What's it really like living in Anchorage? (Fairbanks, Barrow: unemployment, neighborhoods)

[Need4Camaro]

I've been kind of curious about it. I cant do cold winters so moving there is out the question but I cant help but wonder the opinions of it by the people who do live there.

I was browsing around it on Google Maps and was kind of surprised you guys have freeways, strip centers, a mall, Walmart's and even Safeway. I guess I was expecting it to be fairly rural but overall it kind of reminds me of an exurban suburb of Seattle. So..modern society asside, do you guys ever get snowed in and if so, does it happen often? Also how long does it usually take for it to clear and how long during the year do you guys risk heavy snow?

Also Bears. Are they a threat within Anchorage or any urban area within Alaska? Do you have to keep pets indoors, ect?

How are white nights in the summer and during them, is it literally daylight throughout the entire night as in, it never truly gets dark?

When traveling by car I'm guessing you need a passport to drive through Canada and back to the 48 states. How difficult is that drive (for me mileage isnt the real concern as I've driven cross country east to west on several accounts usually without stopping but the weather would change things big time if the roads were undrivable)

Are gas prices higher there and are groceries expensive?

I know all this has probably been asked countless times but I had to ask.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I've been kind of curious about it. I cant do cold winters so moving there is out the question but I cant help but wonder the opinions of it by the people who do live there.

I was browsing around it on Google Maps and was kind of surprised you guys have freeways, strip centers, a mall, Walmart's and even Safeway. I guess I was expecting it to be fairly rural but overall it kind of reminds me of an exurban suburb of Seattle. So..modern society asside, do you guys ever get snowed in and if so, does it happen often? Also how long does it usually take for it to clear and how long during the year do you guys risk heavy snow?

Also Bears. Are they a threat within Anchorage or any urban area within Alaska? Do you have to keep pets indoors, ect?

How are white nights in the summer and during them, is it literally daylight throughout the entire night as in, it never truly gets dark?

When traveling by car I'm guessing you need a passport to drive through Canada and back to the 48 states. How difficult is that drive (for me mileage isnt the real concern as I've driven cross country east to west on several accounts usually without stopping but the weather would change things big time if the roads were undrivable)

Are gas prices higher there and are groceries expensive?

I know all this has probably been asked countless times but I had to ask.

You've been watching too many movies.

Anchorage is a modestly-large and modern city. Of course it has paved freeways and roads, strip and other malls, chain restaurants, services, conveniences, retailers and big box stores like Walmart and Safeway! This isn't the Gold Rush/dog team days...

"Snowed in" is relative...no worse than any other northern latitude city. Main arterial roads are cleared first and more often than secondary roads and suburban neighborhoods. If you live outside the city winter commutes can be a hassle because there are basically two routes in or out. If someone causes an accident on either of those routes you get to wait a very long time for it to clear. It is possible that a higher percentage of Anchorage residents are a little better prepared for winter and expect it, but no one can help the deliberately clueless no matter where they live. You either pay attention or you don't. At least most folks up here don't go into a blind panic and loot grocery stores when the forecast mentions snow. What sends TV forecasters into a tizzy in the south 48 for a week doesn't get much of a mention up here. Winters last longer than down in the south 48 simply because of the latitude and the earth's axis tilt.

Yes, you can meet a bear in the city. Both black and grizzly. Obviously where you happen to be in the city makes a difference. If you live near suburban greenbelts or salmon streams your chances are higher. I have no idea whether more people keep their pets indoors because of bears or not. They do keep smaller less hardy pets indoors because of the weather. Most bears are not interested in domestic pets unless they feel threatened by one. There are exceptions just like anywhere else. I'd be more concerned about coyotes, lynx, or possibly an eagle snagging a small pet than bears.

Summer "white nights" are not full daylight 24/7. The seasonal increase in daylength is gradual. There tend to be long sunrises and long sunsets/twilights much of the summer. The sun may not set fully, but just dip close or below the horizon for a few hours. Real true bright midday 24 hour sun happens farther north...like Kotzebue, Fairbanks, etc. Anchorage is coastal, so gets more rain than the Interior. A lot more cloudy days than clear ones.

Gas prices vary everywhere. They will be higher in more remote places and lower closer to industry terminals in the city. IMHO the prices are mostly influenced by the international investment market, panics by freaked out speculators, and whatever shenanigans OPEC is indulging itself in. Many grocery items are more expensive but it probably depends on the cost to ship those items up here from the south 48. It doesn't always make logical sense. Alaska doesn't produce most of the consumer products residents buy...they are all shipped from down south. What companies choose to charge to ship them can seem pretty arbitrary.

As for driving, there is summer and there is winter. Driving in summer isn't any different than down south...the days are just lighter longer. Some of the wildlife you might collide with are bigger. There are fewer gas stations and lodgings along many parts of the drive so you'd have to plan better.

[Music_Man]

Anchorage Dec 21, 2019
sunrise = 10:14:13AM
sunset = 3:41:18PM


Fairbanks Dec 21, 2019
sunrise = 10:58:15AM

sunset = 2:39:46PM

[pittsflyer]

Like Bozeman but more homeless people, a more dysfunctional university system, and about to have mass exodus and/or unemployment after the big oil and gas shake-up

Oh and ridiculously expensive shipping on anything larger than a flat rate box.

[riceme]

Originally Posted by Music_Man

Anchorage Dec 21, 2019
sunrise = 10:14:13AM
sunset = 3:41:18PM


Fairbanks Dec 21, 2019

sunrise = 10:58:15AM
sunset = 2:39:46PM

But Fairbanks feels more like this



sunrise = 11:58:15AM
sunset = 12:09:46PM


Thankfully, we're now on the right side of winter solstice.

[Music_Man]

Ha,Ha "But it is a dry cold".

[Need4Camaro]

I noticed this, 100% humidty at 0*F without rain, how is this possible?

[7 Wishes]

I've never been anywhere near Alaska (closest I've come geographically is probably northern California, closest climate-wise I've visited in winter is probably Toronto), but I imagine in a city like Anchorage winter driving is no different than a place like Buffalo or Minneapolis where they get a lot of snow and cold. Yeah the summer days are certainly a bit longer and the winter ones a bit shorter due to the latitute, but the OP is probably thinking more of a place like Barrow that is much smaller and more isolated and well above the Arctic Circle.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I noticed this, 100% humidty at 0*F without rain, how is this possible?

It can't rain at 0 F. It can however be socked in with ice fog. The air can be supersaturated with frozen water crystals. Just means the air can't "hold" any more.

[WyoNewk]

Ah, the days of ice fog. I grew up in the midwest and experienced lots of fog and lots of ice, but I never really got familiar with ice fog until moving to Alaska. Overall, I'd have to say I really enjoyed it.