Anchorage Blues (Craig, Metlakatla: living in, cabin, airplanes)

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by Frostnip

I honestly don't understand why someone would move here from the lower 48 only to live/work in the Anchorage area, unless it was a work transfer or to be near family or whatever. If I wanted to live in a big city I'd pick a cooler one, so there could be an upside to make up for all the obnoxiousness.

For those who have never lived in Alaska before, Anchorage is the recommended place for them to move. There are several reasons for this, such as job availability, a lower cost of living (compared to the rest of Alaska), etc., but primarily it has to do with culture shock. Alaska can be a very "strange" place if you lived all your life in the lower-48. For example, I can honestly say that not once did a moose ever show up in my driveway when I lived in Los Angeles, and there were no salmon spawning in any river or creek that flowed anywhere near Los Angeles.

Anchorage gives newcomers a sense of stability, that things have not changed that radically from the city or town they left in the lower-48. It gives them a period of time where they can adjust to the different culture and see first hand how things operate in Alaska. Then they will be able to make a more informed decision on what works best for them.

Anchorage is by no means considered a "big city" by lower-48 standards, but it is the biggest one we have in Alaska.

[tigre79]

Isn't the point of moving here, for a lot of people at least, that Alaska is different? That they're going to experience new things? I'd be disappointed to move here and be in the same sort of city nonsense I just moved 4K miles to get away from. I lived in a city for the last five years and I don't even like visiting Anchorage (Fairbanks is better, but still a little too busy). I guess it might depend on whether they're moving for a job or because they just want to, though. If someone's ambivalent about AK (or their spouse is, say), then Anchorage might be a decent stepping stone, but based on the population numbers I'm guessing it's more of a permanent step for most of them.

[acg515]

Originally Posted by tigre79

Isn't the point of moving here, for a lot of people at least, that Alaska is different? That they're going to experience new things? I'd be disappointed to move here and be in the same sort of city nonsense I just moved 4K miles to get away from. I lived in a city for the last five years and I don't even like visiting Anchorage (Fairbanks is better, but still a little too busy). I guess it might depend on whether they're moving for a job or because they just want to, though. If someone's ambivalent about AK (or their spouse is, say), then Anchorage might be a decent stepping stone, but based on the population numbers I'm guessing it's more of a permanent step for most of them.

Yeah the point is to find new things. I sure wouldn't want to move from San Diego to Selawik and find out about cold weather and bears first off though. One of the nice parts of living in Anchorage is that you can get used to Alaska through it without going without a lot of the stuff you might be used to, and if you don't like it you can easily leave the state easily. Plus you can drive for 2 hours north or south and be able to go fishing and hunting if you want, or hiking or camping or whatever you prefer. I could see moving from the lower 48 and staying in Anchorage just because a lot of people don't have family or connections or even friends up here, and have no clue about how to live up here. It's like me when I moved down south, I had no clue where to go and if I got in trouble I had no one to help me. It would be even worse to do the opposite.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by acg515

Yeah the point is to find new things. I sure wouldn't want to move from San Diego to Selawik and find out about cold weather and bears first off though. One of the nice parts of living in Anchorage is that you can get used to Alaska through it without going without a lot of the stuff you might be used to, and if you don't like it you can easily leave the state easily. Plus you can drive for 2 hours north or south and be able to go fishing and hunting if you want, or hiking or camping or whatever you prefer. I could see moving from the lower 48 and staying in Anchorage just because a lot of people don't have family or connections or even friends up here, and have no clue about how to live up here. It's like me when I moved down south, I had no clue where to go and if I got in trouble I had no one to help me. It would be even worse to do the opposite.

So, someone from the Lower-48 can move to Anchorage, and almost be in Alaska. They can discuss Alaska with a lot of other folks that have almost been to Alaska...

[AK-Cathy]

Honestly when I first moved to Anchorage from Juneau I hated it too. After a few years it grew on me a little. I did make what I consider the "mistake" of doing the road warrior commute to live outside of Anchorage for a number of years, going both directions. First to Girdwood, then to northern Chugiak. The best thing that we ever did was to move to downtown Anchorage, embrace the city and to bloom where our jobs had us planted. There are plenty of things to do and plenty of really good people to do those things with in Anchorage and of course there are many things to do within a relatively short drive.

The easy out is to cast aspersions on an entire place without having really experienced it or having given it a chance, whether or not it's your first preference for lifestyle. There are jerks and idiots everywhere as there are good people too. Work toward moving on to where you want to be but while you are here, find some friends and enjoy what this town has to offer.

Good luck to you.

[roadfamily6now]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

So, someone from the Lower-48 can move to Anchorage, and almost be in Alaska. They can discuss Alaska with a lot of other folks that have almost been to Alaska...

I tried to Rep you but I was not allowed.

[tigre79]

Heaven forbid someone move somewhere different and find that it actually is different. Heck, they might go into shock when they find that there's not a Bed Bath and Beyond down the street.

[freezengirl]

Pretty good article in todays Anchorage Daily News about hiking trails around Anchorage area that are likely to be more user friendly in the not quite spring time arrival season.

[NikkiV]

Originally Posted by acg515

Yeah the point is to find new things. I sure wouldn't want to move from San Diego to Selawik and find out about cold weather and bears first off though. One of the nice parts of living in Anchorage is that you can get used to Alaska through it without going without a lot of the stuff you might be used to, and if you don't like it you can easily leave the state easily. Plus you can drive for 2 hours north or south and be able to go fishing and hunting if you want, or hiking or camping or whatever you prefer. I could see moving from the lower 48 and staying in Anchorage just because a lot of people don't have family or connections or even friends up here, and have no clue about how to live up here. It's like me when I moved down south, I had no clue where to go and if I got in trouble I had no one to help me. It would be even worse to do the opposite.

Don't sell yourself short. I moved from El Paso, TX to Denali in the dead of winter as a single mom. Didn't know a soul. Plus I grew up as a New Yorker. I have managed to do just fine.

You meet people. I have found people in smaller communities to be much more helpful then in any big city.

I think I would have been disappointed with Alaska if I had moved to Anchorage. Then it would have been a lot of the same stuff as I had in the lower 48, only a heck of a lot colder and more expensive.

Nikki

[Metlakatla]

I agree that for someone moving up who's never been here, one of the more populated areas is a better choice, especially if employment is a consideration. Anchorage is a good central location from which to explore other places and job options, and there's less likelihood of getting "stuck" there because of lack of jobs.

And some people....might say that they've always dreamed of living in a remote cabin, and then when you dig a little deeper, they really don't want to be more than ten miles out. Some people apply lower 48 standards to Alaska when they talk/think about how they want to live.

For some, the culture shock isn't so much the difference between where they currently live and how Alaska actually is, it's the difference between their fantasy and the reality.