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I am inlove with Alaska. I am getting my nursing degree, and I want to get a job as soon as I graduate and move to Anchorage for the rest of my life.
I am from Alabama by the coast and the I am not use to extreme cold.
I also heard it is very expensive to live there. I need some help with how much it costs a month to rent a two bedroom apartment and feed a family of three. I am looking forward to the beautiful wonderland that is Alaska. Also what would be the best way to move there, get a few plane tickets, or drive. I won't have any furniture to move so it is all clothes and baby toys.
On both your soon to be new degree, and your decision to take the leap and live in Alaska.
I can tell you as a recent transplant, you're going to really enjoy living here. I haven't been down to the region of the country you're from for quite a while (I did spend a couple years stationed in Ft. Rucker, but that was nearly 20 years ago), but for my wife and I, it has been an incredibly positive move. I won't get into the details because I've already expounded on them in other threads, but I will say that the scenery is beautiful, the people we've met have been incredibly friendly, and there is a lot more to do in the city than we expected.
Getting up here your cheapest route by far would be to fly. What we decided to do was to sell pretty much everything we owned short of clothing (and you probably don't need to take much of that either), and flew up on with just a few bags. The advantage of this method is that you will get up here faster, you will save money, and the trip will probably have a lot fewer headaches to deal with. The disadvantages of doing this is that you will end up in Anchorage with just a couple bags of clothes and nothing else. You also will miss the opportunities to do one of the most awesome drives in the entire country, the Alcan highway. Driving up will also allow you to keep whatever vehicle you currently own. This in itself can be both a positive and a negative. It gives you more flexibility when you are initially up here, but unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, you probably don't want to bring it up to Alaska. If I had to give you any advice, I would say sell your car down in the lower 48, and use the proceeds to buy yourself a cheap used car here in Anchorage.
Because you're coming from one of the more affordable regions of the country, you're probably going to have a bit of sticker shock when you first get up here. Things will cost significantly more than you are used to. One way to see just how much more expensive things will be is to use an online cost of living calculator. My best advice would be to do an average of several of them, that should give you a realistic view of how much more you will be paying. Rents are going to be a lot more than you're probably used to paying, and if I can make a suggestion I would say that you need to make sure that you get as many utilities included in your rent payment (with heating being a must to have included. It costs a lot to keep a place heated up here, and from what I've read, most people underestimate their heating costs by quite a bit the first few winters). You're probably going to be looking at $1500 per month or more for a 2-3 bedroom rental in Anchorage, and those are going to be small apartments or rentals. One website that I found incredibly useful was Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments this website will allow you to see rentals from several different sources all on one map. If you can, try to stay away from any neighborhoods with -view in the name.
Food costs are going to be anywhere from 30-50% higher than what you're used to, and you're not going to have the variety of cheap fruits and vegetables that you're used to. It is going to take some creativity on your part to keep the food bills down as low as possible, but it can be done. My best advice in this area would be to keep an open mind, and plan menus around what is on sale that week. Sales are your friend in Alaska even more than anywhere else because the food costs are so high.
Winter is going to be another big adjustment. Right now we've just got out of a bit of a winter storm that dropped several inches of snow, and it is 16 degrees with a low expected of around 8-9 degrees. You're going to want to dress in layers when you get up here, probably lots of layers at first while you acclimate to the cold climate. This is also where my comment about not needing a lot of the clothing you currently have is going to come into play as well. When you get up here, you're probably going to need to do a major revamp of your wardrobe and invest heavily in winter clothes designed to keep you warm. You can either shop around stores where you're at now, or wait to get those winter items when you get up there. It would probably make more sense to buy winter clothing before you leave, because it is going to be cheaper down in the lower 48. Also, try not to buy new. Check out second hand stores, yard sales, things like that. Fashion up here seems to take a back seat to keeping the core body temperature up, and buying a winter coat second hand can offer a significant savings.
Another issue you're going to find is that you aren't going to have as many shopping options up here. If it isn't in the stores, you're probably not going to be able to buy it, with a few exceptions. Most places either will have high shipping charges, or don't ship to Alaska at all. There are a couple ways to get around this though. You can either look for websites that have free shipping options (my most used sorting option on Amazon since moving up here has become the super saver shipping. If it doesn't qualify for free shipping, I'm not interested). Another way to get around the shipping issue is with smaller items, have the item shipped to someone in the lower 48 that you trust (family or close friend), then have them ship the item to you in a postal service flat rate box.
Now, on to the good news. There are a LOT of job openings for nurses in Anchorage. The two major hospitals here are Providence (Providence Health & Services) and Alaska Regional(Alaska Regional Hospital - Home Page). You can go to either hospital's website and see pages and pages of job openings for nurses. I think you might have chosen the most in demand degree here in Anchorage, if not the entire US. You're going to make more than you would in southern Alabama, so the higher prices will be mitigated somewhat by that. You're also going to have lots to do when you get up here. There are trails and creeks that wind through the city, providing plenty of green spaces for people to interact with nature. There are groups for just about any interest that you can think of to get involved with.
