Moving to Anchorage from Miami (how much, job market, living)

[alicia1.clarke]

Hey, I'm moving from Miami to Anchorage. Most people ask me why, but in reality I cannot stand Miami and the state of mind that most people are in. If Anchorage is similar to Miami please let me know. But I am 20 years old, and I will be living on my own. I want to know how much money I should have saved up, best time to move, nice places to stay, and cool things to do. I am interested in a lot of things and I want to know are the people friendly. In Miami people act like they are too good to talk to you or acknowledge your presence, is it the same here? And can you truly make friends? How is the winter? And is it better to have cars? I just want to know what to expect! And also my job field is massage therapy if you could tell me how the job market is that would be great!

[tigre79]

Anchorage is nothing like Miami. Search the forum and read some threads. Most of your questions have been answered many times. Don't listen to people down there about moving up here. I moved up from Tampa and most people down there told me I was nuts. I hope you like colder weather, though. The summers up here are cooler than the "winters" down there.

[gobrien]

Definitely better to have a car but there is a fairly decent city bus. Some routes only run one or two buses per hour though, and a greatly reduced schedule on weekends.

[Dakster]

If you do not have a car, truck, suv, motorcycle and you are in Miami. I don't know how you survive...

or were you asking what type of vehicle you should have in Anchorage?

Personally, I will visit before I make a decision on whether AK is right for me. I am going to try and make a trip in the summer and the winter and see as many part of the state as I can... Most people here will back me up on that suggestion that you take at least one trip if you have never been there before. I know it is expensive as you almost couldn't live any further away from Anchorage and still be in the Contiguous U.S., but it will be much more expensive to move there and have to move back.

My only suggestion from my own research is that you prepare yourself to deal with: Frigid Cold (compared to Miami), Snow, Winter Driving (take a AK driving course in the winter), potentially rough/dirt roads (compared to Miami, where everything is paved and potholes rarely exist), extremely long/short days (the amount of daylight here doesn't vary nearly as much). Also, Miami does have about every kind of restaurant and store close by. You can get just about anything within a short distance here. You may have to get things shipped/barged in So you may need to stock up on certain items, if you can't find them locally. These are NOT necessarily negatives or deal breakers for ME, but things that I know I will have to adjust to, if I were to move there.

AND, I have met several people that have moved to AK from Miami and vice-versa. I guess it is that human spirit that wants the exact opposite of what you currently have. People think I am crazy too... I also have met a few people that live in both Florida and AK. They don't like AK winters and they don't like Miami summers.

gobrien- that is better than any public transportation in Miami - (exception may be the metro-rail - but it is nothing like the subways/trains in NYC or DC)

Sorry for the long post - and I have only scratched the surface on what you should be researching for yourself... I would not make life/death or huge life altering decisions based on a forum or blog post. Moving 5,000+ miles away is a huge life altering event. Moving from Dade to Broward, not so much.

Good luck with whatever path you take.

[alicia1.clarke]

@DAK thanks. I don't have a car in Miami, mines broke down but I can get around. And as for the potholes, there are potholes all over, some may not be that big but we do have them. And I do not like Miami summer, its too hot here and I'm ok with it being more dark than light, I like moving around in the dark more anyway. But I will be taking a trip there probably in July to see how it is. Thanks! If there is anything else you think I may need to know please let me know.

[Dakster]

I live in Miami and share your pain... I am stuck in my career to be able to move out just yet.

You are doing the right thing in moving to a place you will be happy with and starting your career there.

At one time, I was happy in Miami -- just haven't been in a long time.

[warptman]

Anchorage and Miami are almost the same, but different.

[Frostnip]

Personally, I don't much like Anchorage, but I do like it better than Miami, so I would endorse this as a good move

Everyone always says "visit first" and that's good advice, but I didn't, and it was fine. You're young and it doesn't sound like you have dependents. It's a good time to try something new, and if it doesn't work out for the long run, oh well. If you want to get a sample of Alaska life before jumping in with both feet, you might think about taking a seasonal job at a touristy place and spending a summer up here doing that.

I would strongly recommend arranging long-term work before permanently moving up unless you have sizable savings. Alaska isn't a fun place to be broke.

You should be able to find a lot of threads here with detailed information about costs, vehicles, etc...these questions are pretty common in this forum.

[AADAD]

there is nothing in the world as different as Miami and Anchorage. omg.

[Dakster]

Warptman - interested in how they are the same... Other than the fact they are cities in the USA...