Single mid-30's thinking of relocating

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by Angule

I do it for free now as a volunteer, and I love it. I agree no money in it, which is why a firm job won't work for me. State governments hire for it, as well as some organizations. I expect to take a pay cut, but it's what I'm passionate about doing. Just need to find a place to do it.

Thanks all for posts. I was thinking Alaska was great for outdoors, but seems like maybe not anchorage. I also don't want to move somewhere that has issues with dating. I actually did look at North Dakota too, but seems like most people marry young there and the social scene for mid 30s isn't great.

Anchorage is great for outdoor activities! Anybody that tells you different is a couch potato. Even in the middle of winter there are plenty of outdoor activities.

Alaska needs good attorneys that have a heart for domestic violence! That's a tough field but one that needs dedicated people. Go for it!

[Frostnip]

Anchorage is a grimy generic mid-sized American city, but it's a short drive to outdoor scenery and recreation that's both epic and accessible. So if outdoorsy stuff is your bag, you could certainly do a lot worse. Sounds like you're good at entertaining yourself as well (reading, etc.) which is important for mental health up here.

The population here is very transient, as others have mentioned, but if you're a state employee you'll be exposed to a more stable circle of people in multiple senses of the word.

I don't know, it seems like people who move up here either love it or hate it. Maybe you'll hate it, but even if you do, what's the worst that can happen - relocate again after a couple years, with more professional experience (and some arctic adventures) under your belt? Not the worst scenario. And if you love it, great.

As far as the dating scene goes, I don't know, adjust your expectations about personal grooming and you'll probably be fine, lol.

It's definitely a lot less OMG POP OUT BABIES BEFORE YOUR EXPIRATION DATE up here than much of the rest of the US, so that's a plus for folks who don't want to or can't have kids.

[soldn2slavery]

Typically, I'm a "every silver lining has a cloud" kind of person, but I find myself needing to present some of the more positive aspects of living in Anchorage (caveat: I left Anchorage 20 years ago, but I lived there for almost 20 years). I still miss Anchorage -- a lot.

I enjoyed Anchorage and Alaska. There were always quirky events going on, live music to listen to, pretty decent restaurants and amazing scenery. Anchorage has wonderful bike paths that wind through the city. If you're into mountain biking, there are old logging roads to explore or go out to Eklutna Lake and bike back to the end of the lake. It's easy to get outdoors there.

You would need to enjoy, or learn to enjoy, being in the cold and snow... skiing (downhill and X-country), hiking, snowshoeing, etc. One of the benefits of winter is that the rivers freeze over and become really nice paths for skiing and hiking. In the winter, you can access parts of Eagle River valley that are otherwise inaccessible or very difficult to get to in the summer. Nothing like x-country skiing by the light of a full moon.

Summer is brief, but glorious. It can, and often does, rain quite a bit, but you just dress for it and go on with your plans. There are all sorts of events and activities to go to in the summer. If you fish, you'll be in heaven. Fight the crowds at the Russian and get your "food" and then go find a quiet creek where you can pretend to fish and just enjoy being. Go kayaking in Resurrection Bay and get up close to puffin or watch a bald eagle snatch a fish from the water.

While the population is very transient, I also have friends who have been in Alaska over 30 years and have no plans or desire to live anywhere else. It also makes it very easy to make friends. Since most people are relatively new, there aren't the multi-generational relationships that are almost impossible to become part of.

Anyway, that's my .02 worth.

[Braje]

Are you licensed to practice in AK?

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

Anchorage is great for outdoor activities! Anybody that tells you different is a couch potato. Even in the middle of winter there are plenty of outdoor activities..

It made #4 in Outside magazine's 2014 survey of places to live, and obviously outdoor activity is their primary focus.
As soldn2slavery says, however, a lot of that outdoor time will be in the cold.

Outside: No one moves to Anchorage, one of the country’s northernmost cities (pop. 300,000), without good reason. For most, that reason is wilderness. “We have bears that wander around the neighborhoods,” says Erin Kirkland, author of travel guide Alaska on the Go.

More than 200 miles of trails thread through downtown, the Cook Inlet, and the Turnagain Arm, and six mountain ranges unfurl within spotting distance of the city. Winters can be difficult—there’s as little as six hours of daylight in December—but “as long as you stay active, you’ll be fine,” says Kirkland. No one thinks much of donning a headlamp to skate-ski Kincaid Park or of heading 40 miles south to ski Alyeska Resort under lights. Downtown, breweries like Midnight Sun and Glacier Brewhouse host two other favorite Alaskan pastimes: beer drinking and storytelling, a veritable sport.

Summer, however, is when Alaska really comes alive. “Where the city ends, the wilderness begins,” says Kirkland. There’s not a single sport you can’t do here, be it sea kayaking at Resurrection Bay or mountain biking at Kincaid. “It’s pretty amazing to live in that.”
—K.S.

[Northrick]

Put me in the "there is plenty of outdoor opportunity year round" camp. Yes, it will be colder, but modern outdoor clothing makes that relatively easy to manage.


As others have said, it's a transient population. But, I been up here for over 2 decades and still have friends here that I meet the first few years in town. As said before, it's often you like it or hate it. If people are still around after 3-5 years, they will probably be here awhile. I think the primary thing that makes people move back is the separation from family. I've know I number of people who were fine here until they had kids of their own and then moved to be closer to grandparents.


What you want to do is admirable and sadly a much needed service up here. You sound relatively unattached and if you get a job offer, what do you really have to lose?

[nicolecl]

We are newer to AK, but originally from a beach town so I thought I'd post. We arrived during what we've been told is one of the worst winters Anchorage has had in awhile. Unfortunately, we also had a young puppy who wasn't keen on being in a hotel all day long. So we got out in the snow and ice. Trekked through many of the parks along with the cross country skiers and fat tire bike riders-- it was beautiful. It's important to have the right boots, clothing, etc. but overall, I was surprised at how quickly we adjusted to the cold. The negative factor was the roads. They aren't always plowed and driving them can be a challenge if you're not used to it. Now it's warmer and we're hiking all of the time. Kayaks/canoes are all over the lakes around here (we chose Eagle River to live in). There are bears and moose to be aware of but no poisonous snake or tick problems. Having a large military base here, people do often relocate. However, since moving here, we've met just as many people who have chosen to settle in Alaska or have lived here all of their life. Disadvantages are that homes here are generally expensive and traveling to the lower 48 costs more and is just more difficult in terms of duration.