Anyone move to Anchorage area from DC Metro Area? (Hope: camping, living in)

[fiddlestick]

Has anyone here moved to the Anchorage area from the DC metro area. How does it compare? Is Anchorage more like a town than it is a city? Would you says its similar in size and population to Arlington, Virginia? Are people a lot nicer? Do people care about other people here? How are the drivers compared to the Northern Va area? If you need something basically anything, is it easy to just go out and get it like you can in Nova? Are most people here in Anchorage because they chose to be? Unlike the people in DC.

[gobrien]

Lots of questions.....I know people who moved to Anchorage that used to live in DC. I would say Anchorage is a city but smaller than DC, you could probably find most of what you need unless you are shopping for high-end designer stuff. The drivers are horrible. Some people are nice and some aren't-Anchorage has people from all over the world. I would say most people in Anchorage are there by choice or necessity for jobs. It is is a big difference from your area... on a side note, as many times as I have flown into National as a child-not ONCE were my parents willing to take a tour of DC with me-they said the traffic was horrible. As a kid who got taken to all sorts of historical places I always felt slighted that I didn't get to see Washington even though I was right there every two years (we had family in Winchester).

[fiddlestick]

Originally Posted by gobrien

Lots of questions.....I know people who moved to Anchorage that used to live in DC. I would say Anchorage is a city but smaller than DC, you could probably find most of what you need unless you are shopping for high-end designer stuff. The drivers are horrible. Some people are nice and some aren't-Anchorage has people from all over the world. I would say most people in Anchorage are there by choice or necessity for jobs. It is is a big difference from your area... on a side note, as many times as I have flown into National as a child-not ONCE were my parents willing to take a tour of DC with me-they said the traffic was horrible. As a kid who got taken to all sorts of historical places I always felt slighted that I didn't get to see Washington even though I was right there every two years (we had family in Winchester).

thanks for the info. When you say the drivers are horrible, do you mean bad drivers or aggressive drivers or both?

[gobrien]

Both...but based on how negatively my parents felt about driving in DC, perhaps in comparision it is nothing...

[TL551]

I would say that as far as the driving goes, I have seen both kinds of driving as well. What you may like to know though is that driving here is nothing like some of the traffic jams you might see in your area. I moved here from Colorado about 8 months ago now. I spent some time living in Denver where traffic jams was the norm. I haven't seen that situation here.

[dmills]

I lived in the DC area for a couple of years. I would say there is basically no comparison. Anchorage will feel much more like a town/community to you after having lived in a large metropolis. The thing you will have to get used to is the "isolation." Outside of Anchorage, there are no densely populated areas. Unlike the DC area, where you move from one suburb to the next.

I find people to be more friendly. As was said earlier, you have all types of people here (good and bad), but overall it is a safe place. People aren't in too much of a hurry to speak. The pace is definitely slower.

People generally either love it or hate it here. The thing that people dislike the most is the long hours of darkness in the winter, the isolation, and the feeling that there is "nothing to do." We don't generally have the big name attractions that you have in the DC area. Get used to it. COnversely, people love it because it is safer, the outdoor activities are limitless, and it is beautiful (in a different kind of way than the DC area).

Traffic is a joke compared to DC. Our rush hour is literally an hour (maybe an hour and a half), and no where near as intense unless there is an accident. You can literally make it from any part of town to another in less than an hour - even at the height of rush hour (once again, unless there is an accident or really bad weather).

It used to be that we had less shopping opportunities here, but I would say that now with all the big box stores and malls that we have pretty much anything you can get anywhere else. What you can't get can be easily gotten over the internet.

Hope this helps.

[fiddlestick]

Originally Posted by dmills

I lived in the DC area for a couple of years. I would say there is basically no comparison. Anchorage will feel much more like a town/community to you after having lived in a large metropolis. The thing you will have to get used to is the "isolation." Outside of Anchorage, there are no densely populated areas. Unlike the DC area, where you move from one suburb to the next.

I find people to be more friendly. As was said earlier, you have all types of people here (good and bad), but overall it is a safe place. People aren't in too much of a hurry to speak. The pace is definitely slower.

People generally either love it or hate it here. The thing that people dislike the most is the long hours of darkness in the winter, the isolation, and the feeling that there is "nothing to do." We don't generally have the big name attractions that you have in the DC area. Get used to it. COnversely, people love it because it is safer, the outdoor activities are limitless, and it is beautiful (in a different kind of way than the DC area).

Traffic is a joke compared to DC. Our rush hour is literally an hour (maybe an hour and a half), and no where near as intense unless there is an accident. You can literally make it from any part of town to another in less than an hour - even at the height of rush hour (once again, unless there is an accident or really bad weather).

It used to be that we had less shopping opportunities here, but I would say that now with all the big box stores and malls that we have pretty much anything you can get anywhere else. What you can't get can be easily gotten over the internet.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the Info.

[JewelAK]

My husband grew up in DC. He loves Anchorage. We go to visit his family in DC very often, i can tell, it is a different style of life. If DC has more "cultural" entertainment, Anchorage has "outdoor" entertainment. There are also shows, concerts, museums, etc here, so, if you are into it, you'll find something interesting. But going hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, skating, skiing, climbing, you name it is a bifg deal here. Sometimes i feel bad that for 5 years living here i've never climbed Denali
The weather is never hot. Even in summer. Winter darkenss is not bad at all, December-beginning of January is dark, then it lightens up. I love summers here, warm, not hot, a lot of sun, and beautiful time for camping, hiking, etc. With all my admiration of Alaskan beauty I am looking forward to move out and checking DC area . The job is holding us here so far.

[fiddlestick]

Originally Posted by JewelAK

My husband grew up in DC. He loves Anchorage. We go to visit his family in DC very often, i can tell, it is a different style of life. If DC has more "cultural" entertainment, Anchorage has "outdoor" entertainment. There are also shows, concerts, museums, etc here, so, if you are into it, you'll find something interesting. But going hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, skating, skiing, climbing, you name it is a bifg deal here. Sometimes i feel bad that for 5 years living here i've never climbed Denali
The weather is never hot. Even in summer. Winter darkenss is not bad at all, December-beginning of January is dark, then it lightens up. I love summers here, warm, not hot, a lot of sun, and beautiful time for camping, hiking, etc. With all my admiration of Alaskan beauty I am looking forward to move out and checking DC area . The job is holding us here so far.

That sounds like the perfect place for me. But you said you might move to the DC area. I really hated it there and I wouldn't recommend anyone live there. I would stay away if you can. Seriously.

[JewelAK]

Originally Posted by fiddlestick

That sounds like the perfect place for me. But you said you might move to the DC area. I really hated it there and I wouldn't recommend anyone live there. I would stay away if you can. Seriously.

too far from civilization Traveling from AK always takes sooo long. Also, you cannot do road trips here. Well, you can, but there are only 2,5 roads available for it.