Moving to Anchorage?
Feb 22nd, 2007, 03:29 AM
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Moving to Anchorage?
I may have the opportunity to move to Anchorage next year (job offer). I've visited Alaska and absolutely loved it. I hate big cities (I was in DC for 10 years and hated the commute, the crowds, the city life style). I love hiking, nature, the outdoors. My spouse feels the same way. We don't have kids yet, but we are about to start trying for a family, and we really don't want to raise kids in a big city.
Now that I might actually have the opportunity to move there, I am feeling a little nervous. I know it won't be all roses. Can anyone share their thoughts on a move from the lower 48 to Anchorage? I've read the Anchorage newspaper online on and off, but will start doing so daily.
Your help is most appreciated!
Now that I might actually have the opportunity to move there, I am feeling a little nervous. I know it won't be all roses. Can anyone share their thoughts on a move from the lower 48 to Anchorage? I've read the Anchorage newspaper online on and off, but will start doing so daily.
Your help is most appreciated!
Feb 22nd, 2007, 03:44 AM
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How exciting but I also understand the nerves. We've had four sets of friends move to Anchorage and all four, two with children, LOVE it there. Our friends with four children and a couple with no children moved there during a military rotation but stayed once they exited the military. We've only been to visit, too. It would be a dream for me to have the opportunity to live there.
The biggest challenge in the beginning for the families was winter but they have learned to manage it--the kids have picked up quite a few skills over the years. I wish I could be of more help but wanted to at least offer encouragement because of how happy our friends are.
If it would help I can give you the areas where they live if you're looking for a house. One of them lives just a couple of miles from Flattop. Good luck to you.
The biggest challenge in the beginning for the families was winter but they have learned to manage it--the kids have picked up quite a few skills over the years. I wish I could be of more help but wanted to at least offer encouragement because of how happy our friends are.
If it would help I can give you the areas where they live if you're looking for a house. One of them lives just a couple of miles from Flattop. Good luck to you.
Feb 22nd, 2007, 07:02 AM
#3
Well, seven trillion mosquitos can't all be wrong. 
Seriously, this is one of those unanswerable questions that we all try to answer... relocating involves a matrix of personal issues and you won't find internet bulletin board users who know you or your spouse or your likes and dislikes, etc. etc.
Factors to consider, in no particular order:
Weather: it's not just the cold of winter, it's the length and the darkness that freaks out many immigrants. In fact, Anchorage is often quite a lot warmer than many mid-continent cities in January; but it's October and March where things diverge. Dark and cold in Anchorage, fall and spring in the lower 48. Watching baseball on TV when there's still snow on the ground (or, more typically, semi-frozen mud) can hit your brain. Note too that around freezeup/breakup the outdoor sports options are minimal - not enough snow (or safe snow) for winter sports, but enough to lose the golf balls on the fairways, etc. - you get it.
One can also have wet and lousy summers in Anchorage, too, which after a long winter makes one feel downright robbed.
Distance: Going "outside" (i.e. lower 48 or beyond) is not something you do on a whim; it's expensive and time consuming. If your job will allow you to travel, fine, or if you're not tied to family or friends in the lower 48 to the extent you need frequent face time, fine too. However if you DO need those things, then a budget check is very important.
"Quality of life
quot; Anchorage is very much an American mid-size city, from its Costcos to its strip malls to its high schools. It's a big military town, which brings its own characteristics, some good, some maybe not so good (re transient population, etc.) There are traffic jams too - little ones not similar to other cities, to be sure, but it's not "Northern Exposure" or "Men in Trees" country. One semi-famous saying is that the best thing about Anchorage is that it's 20 minutes from Alaska.
Society: The city's size and population makeup (lots of kids, lots of soldiers, not too many seniors) can make it great for young families, so-so for middle-aged and elder folks, unless they have a really strong social network. This is important since (a) one spends a LOT of time indoors over the course of a year, and (b) the nearest non-locals are a plane ride away.
The bush: From our house we could see the Sleeping Lady (a mountain across Cook Inlet from Anchorage) and it never failed to give me a thrill that you could be standing in a reasonably cosmopolitan American city and look directly at deep wilderness just a few miles away. If you move to Anchorage, you need to ensure that you, your spouse, and any babies that come along are exposed to the amazing variety of roadless Alaska. Get into planes and boats, leave the RV parked... Anchorage may be 20 minutes from Alaska, but it's only 10 minutes from Bush Alaska, given the right transport mode. Seriously important stuff, IMO.