I know this has been a long post, but hopefully it helps you out and has given you some idea of what to expect when you do get up here. Again, congratulations and good luck in the future!
Great tips in that post. Alaska may be a good place to practice. When you do visit talk with the hiring managers. they may/may not be hiring new grads. There are three tertiary care hospitals. Alaska Regional, Providence and Alaska Native Med Center.
I strongly encourage you to set up these chats/interviews prior to arriving here. Many nurses have boatloads of experience in Alaska, so come prepared to start fresh if you are successful.
Love Alaska enough to be prepared in your career. Know where your interests and strengths are. Alaskan Nurses are a hardy bunch and we expect quite a bit. Good luck.
In addition to what Dan and other have written... I made a choice to do the drive and move my stuff up... we got here JUST in the nick of time, weather wise with the roads. For me, it was cheaper to buy a moving truck (an 18ft cube truck - Ford F600) it was $2800 vs. $2600 to rent a UHaul. The truck did fine. My Friend drove my Xterra up - it is a 4wheel drive... you definitely need something tough up here... even on the Army post, the roads were pretty bad.
I now have cracks in both previously pristine windshields. Plan on it... I haven't heard too many people who made the drive and didn't get a crack.
Prices.... yikes. Walmart seems to be the cheapest, but you will not find the selection you are used to in the lower 48.
On the bright side... I found my favorite Greek yogurt, Fage... and gluten free products - Sagaya market is awesome.
Navigating around the city is easy!
I have seen some deals on apartments... you have to be willing to get a lot less for a lot more money. After seeing the drive - I do not think I would commute from Palmer or Wasilla. Especially with the weather.... you can find some decent housing - if you want to buy a place, you can get a condo less than rent.
All-in-all.... yeah... definitely more expensive.... but, a totally unique place... and very beautiful. My only complaint? I have been here over a week and still have not seen a moose!
In addition to what Dan and other have written... I made a choice to do the drive and move my stuff up... we got here JUST in the nick of time, weather wise with the roads. For me, it was cheaper to buy a moving truck (an 18ft cube truck - Ford F600) it was $2800 vs. $2600 to rent a UHaul. The truck did fine. My Friend drove my Xterra up - it is a 4wheel drive... you definitely need something tough up here... even on the Army post, the roads were pretty bad.
I now have cracks in both previously pristine windshields. Plan on it... I haven't heard too many people who made the drive and didn't get a crack.
Prices.... yikes. Walmart seems to be the cheapest, but you will not find the selection you are used to in the lower 48.
On the bright side... I found my favorite Greek yogurt, Fage... and gluten free products - Sagaya market is awesome.
Navigating around the city is easy!
I have seen some deals on apartments... you have to be willing to get a lot less for a lot more money. After seeing the drive - I do not think I would commute from Palmer or Wasilla. Especially with the weather.... you can find some decent housing - if you want to buy a place, you can get a condo less than rent.
All-in-all.... yeah... definitely more expensive.... but, a totally unique place... and very beautiful. My only complaint? I have been here over a week and still have not seen a moose!
If you want to see moose, I can suggest four different spots to try. No guarantees, but you should have a good chance of a moose sighting.
-Campbell creek greenbelt. There are walking paths that go both east and west from Lake Otis Parkway. If you go west, you'll hit Campbell park, a large forested area with moose.
-Chester Creek. Much like Campbell creek but a bit more north. I haven't been there personally, but there should be moose around.
-Kincaid Park. This park is in the southwest part of Anchorage. Take Raspberry road west off Minnesota Drive and it will take you right there. This is a HUGE park with access to the coastal trail. There are lots of open spaces, and should give you a good chance to see some moose.
-Hiking trails in Chugach State Park. You can get here by going east on O'Malley road to Hillside drive. Take Hillside drive south until you get to Upper Huffman road. Take Upper Huffman east to Toilsome drive. Go south on Toilsome, it will wind north then east, and turn into Glen Alps road. On Glen Alps you'll come to a parking lot and the trails start from there. There is a large network of trails in Chugach, and I've heard that moose like to gather in this region for mating.
Other than those four places, I would say that your best bet to see moose would be to take a walk and keep your eyes open for them. They should become more active now that the leaves have fallen and snow is on the ground. They'll have to travel further to forage, so you should have a better chance of seeing them. Good luck!
On both your soon to be new degree, and your decision to take the leap and live in Alaska.
I can tell you as a recent transplant, you're going to really enjoy living here. I haven't been down to the region of the country you're from for quite a while (I did spend a couple years stationed in Ft. Rucker, but that was nearly 20 years ago), but for my wife and I, it has been an incredibly positive move. I won't get into the details because I've already expounded on them in other threads, but I will say that the scenery is beautiful, the people we've met have been incredibly friendly, and there is a lot more to do in the city than we expected.
