Planning on moving to Alaska???? (Anchorage: 2014, apartment, rental market)

[ladeefire]

Originally Posted by Glitch

Your husband might consider the cost. You can replace most things (beds, sofa, chairs, desks, etc.) for the same cost, or less, than it would cost you to ship.

Guys can be such pack-rats.

You're telling me they're pack rats

Well mostly it's tools and equipment. Couches beds etc aren't coming.

If it were up to me, I would bring my clothing (winter gear) and my dog stuff... That's it lol

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by ladeefire

You're telling me they're pack rats

Well mostly it's tools and equipment. Couches beds etc aren't coming.

If it were up to me, I would bring my clothing (winter gear) and my dog stuff... That's it lol

If I had to do it again, I would move with only what I needed to make the trip, and about two weeks thereafter. The rest I would buy upon arriving in Alaska.

Small personal items that cannot be easily replaced I can certainly understand keeping, but I would still keep it to a minimum.

Since you are moving from Texas, it might be a good idea to hang on to your Winter clothing. You may need it upon arrival in Alaska this Summer.

[ladeefire]

Oh no, not Texas, I am coming from New Hampshire! We had a ****** snowy and cold winter this year and palmer had a balmy winter!

I am happy about cooler summers, I hate anything over 70!!!!

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by ladeefire

Oh no, not Texas, I am coming from New Hampshire! We had a ****** snowy and cold winter this year and palmer had a balmy winter!

I am happy about cooler summers, I hate anything over 70!!!!

Ah, my mistake. I somehow got the impression you were coming from Texas.

New Hampshire winters are not much different from south central Alaska. While Alaska does not get the Nor'easters that you are use to, we do get the Chinook Winds during the winter, and those winds can be in excess of 85 mph. The good news is that they are southerly winds, so they bring lots of warm air with them. It can go from -10°F to +50°F overnight. The bad news is that they can cause a lot of damage and power-outages. If you live outside of any of the three population centers, a 5 kw or larger back-up generator is advisable.

As long as you are within ~100 miles of the coast, humidity levels during the summer are fairly low. Except when it is raining, of course, but most of Alaska's "rain" in south central is really just drizzle by lower-48 standards. You can stand outside for 10 minutes and not get wet.

For real rain, you have to go to Fairbanks, or anyplace north of the Alaska Range. Summers in the Interior are more like summers in the mid-west - hot and humid.

[ladeefire]

Admittedly, your winters are a bit longer and we have been warned of the winds! That's crazy Armageddon winds! We will be about 15 minutes north of the palmer "city" limits. Good idea about the generator! We have a small generator which is incidentally one of the things I can't convince my husband to leave behind. Where we live, we don't lose power often, but when a nor'easter knocks it out, it stays out for a week or more!

I think what I struggle with the most is the critter populous. There are many differences between nh and ak, but one thing I know nothing about is bear and moose! Our black bear are about 100 pounds and I haven't ever seen one. Moose hit maybe 1000 pounds. I have seen two in my life. When I was there I saw 37 in a week! Pretty scary to someone like me! I am concerned since someone in anchorage told me a moose will step over a 4 foot fence!

[AKStafford]

I wouldn't get too worked up about wildlife. I've lived in Alaska most of my life. Until my early twenties, it was in Southeast & on Afognak Island with lots and lots of bears. I saw a lot of them and never once got mauled.
I've lived 18 years in Wasilla. I've seen a ton of moose and never gotten stomped on.
Does it happen to someone occasionally? Yes. When it does, is it a big deal in the news? Of course. But people die daily in car accidents. Do you still drive? Yep.

[rntim]

Hey "Jabo," its not Montana that will drive you nuts, its the Dakotas depending on your route! South Dakota seems like it never ends! When we moved back to Alaska, we took the ferry but we had to in order to get where we are! Me and the missus left Anchorage about 10 yrs ago. We went back up recently for a weekend to see some family and I personally was glad to get back down here to Sitka. That place has changed a whole lot in 10 years! As for "stuff" and moving, its really easy to replace stuff here rather then drag it all with you. Someone mentioned groceries--we get bananas for 89 cents/pd and getting a quart of O.J. for 6 bucks is a pretty good deal here! Just paid 7.99/pd for a couple o.k. T-bones, they were just o.k. Thank God the salmon will be running soon! Halibut goes for 23.99/pd at the store but mine cost about 3 hrs of fishing. We are both nurses and did our thing in several states then came back because there is just no place that even resembles Alaska!

