Moving to Alaska... Where to start?

[mizzile]

Originally Posted by juliette.eliza

Hi,

As much as I love CA it's just too crowded and too expensive for me to want to stay..... My husband thinks Alaska could be a good option.

If you're looking for a less expensive place to live, Alaska should be the last place to look. If you think California is expensive....and to get away from the crowds in AK you have to be willing to give up a lot of "amenities" that lower 48ers are used to having.

[Nurse_Nikki]

I am originally from AK and moved away for about maybe 15yrs now. Trying to move home currently.

I kinda get the feeling you haven't really been there in the real Alaska weather. In the winter in Anchorage you get about 5-6hrs of light. Anchorage is a city built around their climate and environment. If you aren't outdoorsie in all weather it may not be the place for you. There really is no isolation unless self inflicted. It's quite the community and almost everyone knows everyone or is friends with someone who does. I go home occasionally and will bump into a random person who recognizes me from seeing me grow up. I have depression issues and when I go home for long periods I do use a light and pop good old D3. I find the light does help but I have a very stressful job and have had some personal tragedy leading to some bouts of depression, the light really does help.

You may want to go visit in the dead of winter for a week or two so you have a good grasp of what you are signing up for. Generally once the snow falls its there until spring while it gets more layers added waiting for the sun to melt the frost


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[Huntsman19]

Thanks for the pointers, no probelm knowing where to start is a great help thanks, did not realize it was US Federal Immigartion, thanks

[doctorfoot72]

Kbeefy,
How high are property taxes? I have heard 10% but I figure with no state income tax or sales tax, I would still be coming out ahead. Whaddaya think?
I am also considering a move to Anchorage. Winters are doable then? I live in Western CO now. How about flights to other destinations? Is it easy to travel to the more easterly areas of the lower 48?

[Dakster]

I don't know anywhere that property taxes are 10% of appraised value. Your 500k home isn't going to cost $50k a year in prop. taxes. It may cost you, depending on where, $5k-$6k. Some areas have no property taxes, but they also have no or limited services. I've been listening to the folks here and doing my research on this.

Also, some areas of the state have sales tax. I do not believe that Anchorage does though. In the areas without sales tax, it sorta makes up for the higher cost of the item.

I am about as far East and South as you can get and still be in the lower 48. With proper planning ahead, I can get a roundtrip ticket for around $650/$700 from Fairbanks/Anchorage/Juneau. Granted it takes just about a full day to get from A to B. So there is no quick weekend trip home and back for me. I don't know what you mean by 'easy'. To me easy means, I can get to the airport. Once you get to one airport, it is just a matter of lay overs and/or stops to get to anywhere in world you want to go to.

[Rance]

We pay 1200 bucks property tax for our place in Sterling. On two acres, 2 story house and a seperate 4 car garage. We live no where near million dollar homes. Heck not even near half million dollar homes.

[lellenn]

I was raised in Southern CA and moved here 11 years ago. I lived in anchorage for 9 and just now passed 2 years in Wasilla. I have not had an issue with the darkness as far as depression goes. My body does go into "hibernation mode" and I want to sleep more though. If you start to have issues, get a SAD light to help with it. Snow: get an AWD or 4WD vehicle, put studded tires on it, and GO SLOW. You have to learn how it feels to control and not control your car on icy/snowy roads so maybe find an empty parking lot at night and just experiment. Your dog will be fine. As far as lot size: Most places in Anchorage don't have 1+ acres, but you can definitely garden in less space. If land is important then start looking at Chugiak, Peters Creek, MAYBE Eagle River and possibly even out in Palmer/Wasilla. Lot sizes out there are commonly 1+ acre and even more. A 1/2 acre lot there is considered tiny. Snow: It snows a lot in the winter, but most snowstorms drop a foot or less of snow at a time. Anchorage TRIES to plow all residential streets within 72 hours and the state and city USUALLY start plowing highways really quickly. (I have no idea why they are taking so long with this first snow of the season this last weekend though). I was worried about it too, and my husband at the time said "one thing to remember is that when it snows in Alaska, they KNOW what to do with it". It's not like some places in the lower 48 that basically shut down at a few inches or less. Snow is manageable, it's the ice that snarls things up. It can warm up quickly and if it rains during that time and then freezes, OMG the whole city is an ice rink. Forget about going anywhere. Normal snow though, no big deal we keep on going.