We moved to Alaska when we were young and had a new family, and never ever regretted it. We left when work took us back to the states, but have retained lifelong friends and some of the best memories one can store away in the old brainbox. Since leaving, we haven't regretted having lived there, but neither have we regretted moving on. But that's our story; yours might be altogether different.
Good luck.
Seriously, this is one of those unanswerable questions that we all try to answer... relocating involves a matrix of personal issues and you won't find internet bulletin board users who know you or your spouse or your likes and dislikes, etc. etc.
Factors to consider, in no particular order:
Weather: it's not just the cold of winter, it's the length and the darkness that freaks out many immigrants. In fact, Anchorage is often quite a lot warmer than many mid-continent cities in January; but it's October and March where things diverge. Dark and cold in Anchorage, fall and spring in the lower 48. Watching baseball on TV when there's still snow on the ground (or, more typically, semi-frozen mud) can hit your brain. Note too that around freezeup/breakup the outdoor sports options are minimal - not enough snow (or safe snow) for winter sports, but enough to lose the golf balls on the fairways, etc. - you get it.
One can also have wet and lousy summers in Anchorage, too, which after a long winter makes one feel downright robbed.
Distance: Going "outside" (i.e. lower 48 or beyond) is not something you do on a whim; it's expensive and time consuming. If your job will allow you to travel, fine, or if you're not tied to family or friends in the lower 48 to the extent you need frequent face time, fine too. However if you DO need those things, then a budget check is very important.
"Quality of life
quot; Anchorage is very much an American mid-size city, from its Costcos to its strip malls to its high schools. It's a big military town, which brings its own characteristics, some good, some maybe not so good (re transient population, etc.) There are traffic jams too - little ones not similar to other cities, to be sure, but it's not "Northern Exposure" or "Men in Trees" country. One semi-famous saying is that the best thing about Anchorage is that it's 20 minutes from Alaska.Society: The city's size and population makeup (lots of kids, lots of soldiers, not too many seniors) can make it great for young families, so-so for middle-aged and elder folks, unless they have a really strong social network. This is important since (a) one spends a LOT of time indoors over the course of a year, and (b) the nearest non-locals are a plane ride away.
The bush: From our house we could see the Sleeping Lady (a mountain across Cook Inlet from Anchorage) and it never failed to give me a thrill that you could be standing in a reasonably cosmopolitan American city and look directly at deep wilderness just a few miles away. If you move to Anchorage, you need to ensure that you, your spouse, and any babies that come along are exposed to the amazing variety of roadless Alaska. Get into planes and boats, leave the RV parked... Anchorage may be 20 minutes from Alaska, but it's only 10 minutes from Bush Alaska, given the right transport mode. Seriously important stuff, IMO.
We moved to Alaska when we were young and had a new family, and never ever regretted it. We left when work took us back to the states, but have retained lifelong friends and some of the best memories one can store away in the old brainbox. Since leaving, we haven't regretted having lived there, but neither have we regretted moving on. But that's our story; yours might be altogether different.
Good luck.
Feb 22nd, 2007, 10:35 AM
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Many people love Alaska and to have a chance to live there is a wonderful thing, but make sure to leave yourself a way out if you find it isn't for you.
While we were there for about 2 weeks during the summer, I read the paper from Anchorage. About the same amount of deaths reported as for the Minneaopolis/St. Paul area (similar city size) but the ones in Minneapolis were murders (often those are what makes the news) while the ones reported from Anchorage tended to look a lot like suicides. My friend who's brother lives near Fairbanks said that was the good time. As it gets close to Christmas, the long dark starts to wear and people with a shortage of funds so they can't afford to leave begin getting depressed.
While we were there for about 2 weeks during the summer, I read the paper from Anchorage. About the same amount of deaths reported as for the Minneaopolis/St. Paul area (similar city size) but the ones in Minneapolis were murders (often those are what makes the news) while the ones reported from Anchorage tended to look a lot like suicides. My friend who's brother lives near Fairbanks said that was the good time. As it gets close to Christmas, the long dark starts to wear and people with a shortage of funds so they can't afford to leave begin getting depressed.
