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Hello... we are Juneau bound very, very soon, and we want to know if there are places to avoid (like the plague) when renting. Keep in mind, we are coming from MD, and I work near Baltimore and travel frequently to DC... just to give you an idea of what we're typically subjected to and 'comfortable' with... def never voted in as one of the safest places to live It'll be me, my fiance, and my almost 1 y.o. son.
We are not picky, by any means, but we also don't want to live around too much riff raff, esp having a little guy. By riff raff, I mean in the area surrounding said place, and what the close neighbors might be like. We don't mind if there are places to go/shop very nearby, or not.
We did get one bite, on James Blvd... b/w Mendenhall Loop Road, and Riverside Drive, if anyone has any ideas on that.
Thanks! All and any feedback is helpful
Have you visited Juneau?
The area you are talking about is near where we first moved when we relocated to Juneau. Not a bad area. Probably a good place to stay while you learn the city and where you would like to be. Ad far as "riff raff" I am not sure how to advise you here, you will find out when you get to Juneau what I mean. There are no real ghetto areas, but are some pockets of sketchiness, but they are easily avoidable. The city is very spread out, and it's basically different communities spread out along various valleys. It's a great place to live, will be totally different than what you are accustomed to though. Enjoy it, the people are awesome, the scenery stellar, just learn to deal with the weather.
The area you are talking about is near where we first moved when we relocated to Juneau. Not a bad area. Probably a good place to stay while you learn the city and where you would like to be. Ad far as "riff raff" I am not sure how to advise you here, you will find out when you get to Juneau what I mean. There are no real ghetto areas, but are some pockets of sketchiness, but they are easily avoidable. The city is very spread out, and it's basically different communities spread out along various valleys. It's a great place to live, will be totally different than what you are accustomed to though. Enjoy it, the people are awesome, the scenery stellar, just learn to deal with the weather.
Thanks. Exactly the type of answer I was looking for. That is good news. No, I haven't visited Juneau, which is why I came here to ask neighborhood questions. Normally, I wouldn't care, but with a 10 month old, I had to check on it. My cousins in Anchorage have yet to visit Juneau, so they couldn't provide me with too much detail other than they hear good things. Thanks again!
This thread is fascinating! And what it shows most of all is that EVERYBODY wants to live near people just like them. People from big cities with lots of problems (and I'm one of them) are concerned for their personal safety, and much of that revolves around neighborhoods. Just somebody from AK wouldn't dream of taking a Honda Civic on the Dawson Highway in February, people from cities wouldn't consider living in certain neighborhoods because it would be absolutely insane. Especially with children, who are certain to pattern their behavior on what they observe. It's not a value judgement. It's a matter of practicality. But I have noticed that many rural people (not all, of course) are constantly looking for an excuse to take offense from city people. And many blacks are the same way with whites in my area. It's distasteful and counterproductive. We all need to relax a bit.
This thread is fascinating! And what it shows most of all is that EVERYBODY wants to live near people just like them. People from big cities with lots of problems (and I'm one of them) are concerned for their personal safety, and much of that revolves around neighborhoods. Just somebody from AK wouldn't dream of taking a Honda Civic on the Dawson Highway in February, people from cities wouldn't consider living in certain neighborhoods because it would be absolutely insane. Especially with children, who are certain to pattern their behavior on what they observe. It's not a value judgement. It's a matter of practicality. But I have noticed that many rural people (not all, of course) are constantly looking for an excuse to take offense from city people. And many blacks are the same way with whites in my area. It's distasteful and counterproductive. We all need to relax a bit.
It's all about the neighborhoods around here. How am I to know it's not set up in the same manner, unless I ask? I was born and raised here, from really bad outside of DC, to decent areas. I live in a rural (rural for MD), condo complex, and they just had to kick some folks out for dealing drugs out of one of the rentals. It was attracting "riff raff." A lady went on a walk with her kid, and the one car (associated) almost ran them over. Not just that, there were shady folks in/out. No, I absolutely don't want to be around that. Everywhere.... even beautiful places.... have a 'bad' neighborhood. Even if it's just a street or two. It's just how you define 'bad.' Somebody early on understood right away, and she answered strategically and right on the money. That was all I asked. The ironic part is those who asked not to be judged/to judge, are the ones assuming and judging immediately. It really makes no sense. Profiling based on stereotypes is really sad. So not the case... some of our souls no longer belong where we are, and we look elsewhere to find that niche... not to change a town and reinvent the wheel.
Mek, have you ever lived in a place with a large population? The OP's original questions, given where she's coming from, are understandable. I used to leave east of Los Angeles and enjoyed the pleasure of police choppers spotlighting my neighborhood for drug thugs and murder suspects on a regular basis. And that was a "nice area" that just happened to border a crappy area.
I've been to Juneau and understand that these kinds of concerns do not really apply there, but keep in mind the OP's statistical area is like 10x the size of Juneau's, at least, and without having been to Juneau she has no way of knowing what is or is not a concern. That's why she's here; to ask.
You accuse the OP of being a snob based on a short post with honest questions, yet in the same breath you are basically using words that are snobby and prejudiced towards the OP.
