Thinking of moving to Alaska... (Anchorage, Fairbanks: to rent, houses, job market)

[modifiedancer]

Hi everyone, my boyfriend and I are thinking of moving to Alaska and need some help. I'm not too concerned about the cold, I've been in -40 and a few degrees more won't be too bad. I am worried about the lack of sun in the winter, though. We have about a year and a half before

Main questions:
My boyfriend is a CNC machinist, can he find a job (preferably in the bush, we're trying to get out of the city)?
What do people do to avoid cabin fever?
Who should I contact to get information about purchasing land?

Also any other tips and advice you may have, hopefully someday we can meet!

[Marty Van Diest]

Read and read and read these forums. For example, the post right next to yours about a bodyman has info on avoiding SAD...read page 3 by Grannysroost.

Don't buy any land until after you are here, so don't worry about finding someone to talk to about purchasing land. Rent until you can find a place to buy.

You say you want to move to the bush. In Alaska that generally means a place that has no road, which is most of the state. Do you really want to be that isolated?

[blueflames50]

Originally Posted by modifiedancer

Hi everyone, my boyfriend and I are thinking of moving to Alaska and need some help. I'm not too concerned about the cold, I've been in -40 and a few degrees more won't be too bad. I am worried about the lack of sun in the winter, though. We have about a year and a half before

Main questions:
My boyfriend is a CNC machinist, can he find a job (preferably in the bush, we're trying to get out of the city)?
What do people do to avoid cabin fever?
Who should I contact to get information about purchasing land?

Also any other tips and advice you may have, hopefully someday we can meet!

you really need to understand what "living in the bush" means!! Aahhh ya don't plug a CNC into a tree to make it run!!! Takes electricity....it would take a lot of fuel to run a generator to run a CNC in the bush! If you might mean "bush" as out of town with no neighbors but on a road with electricity, well water etc then you might find what you looking for.

[modifiedancer]

Originally Posted by blueflames50

If you might mean "bush" as out of town with no neighbors but on a road with electricity, well water etc then you might find what you looking for.

That's more what I meant. I'm sorry I don't know what I'm talking about. My apologies. I know a lot about canning and greenhouses, and we're hoping (regardless of where we live) to make as much of what we'll need by canning, sewing, growing, building, etc. But we do want to have electricity and plumbing. So I suppose a town of some sort will be our choice.

And he's not sure if he wants to find a CNC job there, as he wants to help me with a small farm. Near water maybe?

I know these days Alaska isn't the rough and rugged place it used to be, and people are happy with all of societies modern advances; but we are looking for somewhere we can get away from city life and into some beautiful land that hasn't been ruined by people.

We're looking into places to rent before moving, and then will look for land to buy once we're up there.

[Marty Van Diest]

Originally Posted by modifiedancer

we are looking for somewhere we can get away from city life and into some beautiful land that hasn't been ruined by people.

We're looking into places to rent before moving, and then will look for land to buy once we're up there.

Good plan. You need to live here a little to understand where you really want to move.

Remember water is only liquid for about 6 months of the year, after that its a solid.

[JavaPhil]

You are obviously looking for a place on or VERY near the grid and road system. (The SE panhandle area qualifies in this respect and isn't that cold.) CNC jobs might be found in Anchorage or Fairbanks, and not many other places. Farmland is available in some places, but depends on what you want to grow. Mat-Su Valley and Kenai have similar characteristics as opposed to, say, Delta or Tok. SE Alaska is MUCH more different than the places named above.

Fairbanks comes closer to Delta in land description and climate. Longer winter nights and colder than the hounds of hell in winter. Longer days in summer and heat into the 80's (rarely 90's).

There are many different choices to make in moving up here. Climate is one. Population is another. And career opportunities still another. Just my opinion of course.

[modifiedancer]

I think population is our biggest concern (we currently live in a city of 230,000 and want to live in a town of 1,000 or smaller), closely followed by climate (the cold and long winters will be a challenge, but we want somewhere with a productive growing season). We aren't planning on a commercial scale farm, just a small acreage to grow our family's food and some to trade with neighbors.

Thanks JavaPhil for not being hostile. I feel like a lot of people are skeptical about lower 48ers coming up to your state. But I'd think you'd all be flattered that we want to experience the beauty of the wild year-round.

I don't have a college degree but I have lots of skills and I'm very smart. Is the job market there tolerant of those without higher education? Here it's pretty tough to get a break (besides fast food), and I'll need a job while we're renting and saving up. Anything other than seasonal that I should look into?

[blueflames50]

Originally Posted by modifiedancer

That's more what I meant. I'm sorry I don't know what I'm talking about. My apologies. I know a lot about canning and greenhouses, and we're hoping (regardless of where we live) to make as much of what we'll need by canning, sewing, growing, building, etc. But we do want to have electricity and plumbing. So I suppose a town of some sort will be our choice.

And he's not sure if he wants to find a CNC job there, as he wants to help me with a small farm. Near water maybe?

I know these days Alaska isn't the rough and rugged place it used to be, and people are happy with all of societies modern advances; but we are looking for somewhere we can get away from city life and into some beautiful land that hasn't been ruined by people.

We're looking into places to rent before moving, and then will look for land to buy once we're up there.

great you were searching for info and you found it!! check out the Kenai area. seems like you are looking for what we were and the Kenai is fitting that bill just nicely right now. Also check out the lower Alaska islands!!!
you gotta ask an get some...ahhh sarcasm, some pokes and what may seem as nasty responses but...make the plunge after you really search around. Best of luck and don't give up on the dream of Alaska!!

[Marty Van Diest]

Sorry if I sounded hostile...I'm not. I make my living helping newcomers find property.

But also, I find that people really need to live here for awhile before they make the plunge to buy something. They will make a much more informed decision if they can live in Alaska for a year first.

[Nephler]

That's just what we are doing Marty. We've been here just about a year now, but still searching for where we really want to be. We like just about everywhere, just not cities, so that makes it harder.