Feb 22nd, 2007, 07:05 PM
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Gardyloo nails it pretty well. As someone who has lived in both DC and Anchorage, I know of what you speak, teklinika.
It is, as noted, unanswerable, but a few observations might help a bit. My commute in DC (20 minutes on the Red Line) is only a little longer than it was from Eagle River (15 on the Glenn). And I enjoy so many things the city has to offer -- like a dinner at Zantinya followed by $10 NBA cheap seats.
But what I find different and toughest to take is more of an East/West thing.
Although we've met wonderful people and made good friends here, there's a whole haze of class and culture that doesn't exist in Alaska. Although it's changed some over the years, Alaska and Alaskans still seem to care about what you can do rather than where you went to school (a few law firms aside). It's so stratified on the EC.
And the friendships we made in Alaska run deeper than any place else we've lived. A big reason is that many folks come up when they're young and you form your own circles. We had huge gatherings of "Alaska orphans" for holiday bashes and many of us have since spread out around the world.
It's a great place to raise kids. I had more trouble getting used to the extra light than the darkness. And winters in Seattle seemed gloomier because the Alaska snow was brighter than Washington gray.
A downside: it's often a long way from parents and friends who get sick in the Lower 48 -- despite the frequent flight schedules.
A caveat: Men often seem to like it more than women.
Just a few thoughts ... best of luck with your decision.
And a quiz for Gardyloo, do you recall what the acronym of the group WHATWOLF stands for?
It is, as noted, unanswerable, but a few observations might help a bit. My commute in DC (20 minutes on the Red Line) is only a little longer than it was from Eagle River (15 on the Glenn). And I enjoy so many things the city has to offer -- like a dinner at Zantinya followed by $10 NBA cheap seats.
But what I find different and toughest to take is more of an East/West thing.
Although we've met wonderful people and made good friends here, there's a whole haze of class and culture that doesn't exist in Alaska. Although it's changed some over the years, Alaska and Alaskans still seem to care about what you can do rather than where you went to school (a few law firms aside). It's so stratified on the EC.
And the friendships we made in Alaska run deeper than any place else we've lived. A big reason is that many folks come up when they're young and you form your own circles. We had huge gatherings of "Alaska orphans" for holiday bashes and many of us have since spread out around the world.
It's a great place to raise kids. I had more trouble getting used to the extra light than the darkness. And winters in Seattle seemed gloomier because the Alaska snow was brighter than Washington gray.
A downside: it's often a long way from parents and friends who get sick in the Lower 48 -- despite the frequent flight schedules.
A caveat: Men often seem to like it more than women.
Just a few thoughts ... best of luck with your decision.
And a quiz for Gardyloo, do you recall what the acronym of the group WHATWOLF stands for?
Feb 22nd, 2007, 10:24 PM
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We raised our family in Anchorage with no regrets. The hard parts: long, dark winters, icy roads for more than half the year, inability to hop in a car and drive to nearby states, high cost of living, and if you don't enjoy winter sports this will be a tough place to live. The good things outweigh the bad in my humble opinion: friendly people, some of the most beautiful scenary in the world, many outdoor activities in the summer and winter, long summer days (ahhh!), wildlife that we see daily, and a sense of spirit/adventure that you don't find in the "lower 48". We do have more than our fair share of addictions, domestic violence, gangs, but because our population is smaller it sometimes goes less noticed than in larger communities like LA. Now that my girls are teenagers the one thing they miss is the large shopping centers that are found in the "lower 48". Personally, that is something I can live without.
Feb 23rd, 2007, 05:52 AM
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yeah, gardy, that quote says plenty about AK:
Two of my other favs, the Chilkoot Charlie's motto: "We screw the other guy and pass the savings on to you."
And the advice to single women: "The odds are good but the goods are odd."
Seriously, tho, it's hard to think of a friendlier place.
And while there is plenty of mythology about "end of the roaders" -- the folks who travel there to get away from something, the truth is there are many, many more people who move to AK for one of the best reasons of all ... they just want to be there.
Two of my other favs, the Chilkoot Charlie's motto: "We screw the other guy and pass the savings on to you."
And the advice to single women: "The odds are good but the goods are odd."
Seriously, tho, it's hard to think of a friendlier place.
And while there is plenty of mythology about "end of the roaders" -- the folks who travel there to get away from something, the truth is there are many, many more people who move to AK for one of the best reasons of all ... they just want to be there.
