Why are you moving to Alaska? (Anchorage, Barrow: house, schools, living in)

[alaskabushrat]

I am starting this thread because, I keep reading posts written by people who say they are moving to Alaska and then ask where the best place to move where there are schools, shopping centers and most things they have in the lower 48. So, why move here? Just curious.

[bortstc37]

i moved here to get away from malls, crowds, traffic, and all that other stuff...
to me, it seems like alaska might be one of the last places where i can live the kind of life i want to live.

[alaskabushrat]

Originally Posted by bortstc37

i moved here to get away from malls, crowds, traffic, and all that other stuff...
to me, it seems like alaska might be one of the last places where i can live the kind of life i want to live.

I believe living in Northwestern Alaska, you found that place.

[ShipOfFools42]

Well, I'm going to take this as a serious question and not a "please don't move here" thing.

I have not made up my mind to move to Alaska personally. I have yet to visit, and in my way of thinking, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to move somewhere as extreme as Alaska without visiting first. However, there are a number of things which attract me to the state.

First, everything that bortstc37 said, I agree with. I don't like the crowded feeling down here, feeling like "just another face in the crowd", and I live in a very small city comparatively. So, for me to live somewhere like Boston or NYC is the opposite of what I want. Alaska is a place that is so often described as a place where you can come and live the way you want to live without disturbing anyone else because, well, you're out in the "middle of nowhere". I like the fact that you can be within fairly quick driving distance to stores and amenities but still live in a place that feels isolated and private. These are some of the reasons I am drawn to Alaska.

Also, believe it or not, the climate strongly appeals to me. I grew up in the Deep South, Alabama to be specific, and I despise the humid heat and bright, harsh sunlight and six-month-long summers. I'll take 6 months of winter over 6 months of summer ANY DAY. I love snow, snowmobiles, cold weather, loud howling wind, and basically places where the common forecast is not endless consecutive days of 95, sunny, no chance of precipitation. My climate preferences make all my friends down here in the lower 48, especially in the South, think that I am crazy, but who cares? I think they're crazy, and Alaska sounds wonderful for a lover of winter. Keep in mind that I have lived in central MA as well as a month and a half in northeastern VT, and I have hiked Mt. Washington in February twice. Mount Washington (NH) has some of the most hostile, harsh weather conditions in the entire Northern Hemisphere. I have camped out in -25˚F for three nights on end on two separate occasions. And that is humid, East Coast cold. I am no stranger to these conditions.

That being said, I know that I am not prepared for Alaska. I WANT Alaska to challenge me, to push me to my limits, because I believe that part of living a fulfilling life is doing things on a daily basis that push you outside your comfort zone. I believe that is necessary for personal growth. Thanks to some of the members of this forum, I do NOT have a fairy-tale view of Alaska. I know of its hardships. And also, I know that I really do not know much at all, since I have never actually dealt with it for an extended period of time myself. That is another reason that I feel I must experience the wonderful state in which you live, because I can't stand the thought of dying without having done it.

So there are many, many reasons that I am interested in Alaska. But, as of right now, I cannot say for sure that I am "moving to Alaska". I am "strongly interested in moving to Alaska". Big difference. Next summer, I will be coming up to take a seasonal job (haven't decided on location yet), and I hope to drive to the different towns on the road system and see for myself what I think of them. If that goes well, I will schedule a visit in the winter time, again to see what I think.

So I hope this answers your question. I just want people to know that just because I'm not an old sourdough, I am not a blooming idiot either; I have reasons for wanting to be in Alaska, and I will see for myself whether those reasons hold up in real life once I have experienced it.

[bigjojo]

I plan to move to Alaska because I've spent my whole life believing that I had to be satisfied with status quo because people down here brainwash you into thinking that there is no better place than Grants Pass. Then I went to Alaska and realized for the first time in my life that this is simply untrue. Beautiful, gigantic mountains, people who are "green" just by the way they live, not because of a conscious effort. People in Alaska are proud of their state and they have reason to be. I have not seen any state in the lower 48 stay true to its people and culture. They've all sold out to politics, and I pray that Alaska will refrain from doing the same. I feel close to God in Alaska, and I want to spend my spare time climbing the incredible mountains, so I can stand on top of the world (long term goal is McKinley). Alaska is the most untainted, pure place I've ever seen, and having experienced it even for a brief time, I find myself now miserable in Oregon. I can't offer the perspective you're looking for (that of a person who wants top bring lower 48 culture with them), but this is why I'm moving to Alaska. It also helps that my wife's family lives there haha.

[roadfamily6now]

I moved to Alaska 15 years ago because we fell in love with it. The untamedness, the hugeness, the feeling of freedom you have here. We spent 2 years in the Aleutians and came to Anchorage a few times for R&R.
We found all that and more for a long long time. Work brought us to Anchorage and it's not the same here at all. I miss the real Alaska.
I also wonder why people want to move to Anchorage when it's not really the Alaska of most people's dreams. Sure, it's close and maybe that's all some people want.

[Frostnip]

I'm lucky enough to have a job I can do just about anywhere, so I made a habit of moving to an interesting place, spending a while there, then moving on to another interesting place. Alaska struck my fancy so I bought a truck and headed up, and within a few months I realized I wasn't going to be moving on anytime soon, if ever. It's beautiful here, but a lot of places are beautiful, ditto the peacefulness...to be honest, I'm not sure what it is about this place that grabbed me, but for the first time since I was small I felt at home. Haven't left since except occasional holiday visits to family.

[tasha998]

I'm moving up because Oregon has gotten too crowded (it's the big push--we're overrun by Californians, so Oregonians are moving to Montana or Alaska). I've wanted to try living in Alaska for a long time because my dream is to own a small house with a beautiful mountain view. I do want some amenities, so I'm moving to the matsu valley. Seemed like a happy medium to me--lots of space and views, but not too far from a city, either.

[gingerpeaches]

I want to move there because I love being in the country there, feel closer to God , enjoy its beauty and I am a country girl who loves nature, fishing, canning, gardening, a close community where people are very friendly and where I can also contribute when I live there. I visited my friends iin Palmer last year and feel in love with it and also Talkeetna. I know I belong there in my heart. Hope to have everything taken care of this summer to drive/move up once my teenagers are out of school.

[smokeyta]

I would move up to Alaska just to be back in the one place I felt the most comfortable at. I could live in Anchorage or Barrow and still feel happy. The long cold winters or long summer days are perfect for me. It could rain, snow, sleet, Or just blow like mad I would still be happy. For me it was where I grew up and even if I wasn't born in Alaska it is where I feel at home. If I ever find a good job up there I would be back in a minute.