Is Anchorage weather milder than the stereotype?

[AK-Cathy]

It's the length of winters as several people have pointed rather than severity in the south east, south central, gulf coast, Kodiak and the Aleutian Island portions of Alaska.

Just south of downtown I have a zone 4-5 microclimate (Anchorage is considered a solid zone 3) same as my mother's in NW Kansas yet gardening is vastly different here due to seasonal lengths, daylight hours, cool summers, more rain. Certainly those in the northern tier states especially those used to lake-effect snow will find Anchorage's winters generally milder.

All bets are off in and north of the Alaska Range where it gets bitter cold for much of the winter.

[Rialta]

I agree with AK Cathy, the winters are bearable, I think, but the cold and snow lasting until at LEAST April is a bit much. Although it rains much more than Anchorage, I'll take the climate of Minneapolis over Anchorage. Minneapolis can be in the 60's or 70's in the springtime, (although that would still be above normal for them) but it warms up much more rapidly.

[roadfamily6now]

I also agree with Cathy. The length has really started drag us down. 7 months. And there is little you can do about it unless you fly out of state and purposely go somewhere warm.