Also, an influx of people who are unaccustomed to driving on snow, ice, and heavy rain have created further traffic problems. Fortunately, you can get nearly anywhere within the city in minutes if there are no accidents. In the past few years, the municipality of Anchorage has seen a slight decrease in the number of residents.
Population decline can be caused by many different factors, but it bears monitoring. When a city experiences population decline, it can have an economic impact because there is less demand for some basic services and businesses. This includes shopping, restaurants, and hotels. According to a report from Forbes , Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough combine together to rank as the most dangerous U.
The Forbes ranking was a result of pulling together information from four categories of different types of violent crime in U. The Forbes data was pulled from the uniform crime report from the FBI in A ranking slide that is specific to Anchorage noted that in there were violent crimes for every , residents.
As of , Anchorage is still considered to be the second most dangerous city in Alaska. The most recent report notes that in , there were 2, aggravated assaults, 3, violent crimes, and 12, property crimes in Anchorage. Alaska has a higher cost of living because so much of the things people need to buy have to be shipped in via barge or plane.
Some frozen foods, such as pizza, are also significantly more expensive than in the continental U. Equally significant is the cost of utilities. Moreover, the U. The Chugach National Park is a mere 15 minutes outside of the city and has dozens of hiking trails.
Just 30 minutes away in Girdwood and Arctic Valley, you can enjoy snow skiing. Also, the city is full of biking trails. There are a total of 38 neighborhoods in the Anchorage Metropolitan Area.
Of the 38 areas, the following six rise to the top as the best neighborhoods overall. If you want to hang with the elite and enjoy the best views Anchorage has to offer then Rabbit Creek is the place to be. Though there are few amenities in Rabbit Creek, it does boast some of the best education options, impressive views, beautiful subdivisions, and less crime than most other neighborhoods. Ample hiking and biking trails offer year-round exercise.
Residents of Hillside-East are attracted to this neighborhood for its excellent schools, affordable housing, and stunning views, making this a very popular community for all ages and lifestyles. Bordering Chugach State Park on the east and Hillside Drive to the west, the neighborhood is easy to access yet offers a great place to get out of the hustle of city life.
Other strong selling points are the abundant wildlife, larger lots that provide privacy, and very little industry within the neighborhood. Chances are, you just may run into your neighbors enjoying a meal at the popular Hillside Family Restaurant.
College students and those in medical fields will appreciate the proximity of Rogers Park to the University of Alaska Anchorage and local hospitals. The majority of the population is made up of college students and young families. The lower housing cost and the influence of university students are factors that give the neighborhood a young vibe. Rogers Park Elementary, which is highly rated, is the only elementary school in the neighborhood.
Middle and high school students make a short commute to attend their assigned schools. Are you looking for a neighborhood with a suburban charm vibe? South Addition lots are larger and tinged with some interesting history. Nestled between Delaney Park Strip, Cook Inlet, and Chester Creek Greenbelt, this downtown neighborhood of about residents is a prime location if you want to be right in the hub of the city.
When developers built this neighborhood, they placed homes on spacious lots to encourage farming, and the older homes maintain significant historical value. The proximity to downtown gives ample opportunity for shopping and cultural events.
Delaney Park Strip is a well-known hub of activity year-round. Although there are several options for elementary schools depending on the exact address, middle school students attend Central Junior High School, and high school kids attend West Anchorage. A larger neighborhood with approximately 15, residents, this area is known for its low crime rate, an obvious plus for families.
Goldenview Junior High and South High school are also well-known, with excellent reputations. With shopping, dining, the Alaska Zoo, and Hamilton Park nearby, plus all the outdoor activities outside your door, you can stay as busy as you want to be.
If living in a beautiful, well-kept community is your goal, you might want to consider Bayshore-Klatt. Much like neighborhoods you would find in Seattle, Bayshore-Klatt has high landscaping and homeownership standards. Located on the southside, Bayshore-Klatt makes it easy to get to the coastline and outdoor activities. This neighborhood has plenty of coffee shops where you can meet up with friends for an espresso, and beautiful parks for families to enjoy.
Contact Great Guys Moving. Our goal is to make your move to Anchorage affordable and enjoyable! Skip to content. How It Works 1. Use our helpful moving guides, checklists, and online resources to make moving easier. How to Make Your Move A moving company Pack it yourself and use a shipping container for the voyage north on a container vessel — this also can include your vehicle. Fly to Anchorage. The international airport is Alaska's largest, with nonstop service from across the U.
It's 3 hours from Seattle and 5 hours from LAX. Drive part way and sail part way by driving to Bellingham, Wash. You can drive from either the north end of the route, Haines miles from Anchorage , or take the cross-Gulf of Alaska ferry to Whittier, just 90 minutes from Anchorage.
