What are the cons to living in Anchorage? (Fairbanks: student loans, transfer)

[rppearso]

Originally Posted by dmills

Don't mean to be contrary, but I can't recall the last time it was -20F, and it certainly isn't "weeks at a time." In the interest of full disclossure, I'd say there are 2-3 cold snaps a year, where temperatures are below 0F, usually lasting about a week each time. Most of the time, the temperature doesn't go below -10F. During the majority of the winter, the average high is anywhere between 15F - 30F.

Just a few weeks ago it got down to -17 F for like a week give or take depending on night or day which I rounded to -20 F which I bet it hit for the night time low. Again in January it will definitly hit -20 and be below -10 F for a week or 2 at a time and february is not much better, by march it will start to warm up. Sometimes we get an El nino in January and snow will melt but it will imediatly go to -10 or -20 again and form a nice rock solid sheet of ice on the roads. One year when I was in high school in the valley I seen it hit -55 F that was a one time deal but I do believe that is close to the temperature on the surface of the moon when the sun is not hitting it.

[bongo]

Originally Posted by rppearso

Just a few weeks ago it got down to -17 F for like a week give or take depending on night or day which I rounded to -20 F which I bet it hit for the night time low. Again in January it will definitly hit -20 and be below -10 F for a week or 2 at a time and february is not much better, by march it will start to warm up. Sometimes we get an El nino in January and snow will melt but it will imediatly go to -10 or -20 again and form a nice rock solid sheet of ice on the roads. One year when I was in high school in the valley I seen it hit -55 F that was a one time deal but I do believe that is close to the temperature on the surface of the moon when the sun is not hitting it.

Here is the weather station by my house where it got down to -9F.

History : Weather Underground

Do you live near Campbell Tract?

[rppearso]

Originally Posted by bongo

Here is the weather station by my house where it got down to -9F.

History : Weather Underground

Do you live near Campbell Tract?

South anchorage, it got colder than -9 thats for sure, especially at night.

[AADAD]

The key things to the cold are

1 a heated garage
2 face protection and down clothing
3 studded or dedicated winter tires
4 remote start optional

[rppearso]

Originally Posted by AADAD

The key things to the cold are

1 a heated garage
2 face protection and down clothing
3 studded or dedicated winter tires
4 remote start optional

The thing is most peoples places of employment dont have heat or plug ins so its really hard on your car unless you start it up every hour or so. THats one of my issues with alaska employment is lack of heated parking, its really a down side of being up here. You could get a long range auto start and start your car every hour but that does not help your differentials and other non heated parts of your car so its still hard on it. All weather tires on a 4 wheel drive with agressive tread pattern actually work really good and then you dont have the HUGE pain in the ass of the seasonal tire change over crowds, late october early nov its like a frenzy for everyone changing tires and then you get to do it all over again in may, and its about 50-60$ a pop to change the tires out. Most alaska employers dont really care about there employees otherwise you would see more heated parking or at the very least a place to plug in.

[Cali92620]

I really don't see why people would want to live in Anchorage, It is cold and from the previous posts it has bad drivers lots of moose and weird day lengths.

Originally Posted by rppearso

South anchorage, it got colder than -9 thats for sure, especially at night.

-9 degrees, that is ridiculously cold to permanently live in, that's my opinion.

That may be cause I live in California. Can anyone tell me Pros?

[richelles]

"It is cold and from the previous posts it has bad drivers lots of moose and weird day lengths. -9 degrees, that is ridiculously cold to permanently live in, that's my opinion. That may be cause I live in California. Can anyone tell me Pros?[/quote]

Well for starters a lot less in taxes than what I've known in Calif. Might also try crowded highways; I recall telling my wife, as we left LA Airport, that the reason there were so many cars stopped on the Interstate was because most of them were homeless and thats where they lived; and then there was the part about the kooks both voters and politicians but then Alaska has somewhat a similar problem; and the prices for anything like housing or groceries was high and going higher (except now no one is buying anything) and can I mention your last few governors? Our governor quit and is making big bucks now. But then maybe we don't need you in Alaska anyway.

[Cali92620]

Cal has had some bad governors lately but then California is near a lot of things and Alaska seems isolated and Cal is the opposite of isolated and homeless people don't sleep in the middle of an interstate or they do but I have never seen one.

But then maybe we don't need you in Alaska anyway.

Sorry if I sounded rude but I just wanted to know the Pros were.

[bortstc37]

-9 is not bad at all. nor is it permanent. it's usually warmer than that (though sometimes colder, especially in the interior). there is lots of good weather, even in winter (it's nearly 40 degrees today where i am, where it's pretty much always colder than anchorage).

the cold is not bad if you prepare for it. it's easy to be outdoors for hours at a time when it's very cold (i.e. -20 or more) so long as you dress for it and are actually moving around. the cold is actually one of the pros- it keeps the wimps away.

as a former california resident, i can tell you that alaska is a different world (i'm not talking about anchorage specifically here). very few people, no traffic (except for anchorage/the valley, of course). there is a homeless problem in anchorage, surprisingly, but they don't actually live in the middle of the freeway (but many live near it). things are kind of expensive. the pace outside of anchorage is very slow. it's much, much, prettier. the people are not competitive. you will see lots of wildlife (even if you're in the city). it does get cold in the winter. you will not have access to good mexican food (though there is some pretty decent stuff to be found if you look around). people love their guns and will talk about them a lot. they will also be less likely to use their guns on people and more likely to shoot a large mammal and give you some of the meat. small gang problem in anchorage, nothing like LA though (if that's what you're used to).

in my opinion, it is not difficult to live here at all. you may have problems if you try to live in alaska in the same way you'd live in another state (large house, large car, eating out a bunch). but if you're willing to simplify and slow down, you might find it incredibly rewarding.

[rppearso]

The pros for me is my entire family is up here. If/when I can get a plane/hanger and start flying the air space up here is great (because its uncrowded). If you can get out of anchorage on the weekends you can go out and go snowmachining or watch the northern lights of course my family lives out in the valley so that helps facilitate that so I can keep my machines out there and stay the night without renting a cabin for a bigillion dollars. Day to day work life in anchorge there really are no pros, anchorage pretty much sucks and the people pretty much suck and when I go out to the valley you can tell the ones that are from anchorage and they are generally not wanted out there (unless they are spending ALOT of money), its kinda a catch 22, people live out there to get away from it and then on holiday weekend you get all the pukers from anchorage that flood the non private property open areas and kick up a bunch of dust and have stabbings and shootings.

I guess another pro is having the mountians around but unless you work for a good employer you are not going to be able to see thoes mountians 90% of the day or if you are rich enough to have property with a view.

The real pros of alaska are the lack of people, so when more people crowd in thoes pros disappear, alot of people that live here are greatly irritated with crowds, my family will not even come to anchorage any more because costco has lines that extent into the isles and the parking lot is like a zoo unless you go at obscure times (which are obscure for a reason) also rush hour used to be just that an hour now rush hour is like from 3 to 7 in the afternoon and like 7 to 9 in the morning and then its just randomly crowded in the middle of the day so now there is a lunch rush, theres more lights more aggressive drivers.