If you are touchy because people come to the city data forum to ask if Alaskans all have Sarah Palin bumper stickers on their dog sleds, fine, but the OP did not at all deserve your rude and dismissive response. And if she got defensive by your attacks and posted something scathing in response, then thought better of it an deleted it, that does not deserve your continued vitriol.
Dare I suggest that the classy thing to do here might be to apologize?
No, you may not suggest that. I don't know who you are, but you certainly have nothing to say about what I type on the Internet. Have a lovely day, now.
Last edited by Metlakatla; 12-06-2012 at 12:31 PM..
Mek, have you ever lived in a place with a large population? The OP's original questions, given where she's coming from, are understandable. I used to leave east of Los Angeles and enjoyed the pleasure of police choppers spotlighting my neighborhood for drug thugs and murder suspects on a regular basis. And that was a "nice area" that just happened to border a crappy area.
I've been to Juneau and understand that these kinds of concerns do not really apply there, but keep in mind the OP's statistical area is like 10x the size of Juneau's, at least, and without having been to Juneau she has no way of knowing what is or is not a concern. That's why she's here; to ask.
You accuse the OP of being a snob based on a short post with honest questions, yet in the same breath you are basically using words that are snobby and prejudiced towards the OP.
If you are touchy because people come to the city data forum to ask if Alaskans all have Sarah Palin bumper stickers on their dog sleds, fine, but the OP did not at all deserve your rude and dismissive response. And if she got defensive by your attacks and posted something scathing in response, then thought better of it an deleted it, that does not deserve your continued vitriol.
Dare I suggest that the classy thing to do here might be to apologize?
Yeah, it is very transient in places, like where I live now. I'm used to meeting all kinds of people from everywhere... If anything, we're fascinated with outsiders and want to know what it's like in comparison. That, and we're just used to it. But yeah, with your experiences, it's where I was coming from. There are reasons why you want to leave home...not to take home with you. I can tell you that a few years back, I almost landed a position in Huntsville. I hear good things about that place as well.
Yeah, it is very transient in places, like where I live now. I'm used to meeting all kinds of people from everywhere... If anything, we're fascinated with outsiders and want to know what it's like in comparison. That, and we're just used to it. But yeah, with your experiences, it's where I was coming from. There are reasons why you want to leave home...not to take home with you. I can tell you that a few years back, I almost landed a position in Huntsville. I hear good things about that place as well.
I actually first came to City Data when we were considering our move to Huntsville - and received some similar responses (though not anywhere NEAR as rude) from local Alabamians who are wary of people coming from places like California or N. Va as coming down with their outsider ways trying to change the local way of life.
More politely put, it's about knowing and accepting what you are getting into. I LOVE Huntsville and think our move here has been a positive change for us, but I know others who have moved here and are not as happy with it.
That said, having experienced a move from Los Angeles area to Huntsville, Alabama, and having visited Juneau, I do think there is some wisdom in preparing yourself for what you are getting into. I enjoyed my visit to southeast Alaska but frankly, would not want to live there. It's an order of magnitude different. To me living in Huntsville is about the perfect size - I am clear of most of the stuff I did not like about Los Angeles, but I still have access to the amenities that come from living from a minimum threshold population. Not only is Juneau tiny, it's more or less functionally an island - no taking a quick day trip to a larger city for shopping or theater. Just consider all the angles if you can...
What kind of work do you have lined up? If a transitory residency is in the cards for some temp work, I think it would be a neat life experience, but I know I'd have a hard time there on a permanent basis.
I actually first came to City Data when we were considering our move to Huntsville - and received some similar responses (though not anywhere NEAR as rude) from local Alabamians who are wary of people coming from places like California or N. Va as coming down with their outsider ways trying to change the local way of life.
While I do think that some of the responses in this thread were rude, I can also understand the mentality of locals not wanting outsiders to change the way of life and culture of places. There are a lot of people moving from places that have been ruined by certain mentalities and policies to new places and there is a tendency on the part of some to move to a new place and say "That's not the way we did it in CA, NY, MA, etc."). The irony is that those people move to a new place to escape taxes, over-regulation or what have you but then they bring the "ways" with them that ruined their former home.
I'm not suggesting that anything of the sort happened in this thread. I just wanted to point out that there are legitimate reasons for people to be wary of outsiders. I think transplants can do themselves a favor and realize that they will need to adapt to their new location rather than expect the new location to adapt to them (again, I'm not directing this at anyone in this thread).
If someone doesn't want to live around drug dealers/users or noisy swarms of college kids, they'll have better luck finding an appropriate rental if they clarify that instead of merely stating that they'd prefer not to reside near the riff raff. I wouldn't use that terminology when speaking with a rental agent about available properties; it's better to be more specific rather than expecting people to read minds.
I ... don't particular give a damn if people on the Internet whom I've never met and never will meet think I'm "rude." Pffft. Don't give yourself airs; it doesn't matter to me, especially on this forum. Although I will say that it must be nice to have nothing better to whine about than whether some stranger online typed in some perceived wrong octave.
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It'll be me, my fiance, and my almost 1 y.o. son. 
Ty