You do indeed drill and pump a lot of oil up in Alaska; but Alaska has no refineries and processing facilities. I have work here, at minimum 7. A normal jobs offers 8. Alaska is a good choice, or any other recommendations of the 48? Lol but everything adds up cuz of the APFD and the high salary. Rent yes it could be a little expensive but you get what you pay for and most of the house from the outside are not good looking compared to the inside that are great. Anchorage is becoming an example city for other states and it is growing pretty fast.
About the flights you just need to get a flight mile credit card. Alaska the last Frontier. How do I or wld I find more info on moving to alaska?! It wld be me and my 2 kids and maybe more in time!! They are controled. I have sect-8, and disability. Any advise? I love Alaska, moved from west Texas in 06 , left in for job promotion but going back as soon as posable. I feel crazy, nervous, and excited about possibly moving the Palmer AK. Have they come to visit and do you still feel connected?
I think it depends upon how supportive your family is of your move and how well you think they would do staying in contact. Oh, wow! That would be a huge change for you. How are you with winter?
I could comment on your questions in regards to Anchorage, but I am not too familiar with other areas of the state.
There are good and not-so-great neighborhoods in Anchorage: downtown is relatively safe as well as west and south Anchorage. Jobs are usually pretty good—unless your area of expertise is really specialized, then it might be a little harder to find a job. I live in the bush teaching high school to Inupiat kids. I wish I could get to the lower 48 for bucks! It costs me over this year to go home for Christmas. My husband and I moved to Ketchikan Southeast Alaska 5 weeks ago.
And the people really are either VERY friendly or aloof and cranky. There seems to be no in between. FYI if you were born here in Alaska, you are an Native Alaskan and if you are like me who blood, you are Alaska Native, but not all Alaska Natives are Eskimos so if you are visiting here, are come here to live, please know the difference. As someone who was born and raised here, it is disheartening to see people come up here and get angry because they let their pets out and their pets get attacked or eaten.
Small dogs, like chihuahuas, small terriers, or anything that is tea cup size can and often has been picked up and carried off by Eagles or Owls so if you are going to move here, know the dangers and be prepared. Do you homework, look at the job market and the rental and house market before you make the move. In the summer, most of the days can be dark and cloudy with steel gray skies and drizzly rain.
The sun is not something you see a lot of in the summer, nor is temperatures over 65 most days. Ocassionally we get lucky and get a couple of really nice sunny days in June and July were it can get close to 70, but it never really last longer than a day or two, so if you use to a place like Texas or Nevada where almost every day is a sunny day, Alaska may not be the place for you.
Spring and Fall are very short and last weeks, we do not live by the calendar like the lower It is almost May now and the grass is still dead, there are no leaves on trees, and no sight of green grass will even be present for another weeks. It is not cheap to live here, that is for sure, it takes strong willed people who can handle 20 hours of darkness in the winter for 3 months or longer around the Anchorage area, months of darkness, in the Fairbanks area almost 24 hours a day, and sometimes tons and tons of snow, bitter cold, and only 2 directions to drive, south toward Homer and North to North Pole and Tok, then you are out of road… Living here, can sometimes be like living on a big giant island and if you are tight on money, it can be too expensive to fly out or even move out if you find out you made a mistake.
And yes, Alaska is like a whole other country, so you will be thousands of miles away from the rest of the U. Also, when family has passed, I have not been able to get there because getting out on short notice is often impossible and can be in the thousands…..
Good luck to anyone who thinks they can make it here, living here really is survival of the fittest. Thank you Lauren, for your honest post. I have been trying to get a job with the VA for quite some time now and AK seems to always have some open positions. My wife and I are currently in Houston and are not really enjoying the perpetual heat.
We want to be outside with our dogs but when it is 95 degrees for weeks on end…you get the picture. The only upside to would be that both of us would have good paying jobs from the start. I am a little afraid of the cost for housing but as I would only have to stay there a year before I could transfer to another VA…I am not too afraid.
Again, thank you Lauren for enlightening us. You just have to be adventurous. Embrace outdoor life. But if you can get out for a couple of weeks somewhere warm like Mexico in December-February, it really helps the break up the winter.
Seeing family is definitely the hardest part. My folks are in the UK, 9 time zones ahead. Before Skype it sucked. Alaska Airlines is the best mileage program there is — so getting a credit card from them really helps.
That is exactly what im beginning to believe. Your disposition is important. If your a hiker walker, like privacy, open spaces. Woods nature. I think you do fine in ak. It seems like u could also be describing Ontario without the getting paid to live here part. Its only expensive because you live in the city,if you moved a little further out you would have experienced the true Alaska experience,its not that bad living there as long as your not afraid of a little hard work.
