Does anybody on here live in Anchorage, or has previously? I'm interested in some of the pros/cons of living there, as well as some things to think about if one was looking at relocating there.

Honestly there are a lot of cons, especially for someone from Texas. The winters are brutal and can lead to depression in some people. Cost of living is high too. You never realize how you take for granted things like getting fresh fruit at the grocery store or having decent Mexican food.

That being said it is an unbelievable experience and one I would not trade. The pros are the beautiful summers, fly fishing the Russian River, little league baseball games at 2 in the morning during the summer, white water rafting at Denali National Park, stores that sell moose turds as a souvenir, road trips to Seward, an intricate snow tunnel system in your front yard, moose that climb on your roof when the snow gets too high and smoked sockeye salmon.

Well I live in Denver now, so I've gotten used to not having decent Mexican food. Alledgedly the company gives a cost of living adjustment for Anchorage, but not sure exactly what that means yet.

How bad are the winters? What about rental properties/apartments -- selection and price? Do you really feel that isolated, or is it pretty reasonable to get flights in and out?

Wayner Ag, I lived there for 4 years. As far are rental properties, there are really no complexes like you would find in the "lower 48". What large complexes do exist are either A. really nasty and run down or 2. Priced above so high it would make sense to just buy. I rented 3 different properties when I was there and they were 4 plex/6 plex type units owner by individuals. The last place I stayed at was built in 1975, had an alley way for a driveway and was 1000 sq. ft and I was paying $1000/month, that was 4 years ago. I was lucky to find that place as the owner has renovated some of the interior, but you have to be lucky.

As far as buying houses, if you are going to buy in Anchorage, expect to pay around $400k for a nice, newer home in a good part of town. Yes, there are bad parts with shootings/gangs, generally the Southwest/Southeast side of the city is the best, stay away from the Northside/downtown area. Lots of families live in the "valley" towns of Wasilla/Palmer where the cost of housing if cheaper, but that includes a 45 minute commute one way on a good day. Winter commutes from the valley could double depending on the snow/accidents.

There is no state income tax, no sales tax in the Anchorage itself and after you live there one calendar year you get the PFD which is roughly $1000/year per person. I myself would not want to raise a family there as you are pretty much isolated, but you can get flights from Seattle for about $300, but still that is a 6hr round trip. Winters are totally different than Denver. Expect first snow to star in mid October and stop in mid April. The first March I was there we had almost 3 feet of snow fall in 24 hours, madness. In the winter you will have the sun rise around 10am and set around 4pm. Summers though are great, all 3 months of them, you can get about 20 hours of sunlight.
Cost of everything from groceries, furniture, dining out is also a lot of higher. If your company offers a cost of living adjustment coming from Denver, I would seriously with a straight face tell them you need to pay me 25% more than what you are paying me now.

Thanks! This is all great information.

What about cars? Is a front wheel drive car good enough, or will a 4WD/AWD be needed? I currently drive a corolla, but would not be opposed to upgrading for the right price if it is needed. On that note, can you recommend if it would be better to buy a car in Anchorage, or buy one down here before I leave? I'm generally opposed to leasing a car, but would it make sense in Anchorage if I'm only planning on being there about 2 years?

Any tips on where to look for rental properties?

I think my next email will be trying to find a contact for the A&M club up there. Well, I'm assuming there is an A&M club in Alaska....

Thanks again for the advice!

There is an A&M club up there. As far a 4wd vs.
2wd, you can get steel studded tires up there and you will be fine with your Corolla. Remember, just because you have 4 wd, doesn't mean you can stop better in the ice, all about driving SLOW in the ice. Before living there I had never driven in the snow and I had a company car with only front wheel drive and was fine with the studded tires, just use common sense and take it easy at intersections where the snow has melted and frozen back up. You can either ship your car up there which would be close to $1k one way.

As far as rentals go, stay South if you can help. There are no zoning laws up there, so one property will have a ply wood shack next to a brand new condo. You can post addresses and I will tell you if that is a good area or not. Try craigslist as I stated before the larger managed properties are pretty trashy with shady tenants.

All this talk about the cold sounds great to me... I recently moved back to Texas from living in Europe, the Middle East and then northern Africa for the company I worked for. I grew up in Texas but lived in Maine for a bit after school. What is the job market like in Alaska? It always seems a little harder to find a job out of state unless you have a contact.

