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Old 10-20-2013, 10:52 AM
 
4 posts, read 6,895 times
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We might be relocating there next year, we have a plan to move that fits our lifestyle the best but I was just wondering what is the best parts of day to day life in Anchorage and of course the worst.
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Old 10-20-2013, 11:31 AM
 
Location: Alaska
173 posts, read 379,541 times
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Best: proximity to the outdoors, good recreation trails for hiking, running, biking, etc. mild weather by Alaska standards, U of Alaska and APU, good hospitals, airport with flights to anywhere ($$ tho)

Worst: Crime ridden parts of town, expensive real estate, weather isn't great
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Old 10-20-2013, 11:32 AM
 
3,763 posts, read 8,733,693 times
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Well the best for us was the outdoor activities: minutes to world class wilderness & peak hiking; bike trails traversing the entire town which become groomed nordic ski trails in winter; downhill skiing at Alyeska & particularly, volunteer- run Arctic Valley. Plus of course, a short distance to real Alaska: Denali, Kenai, Valdez, etc. The salmon fishing fills the freezer for winter. Lots of great school choices: language immersion schools, charter schools, schools of excellence. The Iditarod sled dog race.

The downside for many is the woefully lacking daylight hours in winter & the run of below zero temps. The unprepared & ignorant drivers that pop into you (or pop in the ditch) with the first snow. Having to walk & drive on the ice. Bundling up to go outside. Real estate, rentals, vegetables/fruits & many commodities are expensive.
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Old 10-23-2013, 06:40 AM
 
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Thanx lv2hoop and bongo, did you guys relocate or born there?
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Old 10-23-2013, 08:12 AM
 
Location: Alaska
173 posts, read 379,541 times
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Relocated from Missoula, MT in the early 1990's.
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Old 10-23-2013, 11:14 AM
 
4,463 posts, read 6,216,261 times
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It is highly dependant upon where you work and where you want to live in relation to where you work. You have one of 3 choices: If you live and work in anchorage you either have to live in an undesirable area (now with prowlers and other wierdos as well as drugs and some violence) (east anch part of mid town and parts of down town), you have a mortgage that is strangling you (west anchorage, south anch or places like boot leggers cove, etc) or you live in eagle river or the valley and have a very stressful daily commute, lots of gas and at least 2 hrs out of every day just driving at a minimum if you want to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to beat traffic, I personally like my sleep. I was on the MLS the other night and you can get a decent place in east anchorage for around 250k and there are parts of west anchorage where you can get places as low as 315k but for something in say sand lake or basher your going to pay at least 450k if not alot more.

It is getting where it does not make sense to move to anchorage or for buisness to operate out of anchorage unless they have too because its getting out of control. The only reason you would live here is if you had a job making more than 6 figures otherwise dont come here, I have not seen rent anywhere in anchorage less than $1000/month and for anything decent your going to be around $1500/month and if you subscribe to the finacial wisdom that your living expenses should not exceed 25% of your net income that means you would have to clear 6k a month (after 401k and all that crap) which is a 6 figure income just for basic rent on a decent place.

I dont know how people do it who are making 50-60k and have kids, they must live in the slums or bought something 30 years ago or have some other unique sitaution going on that keeps them from feeling the full brunt of the real estate market.
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Old 10-23-2013, 01:30 PM
 
Location: Anchorage Suburbanites and part time Willowbillies
1,708 posts, read 1,856,108 times
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Wow highlife - we are a single income family of six, don't make that much money and live in a nice South Anchorage neighborhood.

Our secret? We live within our means, we don't have the latest electronic gadgets, our newest vehicle is a 2000 model with about 165,000 miles, (we keep it well maintained), our kids are not too spoiled, and my wife is frugal she knows where all the best deals are. We are not afraid of shopping at Value Village especially for kids clothes that they will soon grow out of anyway. Our boys, bless their hearts, do not need the latest fashions. (Or the latest anything else.) Their favorite Christmas or birthday gifts are books from Titlewave, anything to do with the outdoors, and especially Duct Tape.
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Old 10-23-2013, 02:36 PM
 
2,670 posts, read 2,608,993 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hogfamily View Post
especially Duct Tape.
There are very few problems that can't be solved with duct tape
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Old 10-23-2013, 03:12 PM
 
Location: Anchorage Suburbanites and part time Willowbillies
1,708 posts, read 1,856,108 times
Reputation: 885
......and a blue tarp.

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Old 10-23-2013, 04:54 PM
 
4,463 posts, read 6,216,261 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hogfamily View Post
Wow highlife - we are a single income family of six, don't make that much money and live in a nice South Anchorage neighborhood.

Our secret? We live within our means, we don't have the latest electronic gadgets, our newest vehicle is a 2000 model with about 165,000 miles, (we keep it well maintained), our kids are not too spoiled, and my wife is frugal she knows where all the best deals are. We are not afraid of shopping at Value Village especially for kids clothes that they will soon grow out of anyway. Our boys, bless their hearts, do not need the latest fashions. (Or the latest anything else.) Their favorite Christmas or birthday gifts are books from Titlewave, anything to do with the outdoors, and especially Duct Tape.
So you spend 50% of your combined income on housing so that you can live in a nice area? I have seen on appartment applications that you have to prove that your net income is 3 times the monthly rent so 33%. Based on a quick internet search if your spending more than 33% of your total net income on housing your house poor. You should not have to dumpster dive for clothes to afford rent in a nice area, that was my entire point. I like fancy electronics, its a shame that rent is so expensive in anchorage that a new iphone is considered extravagent.
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