My husband wants to move there…. It makes sense that it feels like another country since it only became a state in I moved away from Alaska after 3 years in Anchorage working at a hospital there.
I really thought I wanted to leave and took a job in AZ, a state I was familiar with and missed. Guess what? I missed Alaska! I miss the clean air and the friendly people, I miss the wildlife in my back yard, I miss the good beer and the good times, I miss the endless summer days and endless opportunities for adventure.
To each their own I guess. I think Alaska is one of those parts of the world that just has such a draw, because it is quite different from most of the lower Most people I know that left Alaska after living there for at least a couple of years end up moving back.
I moved from Alaska to Florida for a job. I was surprised to find the produce here is no better. Florida is a place you mark time: fight the traffic to work, sit in an office, fight traffic home, very hard to make friends. Alaska is a place you really live. I would love to know if you still live there and any tips. My husband just got a job offer there. Interesting read. I moved to Cordova in , but live in Anchorage now. Did you know this post was just featured in this article?
Cool, huh? I moved to Fairbanks Alaska from the UK in Fairbanks is a wonderful community. Really easy to make friends, especially if you are part of UAF. Gatherings are potluck parties, frequency involving bonfires under aurora-lit skies. Trips to cabins and hot springs in the winter.
Incredible running, hiking, canoeing, cross-country skiiing. Yes, it does get brutally cold and dark. So invest in good clothing because being able to get outside in the winter and enjoy it is key. Fairbanks winters are arguably better than British ones — much colder, but much drier too. Hi Michelle I am very pleased I have come across your page or thread on here. I am very interested in considering relocating to Alaska. It is indeed The Last Frontier for many to re-locate to. That is half of the appeal but it is so very different and alien to so many of us from our own countries,climates and social cultures!
I have climbed,mountaineered and been into survival for half my life but I am still hesitant to go that little bit further and relocate or buy land for the reasons mentioned by so many here. It is such a diverse,isolated and expensive location to move to. Expect the extremes and you will not be too surprised! Thank you again and I hope you do get the chance to move near your family again in the very near future.
Here what I think if you are 20 to Are not mechanically inclined construction fishing Forrester, Hunter, or scalding fish, or?? You should avoid ak. And come here to miami, where you can drink wine taisting the light services, club hop, and surf and swim.
Etc… I But when you move to ak. You have to accept or develop a rugged mind set. That Ak is its own country. Mostly cuase it can be. Ak has no need??.. Cuase they. The lower 48 have no bargaining power.
Which leads to zero socially and cultural leverage. Plain and simple. If someone started messing with there way of life?? They would just up and find other international willing customers for there wood fish and oil. Plus who is going to get these resources?? Cuase oil wood fish is at stake. And soon, water. Or ask cali..?? So long as they have resources. Except AK is heavily dependent on the revenue and the employment generated from the military bases there as well as numerous other subsidies from the federal government that AK benefits heavily from.
Your opinion that AK seemingly can stand alone from the rest of the nation is an illusion. Hypothetically, if AK was truly an independent sovereign nation it would be a desperate place to live with such a small population. You think AK prices are bad now? AK would be a poor and very expensive much more than it currently is place to be a resident. Oh my gosh. I would love to get to talk to you more!
I am a 16 year old junior in high school and since I was 12, I have wanted to move and live to Alaska. Its been my dream! I am an outdoorsy person an I love nature, and I have been researching and looking up information on Alaska and I have even looked up land that I want. I love everything about it. And I cannot wait for the day I make it up there and live off of the land. Any other information or suggestions that you or anyone else could give me would be awesome! Thank you for your time!!
And ran alot during my 20 s. I can tell you first hand the running I had from 19 to Has been almost like the Alaska dividend….. I have reaped life long rewards from it, even?? Because of the recession, and always looking for and trying to keep work. Still I was never truely out of shape cuase of that intense running. Now that the recession is over and work does not have to be worried about as much.
From a peak, of at about through So running is truly important. More hormones are realised when sprinting. Great post! Thank you for sharing! Houston holds a pretty heavy influence over Anchorage.
It would be nice if more cities were like Reno Nevada with a circle blvd around the outside that allows alternate traffic to not clog up the freeways and it made for VERY smooth sailing even during rush hour which the two freeways would be jammed so we would go on Mccarran blvd which there is many options to cut thru town. If that was a model for Anchorage it would improve traffic over there. I have seen Anchorage on street view and it looks like little to no planning was done.
Reno Nevada thought ahead and a lot of traffic congestion is relived and it could be a whole lot worse. My wife and I spent some time renting an RV and working our way through Alaska when we had one kid. Just came upon your blog today, I love it!! I do have a question for you though.. What would be your list of things to stock up on from the lower 48 before making the move up north?!
