OUCH I just visited the Alaska forum..

[Rickers]

I've looked at the Alaska board a few times and couldn't believe the anger that some of those folks spew. It seems as though lots of folks with serious mental issues post a lot on that board, almost as bad as the Politics and controversies board.

[Afishwithabike]

I haven't looked too much into the Alaska board but I can understand why people posting there might have strong opinions. I have a good friend who moved from the East Coast to Bethel, Alaska. It was quite a culture shock. She couldn't find a steady job in her field but that wasn't a surprise as much as the lifestyle. The intensity of the winters, the isolation, the lack of basic things she had been used to like coffee shops, bookstores, supermarkets, surprised her. Everything had to be flown in so the costs were through the roof. Shampoo was $11 and it was sold in the same store that had guns and snowmobiles. There wasn't a single paved road. Only one traffic light. The local taxi was the "bus" for the town. She moved after a few years. Granted not all of Alaska is like that but this particular town was so much like "Northern Exposure", the old TV show, and my friend just couldn't take it.

[kittymama]

Alaska also has a strange way of attracting people who "want to get away from it all," meaning ordinary life in the lower 48. The ones who stay there for years on end are those who kind of despised normal life in the lower 48. There are plenty of people who think that's what they want and then get up there and get more than they bargained for. Life in Alaska is hard, even if you live in a "city." Darkness (and it's the darkest time of yer now) tends to make people grumpier and more likely to concentrate on the things that tick them off. This is true, even of people who don't get full blown SAD. EVERYONE is a little grumpy and irritable this time of year. Utility costs in Alaska are outrageous. I still own a house there (rented out) and just got an $850 fuel oil bill for it. If you try to get away from it all in Alaska, it is HARD WORK. If you just wanted to be a slacker and not deal with people, that's not the way it is. Alaska tends to attract people who take up "hard work" as a hobby - building their own houses, chopping their own wood, hunting their own food. They value self sufficiency. To be self sufficient in Alaska is no easy task. But yes, the place attracts people who were discontent (for whatever reason) with life in the lower 48. They have idealized pictures of what life in Alaska will be like. Oftentimes, they are unprepared. I know, I was. I didn't know anything about Alaska until I lived there.

Personally, if I did want to get away from it all and be self sufficient, I'd choose Hawaii. At least if I failed, were broke and couldn't afford utilities, etc..., the climate is pleasant enough not to freeze to death. But most people who think they want to get "away from it all" don't really. When it comes down to it, they miss the shopping malls, the McMansions, the chain restaurants, etc... Everyone gets fed up with that stuff from time to time. But many people make a life altering decision and then that isn't what they really wanted after all. Like Hawaii, a lot of people's experience with Alaska was on a seacruise, carefully tailored to the best time of year and most majestic views. Many people move there thinking it will be a better place to raise their children. This baffles me because the opportunities for young people aren't as numerous in Alaska. Kids go to school in the dark. It's too cold to walk to school. And the schools may not be horrendous, but they aren't award winning or any better than the schools where people came from. People also have the mistaken notion that crime is lower in Alaska. Of course, if people are trying to run from their past, one of the best places to do so is Alaska.

So yeah, I may not be welcoming on the Alaska board. I hated it so much, I went into debt to get out of there.

[Jen&Jared-FromAK]

As I am from Alaska, born and raised. Although I'm not an Alaskan Native I feel the same. We get people coming here for the free money we recieve every year. We get a dividend so people bring their familys of like 12 and recieve 12 checks. I've gotten over it cause there's no stopping it from happening.

[10,000Lakes]

Sounds like the CA and AZ boards as well.

[KoaKine]

Check out the Rochester NY board !

[7th generation]

....now we'll take it back to the Hawaii forum,....after this commercial break....