Advice on moving to Anchorage area. (Wasilla, Palmer: sales, apartment, to rent)

[tulsanurse]

My husband and I have put alot of thought and research into it and have finally decided that we are going to move to the Anchorage area hopefully some time in the next year. My husband is in the IT (computers and networking) field for local government and I am a RN working at a Children's Hospital but also have experience with adults. We also have a one year old. I have researched all of these topics online but would like to have advice/suggestions from people who actually live/have lived there:
1. The most economical way to get both vehicles there as well as furniture and belongings from Oklahoma?
2. Best areas to look to rent an apartment/house to live in while looking to buy a house.
3. Childcare? Are there long wait lists for daycares there? Average cost for part time daycare?
4. Nursing jobs? Any suggestions on where would be a good place to start looking? I have read that Providence is the largest hospital there. I would like a permanent, full time position if possible
5. Would it be reasonable to live in Wasilla/Palmer area and commute to work in Anchorage with road conditions in winter months?

Any advice/suggestions would be much appreciated!

[Sava_baby]

We moved here from Oklahoma 4 months ago, but my husband is military, so the move was more or less paid for. We drove from Tulsa to Washington ( 3 days ), then took the ferry to Haines ( 2.5 days ) and then drove about 16 hours from Haines to Anchorage. The ticket for the ferry including a little room for us and the truck was $2,600 or sth in that range.... I would have to go through the paperwork to give you an exact price.
I've been working at Providence since October and really like it, from what I can tell it's not hard at all to find work as an RN ( I am not an RN though )... job postings kind of come in waves here. They are expanding the Maternity/Neonatal area at the moment, so I am sure there will be openings coming.
The biggest thing for us is still getting used to housing prices ( almost 4 times as much as we paid in Lawton ). Good Luck

[stuckupnorth]

Drove up from UT 8yrs ago. Middle of Feb--did not like it at all. Too treacherous. It took us 2 weeks. No snow tires, no proper snow gear and -40 temps in the Yukon. Just don't drive up in the winter. You'll have to get your car to Seattle somehow or CA. The shipping companies fluctuate just like fuel prices b/c that's what they are based on. Some ports are closed in the winter as early as Sept. You have to call. There are shipping companies up here you could call and start asking around. Maybe look into selling your cars and buying one up here?...then you can fly up.
Daycare is around $600-$800/mo. Are you looking for a center or a personal residence? I have a 2friends who do it at their home.
I've heard nothing but good things about Providence and how they treat their employees. The wages are higher here.
Driving in the winter requires studded or snow tires. I hate driving to the valley. The houses are cheaper and you get more for your $$ but to me not worth it. I'm from CA where lots of commuting goes on and I like being here in Anchorage not having to do that. The commute does not compare to CA but still gets really busy and jammed at times. That's just my opinion. There is sales tax in the valley...some people don't like that.

We paid more for our house in South Anchorage b/c the schools are better and so are the neighborhoods. You don't really have to worry about that yet as your little one is young still. Maybe while you're waiting to buy a house just get something small and central so it's close to work?...Midtown is pretty central. Providence is in midtown. GCI is a good company to work for. Employees get really nice perks--for your husband.
Good luck whatever you do! It is beautiful here.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by tulsanurse

would it be reasonable to live in wasilla/palmer area and commute to work in anchorage with road conditions in winter months?

no!

[tulsanurse]

I appreciate all of the advice! We are very interested in the Wasilla area because my husband wants land and the price range there is better for out budget than Anchorage. Am not sure if we would be able to find jobs in the Wasilla area or not though? We are used to commuting because we live in a small town here but only have icy roads 4 times a year or so. We plan on visiting this spring or summer first though to get to know the area better before we make any decisions.

As far as moving our stuff, we were going to ship our furniture and household goods in one of the pods that they will pick up from our house. We are hoping to save money by driving and towing my vehicle with my husbands truck. Did some research and it is alot cheaper but will take a little over a week. Plan on doing this in the summer time and doing sight seeing along the way. Not sure how well this will go over with a one year old though!

[FloridaKash]

Originally Posted by tulsanurse

I appreciate all of the advice! We are very interested in the Wasilla area because my husband wants land and the price range there is better for out budget than Anchorage. A

Not sure how old you are, but one thing I have learned in my years is location, location, location. There is a reason why some areas are more expensive than others.

Wasilla is a fine place if you want to have easy access to the Mat-Su region and don't need to commute to Anchorage. Almost everyone that I know who has lived in Palmer/Wasilla and commuted to Anchorage has either moved to Anchorage or found a job in Mat-Su after a few months.

It can be treacherous drive on the Glenn during winter. Dark in some spots (much better than it used to be) and slick.

Not too sure if cheap land is worth the gas, mileage, time and safety.

Have you received a quote from the PODS company? When I moved from Alaska they either didn;t have service or were super expensive.... can;t remember which. You may want to look into ABF Upack.

[warptman]

Sell your furniture and drive up! It's cheaper than the ferry.

Winter is one of the best times to drive the Alcan, no RV's.

[Nurse2B]

hi Tulsa--I PM'd you. I was in a similar situation about a month ago.

[roadfamily6now]

There is a "children's hospital" at providence that has recruited some of my favorite NP's. But the lady doc they have coming up from Seattle (Ped. Endocrinologist) is mean and a terrible doctor.

That's all I know about children's section of Prov.

Now, if you ask me about L&D at the local hospitals, I can offer up a lot more information!

[gobrien]

Alaska is finally getting a pediatric endocrinologist and she is bad? That's terrible, please PM me with details just in case someone tries to refer us? Thanks!