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by ladeefire

Admittedly, your winters are a bit longer and we have been warned of the winds! That's crazy Armageddon winds! We will be about 15 minutes north of the palmer "city" limits. Good idea about the generator! We have a small generator which is incidentally one of the things I can't convince my husband to leave behind. Where we live, we don't lose power often, but when a nor'easter knocks it out, it stays out for a week or more!

I think what I struggle with the most is the critter populous. There are many differences between nh and ak, but one thing I know nothing about is bear and moose! Our black bear are about 100 pounds and I haven't ever seen one. Moose hit maybe 1000 pounds. I have seen two in my life. When I was there I saw 37 in a week! Pretty scary to someone like me! I am concerned since someone in anchorage told me a moose will step over a 4 foot fence!

If you have a well on your property you will need at least 5 kw of electricity in order to prime the pump. Anything less and you will be without water, so if your generator is not at least 5 kw or larger then you are better off selling it and buying a new one once you get to Alaska. 5 kw generators range in price from $400 to $500.

North of Palmer is a pretty area. A few Musk Ox ranches are located in that area, and you will be close to Hatcher Pass which is a popular recreational area during both Summer and Winter. Musk Ox wool, or qiviut, is the warmest wool you can buy.

Black bear tend to be a bit bigger in Alaska, up to 250 pounds or more. Strangely, I have not seen any black bears since I moved to Alaska 23 years ago. I have only seen grizzlies and brown bears.

Yes, moose can easily step over a 4-foot fence. I have also seen them go through 6-feet tall chain-link fences like they were not even there. Moose are the only critters I have encountered that do not give a damn about humans. They come and go as they please, through people's front yards, backyards, or just stroll down the middle of the road, without worrying about us pesky humans. You are just as likely to encounter moose in downtown Anchorage as anywhere else in Alaska.

That is one of the charms of living in Alaska, where the wildlife outnumber us humans.

One other critter you should be made aware of are wolves. Normally they are very shy critters. However, if the winter is a bad one and there is little food for them to eat, they have a tendency to go after pets. Both Anchorage and Fairbanks, among other areas, can be plagued by one or more wolf packs during the Winter.

I still recall one story from a couple years ago when a lady was walking her Golden Retriever along the Coastal Trail in Anchorage when she spotted a lone wolf standing on the paved trail ahead of her. The wolf darted into the bushes just off the trail and her dog (which was not leashed) charged after the wolf. When her dog disappeared into the bushes she said it was like a scene out of the movie Jurassic Park. The rest of the pack was waiting for her dog in the bushes. Her poor dog did not stand a chance. The only thing they found of her dog was its collar.

Domestic dogs, regardless of how large, stand absolutely no chance against a wolf. Wolves have to kill regularly to survive, domestic dogs do not. Alaskan Timber wolves range from 120 to 150 pounds and are closely related to the MacKenzie Valley wolf in Canada, which are much bigger than the Grey wolves you find in the lower-48.

The last time we had problems with wolves was in 2010, and before that in 2007. So it does not happen yearly. Small women and children are also at risk from wolves. Although I am only aware of one confirmed death of a human by wolves in the last 23 years, so it is pretty rare.

[ladeefire]

Thank you! This is REALLY good information.
I hadn't thought of wolves...

I guess what you are gently recommending is not to let my dogs off lead and be prepared for pretty much anything.., yet have fun!

Lol I can't wait really, just a few thoughts about the dogs and whining over the lack of cell service and high speed internet and I am there! Truthfully, I sure as heck am not moving to alaska for the internet!

Thank you so much for your thoughts. 7 weeks and we are there!!

[ladeefire]

Btw, does anyone ever com back here and say they are leaving? Would love to know why lol