Military/Oil/Tourism are the big employers up there. There is a "brain drain", at least in my opinion for young/educated people up there. The smart, well off kids once they graduate from high school will take off and go to college in the lower 48 and never look back, I believe several states offer in state tuition since the colleges, all 2 of them in Anchorage, are crap(take home/open book test)

I'm an oil baby, born in Alaska, graduated from high school in Anchorage and have also lived 8hrs in Lousiana in the 80's.

Growing up in AK was absolutely amazing. Cost of living is much higher, and if you want to take a vacation somewhere it'll cost a mint. But the state is so large there's plenty of places to go and see.

As far as the winters go: you need to be a hobbist or SOMETHING to get you through the dark and cold. When i was in HS I was a cross-country skiier, just to get your butt outside during the sun. Of course classes ended at 2pm so a working professional is going to have to figure it out.

Figure feet of standing snow all winter, this isn't Denver and a dusting, there's massive amounts of snow to deal with. You'll love it, or hate it. Around March you just start going crazy. Then the summer hits and it's gravy.

All that being said, I haven't been back in 14 years, and am making a trip this July. It'll be interesting to see how the city has changed.

Again, thanks for all the info. I'm still waiting on the company to make things official. After that happens, and I know more of what I'm working with and a timeline, I'm sure I'll be requesting reviews on specific parts of town and other information.

I've been able to do some research and am exciting and looking forward to it. Hopefully things will get moving a bit quicker and I can get up there while there is actually still some sunlight left.

Can anybody give any advice on what trucks cost up there? I currently drive a corolla, and while it sounds like that would be fine if I stayed in the city, I'm looking at upgrading to something with 4wd so I can get out and play. Trying to see what makes the most sense -- buying a used 4wd truck/suv up there, or buying one in Texas and letting my company ship it up there. Any thoughts?

Trucks do not make good snow/ice vehicles in my opinion. You have no weight in the bed which means reduced traction, unless you plan on putting sand bags in the bed over the rear axle, I would get not get one for up there if I had my choice. Plus the bed will fill up with snow very quickly so then you will have to get a camper shell. You would be better off with an SUV, or a Subaru, which tons of people have up their with the full time AWD. As far as cost, there is no sales tax in the Anchorage city limits, but everything cost more up there of course. If your company pays for the shipping of your vehicle, you should be able to get a better price on a 4wd ot AWD vehicle here in TX, then ship it up there.

[This message has been edited by jsc8116 (edited 6/15/2010 10:59p).]

Does anybody know anything about the following places? I don't have the exact locations at the moment, just checking for name recognition.

Outlook Apartments
Admiral's Cover Apartments
Town Square Manor
Foxwood Condos
Discovery Condos?
Creekside Manor

Outlook Apartments-dump, downtown area, old

Admiral's Cover Apartments-newer construction, I think some are actually owner condos

Town Square Manor=not sure
Foxwood Condos=old dump
Discovery Condos=old dump
Creekside Manor=old dump

Your best best will be to find a privately owned four plex, etc that will have been renovated. Try craigslist. Apartments complexes up there are pretty run down and lots of trash/ enlisted military will be in the larger properties.

Offer and everything finally came through...

Does anybody know anything about Pacific Rim Property management company, or Tracy Zeigler-property manager/leasing specialist?

Also, what about the area around 20th and Bragaw?

There is some newer downtown condos that were being built right before I left in 2007. As stated before, I would recommend looming at the privately owner properties for rentals such as duplexes/4plexes. There would be 1-2 larger apartment communities up there that would even come close to what you would be renting down in the lower 48.

I have a family member who may interview for a job in Anchorage also. I've looked at the apartments on line, trying to match complexes/townhomes/condos to the guidelines on living in the postings above on staying in the city(due to weather and driving conditions) but on the south east, south west side. Can any of you provide a little more guidance on how far south, and what major intersections one should try to obtain housing near to help zero in on a neighborhood?

I finally found a duplex to rent. It is a very different market from what I was used to. Craigslist is a good place to look. It does also help to actually be here in person, or have somebody here, to help you look. I'll be happy to offer any assistance I can, as I know I could have used some. However, I've been here for less than two weeks, so my assistance may be of limited value, who knows.

Also, crime and "bad areas" are relative. Driving around some of the "bad areas" in Anchorage, to me, haven't seen all that bad at all. They may be bad and high crime for what the locals are used to, but if you're coming from a large city down south, I don't think it is that bad. However, you can leave yourself a target in the "safest" of neighborhoods and if something happens, you will always see that as a unsafe area.

