winter can apparently REALLY get to people sometimes. Sun barely comes up, and then goes right back down, at least in a lot of areas. Hell, in Barrow, you get to a point where it flat out doesn't come up at all for over a month. So yeah, lots to consider, but don't let people talk you out of it before you even get started with your research.

I can second this post. I has been a few years since i have visited but I also am drawn to Alaska and cannot fully explain in words what draws me in so hard. Good luck in your quest I hope you find what you are looking for! And along with Ship most of the people that respond on here have (at least some) good advice. Yes they bicker and banter.. but save for a select FEW (ok maybe one or two) they all give good answers, if you ask the right questions that is.