Getting up here your cheapest route by far would be to fly. What we decided to do was to sell pretty much everything we owned short of clothing (and you probably don't need to take much of that either), and flew up on with just a few bags. The advantage of this method is that you will get up here faster, you will save money, and the trip will probably have a lot fewer headaches to deal with. The disadvantages of doing this is that you will end up in Anchorage with just a couple bags of clothes and nothing else. You also will miss the opportunities to do one of the most awesome drives in the entire country, the Alcan highway. Driving up will also allow you to keep whatever vehicle you currently own. This in itself can be both a positive and a negative. It gives you more flexibility when you are initially up here, but unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle, you probably don't want to bring it up to Alaska. If I had to give you any advice, I would say sell your car down in the lower 48, and use the proceeds to buy yourself a cheap used car here in Anchorage.
Because you're coming from one of the more affordable regions of the country, you're probably going to have a bit of sticker shock when you first get up here. Things will cost significantly more than you are used to. One way to see just how much more expensive things will be is to use an online cost of living calculator. My best advice would be to do an average of several of them, that should give you a realistic view of how much more you will be paying. Rents are going to be a lot more than you're probably used to paying, and if I can make a suggestion I would say that you need to make sure that you get as many utilities included in your rent payment (with heating being a must to have included. It costs a lot to keep a place heated up here, and from what I've read, most people underestimate their heating costs by quite a bit the first few winters). You're probably going to be looking at $1500 per month or more for a 2-3 bedroom rental in Anchorage, and those are going to be small apartments or rentals. One website that I found incredibly useful was Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments this website will allow you to see rentals from several different sources all on one map. If you can, try to stay away from any neighborhoods with -view in the name.
Food costs are going to be anywhere from 30-50% higher than what you're used to, and you're not going to have the variety of cheap fruits and vegetables that you're used to. It is going to take some creativity on your part to keep the food bills down as low as possible, but it can be done. My best advice in this area would be to keep an open mind, and plan menus around what is on sale that week. Sales are your friend in Alaska even more than anywhere else because the food costs are so high.
Winter is going to be another big adjustment. Right now we've just got out of a bit of a winter storm that dropped several inches of snow, and it is 16 degrees with a low expected of around 8-9 degrees. You're going to want to dress in layers when you get up here, probably lots of layers at first while you acclimate to the cold climate. This is also where my comment about not needing a lot of the clothing you currently have is going to come into play as well. When you get up here, you're probably going to need to do a major revamp of your wardrobe and invest heavily in winter clothes designed to keep you warm. You can either shop around stores where you're at now, or wait to get those winter items when you get up there. It would probably make more sense to buy winter clothing before you leave, because it is going to be cheaper down in the lower 48. Also, try not to buy new. Check out second hand stores, yard sales, things like that. Fashion up here seems to take a back seat to keeping the core body temperature up, and buying a winter coat second hand can offer a significant savings.
Another issue you're going to find is that you aren't going to have as many shopping options up here. If it isn't in the stores, you're probably not going to be able to buy it, with a few exceptions. Most places either will have high shipping charges, or don't ship to Alaska at all. There are a couple ways to get around this though. You can either look for websites that have free shipping options (my most used sorting option on Amazon since moving up here has become the super saver shipping. If it doesn't qualify for free shipping, I'm not interested). Another way to get around the shipping issue is with smaller items, have the item shipped to someone in the lower 48 that you trust (family or close friend), then have them ship the item to you in a postal service flat rate box.
Now, on to the good news. There are a LOT of job openings for nurses in Anchorage. The two major hospitals here are Providence (Providence Health & Services) and Alaska Regional(Alaska Regional Hospital - Home Page). You can go to either hospital's website and see pages and pages of job openings for nurses. I think you might have chosen the most in demand degree here in Anchorage, if not the entire US. You're going to make more than you would in southern Alabama, so the higher prices will be mitigated somewhat by that. You're also going to have lots to do when you get up here. There are trails and creeks that wind through the city, providing plenty of green spaces for people to interact with nature. There are groups for just about any interest that you can think of to get involved with.
I know this has been a long post, but hopefully it helps you out and has given you some idea of what to expect when you do get up here. Again, congratulations and good luck in the future!
THANK YOU FOR THE ADVISE. I decided I will visit sometime next spring and I know I will love it. I know it will be a huge culture shock as well but I am ready to be away from a whole bunch of craziness and a butt load of crime.
All-in-all.... yeah... definitely more expensive.... but, a totally unique place... and very beautiful. My only complaint? I have been here over a week and still have not seen a moose!
Post a picture when you can I would love to see a moose.
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. I need some help with how much it costs a month to rent a two bedroom apartment and feed a family of three. I am looking forward to the beautiful wonderland that is Alaska. Also what would be the best way to move there, get a few plane tickets, or drive. I won't have any furniture to move so it is all clothes and baby toys.
Congratulations!
Awesome
Moose are wonderful
