Negatives of living in Alaska (Anchorage, Palmer: high crime, unemployment, to move)

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by Northrick

I don't have Prime and get most of the things I order off Amazon shipped free in about a 7-10 days to my house in Anchorage. It's rare that I have to have something in 2 days. I'm not interested in having to pay for impatience.

Before I had Prime it would sometimes take almost a month before I got my order. It wouldn't even ship for three weeks. This is for stuff that allegedly was in stock. My guess is that orders are filled on a tiered basis. Prime orders take priority over non-Prime. There are probably other tiers that determine whose order is more important.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Northrick

I don't have Prime and get most of the things I order off Amazon shipped free in about a 7-10 days to my house in Anchorage. It's rare that I have to have something in 2 days. I'm not interested in having to pay for impatience.

Same for us (wife and I) in Fairbanks. I just order enough for free shipments. It usually takes around 4-5 days for Amazon to process the order and send a notice of shipment. But once I receive the notice (email) indicating that the item (s) has been shipped, it will be at my door step within 4 days or less.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by CaliRestoration

Another negative about Alaska for the list:

Add another one to the list: GVEA in Fairbanks.

[keyman51]

I live very remote (bush) so my negatives are again the long dark and long winter. I also sometimes wish i lived closer to my family and even though I can afford to fly, I just am not able to get on a plane and be gone for a week whenever I want to. We have only 15 miles of road in our town, but a lot of times it is not plowed. The usual mode of transportation in the winter here is snowmachine but you don't want to be the first to cross the river or blaze a trail into the unknown. We don't have prime either because we are used to waiting. Cellphone service is sometimes really bad, I can't use the phone if I am over 4 miles from the tower. And the joke is that the whole town has a certain amount of minutes per day (so it may not be your time). I do like that I am only 1 mile from my work and if I have to I can walk there. Even if you live in Anchorage, variety can be limited.

[1984]

Originally Posted by WinterJo

Hi, I grew up in Alexandria VA and have since lived in MN, AK, and CO. If you live around Anchorage, you will have most of the major amenities that are you are used to having if that matters to you. And it might, even if you don't think so now. Winters are long and dark and that takes some time to adjust to but usually less damp. I feel like I used to feel colder at the end of the day in DC than I did in AK. That damp just settles in your bones. It is really far from anything and yep, there are not a lot of roads so if you like road trips, it can be frustrating. It is also much more expensive...well maybe not home prices for you, but everything else will be.

It is beautiful. It is vast. I miss the northern lights. Many days I am tempted to come back but you have to understand that to accept and love Alaska also means letting go of some of the conveniences that you find normal now.

Why did you leave Alaska?

[RayinAK]

There always are negatives about any place you can live at, including Alaska, but optimists seem to look at the positives and tolerate the negatives.

1. Negatives for some:

a. Long hours of darkness during the winter are a negative for those who suffer from SAD and similar disorders. On top of that, the lack of strong sunlight increases the likelihood of suffering from vitamin D deficiency.

b. For some people, a sense of isolation for a couple of years, specially newcomers. Moving to Alaska is similar to moving to an island that's far from the mainland, away from family and friends and nearby cities or States.

c. High cost of living, and mediocre plus expensive medical care. Dental care is also very expensive. For example the average upper jaw removal of all the teeth, and then having perhaps 5-6 implants, followed by a permanent set of teeth (like a permanent denture mounted on implanted metallic bases) costs around $20,000. The same for the bottom teeth.

2. Some of the positives are similar to other places:

a. Beautiful scenery.

b. Older Alaskans as well as a lot of their younger generations are quite warm and friendly, far from the snobbery attitudes of the people in some of the folks in the Northeast and Northwest coasts (Boston and NY, for example on the East).

c. Live and let live people. Sort of "mind your own business and I mind mine" kind of attitude. We like guns, too

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

c. Live and let live people. Sort of "mind your own business and I mind mine" kind of attitude. We like guns, too

Best part.

[WisconsinVegasHeights]

Originally Posted by travel360

Hello. I live in the DC area, and a part of me really wants to move to Alaska. I've been twice in my life so far. Both times were in early winter. Once was for a job interview, which I didn't end up getting unfortunately. I'm still searching for jobs in my field there. I can't get over the scenery! I also felt very free there. I've heard though that Alaska can be a depressing place to live.

I lived in Anchorage from 6-2010 until 04-2011. I found it to be an absolutely vile place. Most of the people are extremely rude and nasty. The sustained extreme cold and darkness does wear you down after time.

Las Vegas has better scenery and many days without a single cloud in the sky. High of 67 degrees today.

I had two family members die while I was there and I couldn't fly back down due to the prohibitive cost.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by WisconsinVegasHeights

I lived in Anchorage from 6-2010 until 04-2011. I found it to be an absolutely vile place. Most of the people are extremely rude and nasty. The sustained extreme cold and darkness does wear you down after time.

Las Vegas has better scenery and many days without a single cloud in the sky. High of 67 degrees today.

I had two family members die while I was there and I couldn't fly back down due to the prohibitive cost.

You lived in Anchorage, not Alaska. For 10 months.

[EllieKay56]

My daughter moved to Alasaka almost 2 years ago. They are in Eagle River. So far they love it. I do send a lot of gifts up there via Amazon. Some things won't ship because they are too big but overall we are happy that the grandkids still get their birthday and Christmas presents.