WaynerAg, thank you, its a few months off if it happens at all, but either way, I'd like to hear your impressions from time to time, especially as the weather changes. Thanks again, stay warm.

Wayner, what kind of price ranges were you looking at in the Anchorage area? I am considering a move to Alaska as well and would like to get a general idea of what you found? And what part of town are in?

Hey I've been in Anchorage for about 4yrs. I moved straight from CS, but have loved it. The winter doesn't get me down that bad, and the summer more than makes up for it.

If you need anything let me know.

Zeus-- Price ranges greatly depending on what you're looking for and what you're willing to do without. Can you do without a garage, an extra bedroom, upgraded appliances, etc? I found some cheap places, 1 bedroom maybe even 2, for around $1,000, but they never got a seond look from me as they didn't meet my requirements. One the other hand, I found 1 bedrooms that were over $2,000/month.

Originally, I was looking for something with a garage and 2 bedrooms around the $1,400 point. I ended up having to open my price range up a bit to +/- $1,600 and found a cookie-cutter 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage pretty much right in the middle of town. So far, no complaints.

Gus-- Do you do anything with the A&M club up here? We should grab a beer.



Ahhhhhh pickle shoes!

I try to, but I get pretty busy. I work for the Budweiser distributor up here so my work hours can vary. My wife has been in charge of the clubs scholarship in the past and we try to make muster, but had to miss it last year.

Where are you working up here? And where abouts dis you find a place? I've lived all over town before I got married and never had a problem with crime.

My real name is Tim Holliday. Shoot me an email to "myname"@kldistributor.com

I am a simple guy so I really don't need much as far as living arrangements. And the job offer doesn't really adjust for the cost of living that is required to move to Alaska. I am familiar with Alaska as I lived there as a kid. I am most likely looking at a roommate situation or not much room for one person. I am running the numbers now and it seems quite difficult to make the move.

I am also in the process of weighing future job options with my company. Anchorage came up as a possibility. It would be a 3 year commitment. I think it would be good for my career, but am still not sure how much of a shock the adjustment would be. I own a starter home now and if I moved there (within a year to two years from now) I am not sure me and the wife would be able to afford to buy a similar place, even if the company buys it back when we move back to the lower 48...

Tried sending Gus an email, but it wouldn't work. I've been absolutely slammed with work, but have a bit of breathing room now. If anybody in Anchorage is interested in grabbing a beer, let me know. Can always use more drinking buddies.

That's strange that the email wouldn't work as I've never had problems before.

Did you put two L's in Holliday? That's a mistake people make all the time so just checking. If it still won't work let me know. Should be timholliday@...

Work is hella busy for me right now too, but that's because there's nothing to do on these long winter nights except drink apparently.

I'm moving to Anchorage in a month or so and it looks like there is some great info in this thread.

how many of you actualy live in anchorage/surrounding area now?

I still do...

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Well I live in Denver now, so I've gotten used to not having decent Mexican food.

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I take it you never hit up Federal Blvd? While not as good as the valley, I think Denver has better Mexican food than the majority of states.

any of yall still in anchorage? just moved up here this week and was looking at getting an angle on the local winter sports. hoping to go to the aggie club game watch at Peanut Farm but may be up on the slope

email me at username@aggienetwork.com

TIA

Lived in Palmer for three years. Like someone mentioned it's about 40 minutes to anchorage and my dad used to make the commute. Loved no taxes and the dividend. Palmer wasilla is in a valley so going up the mountains was fun and the melted snow in the river was so clean and crisp. Every year around sept or oct you had to put on snow tires so idk if the while 4wd is a big deal. I know there were a lot of subarus up there compared to texas

Any of you guys familiar with Fairbanks in early spring (Feb/Mar). My wife and I are contemplating going up to watch the Aurora Borealis. I am curious what driving conditions are like and other things to do to keep occupied during non Aurora hours. I appreciate any insight or a contact. Thanks.

LOL, "early spring" for Fairbanks in more like May/June, not much to do there anyways that time of year unless you want to stay huddled in your hotel room and not freeze your a** off. Roads will not be great and if you are only going to see the northern lights, there are other things you could spend you money on. Just my 2 cents from living in Anchorage for 4 years.

This has been a crazy year for aurora activity so if you can make it, this is the year apparently, but with it hitting -50 this past weekend, bring every bit of clothing you have in your house.