Most interesting facts about your beloved state (Anchorage, Metlakatla: attorneys, construction)

[nature mama]

I'm not going anywhere. I'm buying a house in WV right now. I'm from Va, but wv feels more like home than anywhere else. Also, I hate the south. It's too hot, and I like 4 seasons. I'm too white to live that close to the equator. Lol. I have no intentions of moving to Alaska. I'm just interested in it's uniqueness. Everyone seems to have so many negative things to say about it when asked by outsiders, but many people live there and I have to wonder why. Maybe it's just a plot to keep the outsiders out the same way people in Montana do...eh? :-)

[Metlakatla]

The cost of living isn't necessarily "super expensive."

[nature mama]

Also, we have no problem harvesting quite a bounty from the woods and our garden right here in wv. It's a nice area for that. The deer are plentiful. Fox too. My husband traps them usually. Not this year because the fur market went south. The weather makes for a long growing season but we still get to enjoy snow part of the year. I'd take the harshness of Alaska over Louisiana ANY DAY. Yuck.

[Metlakatla]

So you eat fox?

[nature mama]

Haha, nooooo. Never. He sells the fur.

[nature mama]

I guess the way I wrote that it seemed like we do. I'm just saying that's another plentiful resource. Except that one makes money instead of food.

[riceme]

It's not a plot, but that's not a bad idea.

Regarding the cost of living, simply keeping your home warm is a major expense. Anything mechanical hates cold weather, so keeping any type of vehicle running is expensive. I was reminded last week that our gear is expensive. My sister came to visit and her Sorels cracked and literally fell off her feet... they were not rated for cold enough weather.

...I don't know. Stuff that is expensive here is too numerous to enumerate.

[riceme]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

The cost of living isn't necessarily "super expensive."

It's not bad if you budget for it or if you don't spend like an idiot. Being poor here sucks the big one. Big time. In a big way.

[nature mama]

I mean, I'm not a person who likes to throw away money. I buy used any chance I get, I don't care about a big house (the one I'm buying is 576 sq ft), and I dont care about fancy things or a nice car. But I still don't feel like I'd make it just judging from what I've read here. Medical expenses seem scary. I have 2 kids so I can't imagine trying to make that work alone. What do people do for a living that allows them to live comfortably? I have this assumption about Alaskan people being rugged blue collar workers, but I'm sure just as every other assumption I've had, that is wrong.

[Metlakatla]

The federal government is Alaska's biggest employer. The rest of us herd reindeer or something.

Working class people get by, but the state's so big that how they get by varies a lot. Things will probably change if the oil and gas industry continues to limp along.