What are must haves or needs that we should either keep or look into purchasing?! Hi, I live in Anchorage and just came upon your comment from a few months ago, Alaska is huge, that is the first thing to remember. So you really can get anything you need here. There is nothing special about Alaska Alaska is the same as any other place you like it you love it or you leave it there is nothing special about the people there people are all the same in general nice people good people evil people bad people.
Thank you for sharing this. My wife and I are considering being adventurous and moving to Alaska to teach. We currently teach in Las Vegas and I think this is by far the absolute worst place to live. We have been here for 6 years and I want out so bad. My dream is to live in Alaska.
However, I want to live in Sitka. Have you ever been there? Is it different than Anchorage? I have never been there. I think you would have to live in Alaska a long time and get to know everyone well for you to really enjoy this place. I definitely agree that there are a lot of nice people here.
I also agree Anchorage is a very diverse place. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own little world here that we forget what other states have to offer too. My one bedroom apt. I chose to live in Palmer Ak. My food prices are comparable to Southern, Ca. As far as driving conditions, let me see, Moose and snow—compared to drive by shootings, car-jackings, hourly Sig Alerts and the occasional Brit who thinks he can drive the freeways, just after landing.
I agree when I lived in anchorage in , I remember prices being around Northern California prices. There were a few items you paid more for but nothing overwhelming. Now in Sacramento California you pay for 3 bed house about sq ft. That is horrible to me. Overall I think it was a great quality of life compare to parts of California. I am from Kansas and we are going to move soon to Borrow. I am going to coach football up there. Any advise for us? The people there are very friendly.
I even saw six polar bears the first time I was there about five miles out of town where they drag the whale bones.
Good luck! I hope it works out for you. I enjoyed your comments. I watching a show. It looks beautiful. Good luck with your family. God Bless??? I have lived in 7 states, starting with Northern Minnesota, so the weather felt good to me. We have a really good symphony, an Opera company, a ballet company, a Concert Chorus, a great performing arts center for all these things, and we also get some traveling shows. There is also a form for people interested in moving here, with information from the Chamber of Commerce and you can get lots of information about places to live, cost of living, job situations, etc.
But you can get lots of visitor information for free by filling out the online form or calling the above number. There are a lot of people who live in Anchorage who have never been to the downtown visitor center. The original one is a little log cabin which is just gorgeous and very cute, and the newer one is next door and is in the old city hall bldg.
It really depends on what part of town you live in as to how well the bus system works. I live near downtown near 4 bus lines so it works out ok for me but for a lot of people it is difficult to get around on the bus. For some reason people living in Anchorage like the chains! Again, great thread. Hope this helps someone……. Thank you!! I was born and raised in Alaska and lived there almost my whole life. It has gotten even more expensive over the last few years.
The cost of living has really jumped. Another thing about Alaska is that most of the housing is very tiny and outdated! You are paying a fortune for a small apartment. I have lived in 9 different apartments in Anchorage and they were all expensive and small. Unless you have a lot of money you are probably going to have to be crammed in a ft apartment.
Another thing that really bothered me was being indoors 9 months out of the year. I also really hate the trapped feeling you get there. My mother is in the process of relocating to MN.
The transportation system is state of the art, so that a plus. I hope she likes it there. The extended hours of days light, the twilight hours, the views speak for themselves. We discovered Alaska offers a different type of living, than living in the lower A more peaceful way of life. What more could you as for?! We had the opportunity to explore Seward, Anchorage, Wasilla, and Palmer. If visiting you will not be bored!
I was a little disappointed with the food options, not to much to chose from. Not to bad. I suffered jet lag while there and it was one of the worst feelings ever. I had no clue what was happening to me. I recovered after a day or so. But overall it was a great experience. But I can! Our plan is to visit during the winter to get a taste of an Alaskan winter and the darkness! I have read many comments on this thread and they mention the cold and the darkness.
How cold is it? Is the cold the main concern or the amount of snow? How dark is? Is there really 30 days of night? Considering all the challenges, if one still decides to live in Alaska, which specific locations are somewhat better in regards to climate and schools for kids?
Plus, do you know if green card holders are entitled for dividend fund? The climate of Southeast Alaska is a little more mild than the northern part of Alaska.
I would stick to the larger communities for better schools. We have 4 kids. Not a lot. I had not choice in the decision to move. Are there many doctors? Can I find a doctor without worrying I will be left stranded?
Do you think I can survive up there? There are several doctors in the Anchorage area, which is less than an hour away. I would highly suggest seeking medical help maybe a counselor to help you cope with your depression. The comment went to my spam account for some reason maybe because of the link??
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