Life in ALASKA?

Question

We are seriously considering a move to Alaska. I know nothing about it though really. What area's are good for families w/ kids? Where is the cost of living the best,lots of jobs,housing etc.? My husband is a certified forklift operator and also does stone masonry, where would he be able to find those jobs? What is the weather REALLY like? What kind of bugs are there? Are there snakes? Are bears a big risk? Please give me any info you know or links please! Thanks!

Answer 1

biggest city is anchorage so that's probably the best place to find work. It's pretty cold, but it's also arid. so on a still day you could run around in shorts and a t-shirt. no bugs that i could think of. no snakes, too cold. in a city area bears aren't a problem.

Answer 2

The last two people who answered your question were wrong about a couple of things.  First, Anchorage is not the capital of Alaska.  Juneau is.  Second, there ARE bugs here and the most annoying ones are mosquitos.  I'm not talking like the little tiny kind you have in the Lower 48.  The mosq. here are HUGE and they are all OVER in the warmer months.  Third, Alaska was the 48th state, not the 50th.

Anchorage is a city, but you'd do better living near Fairbanks if you have kids and want things to do for a family.  The cost of living here is very high, mostly because everything has to be shipped by boat or plane.  Food is way more expensive than the Lower 48.  The quality of produce isn't good unless you buy from local growers.  

If your family likes camping, hunting, and fishing, they will love it here.  There are trails everywhere for ATVs and snowmachines (and bikes, if you're careful).  Lots of places to hike.  You have six months of daylight when the kids can be out to all hours (especially in the summer when they have no school) and then six months of mostly dark.  

Houses for sale are always around, although the prices are more expensive than you might be used to.  Still, it's doable.  Fuel oil to heat the home is going to be your biggest expense.  Try heating the home with a woodstove if you can.

The weather is extreme.  You may like cold weather and winter, but you haven't experienced winter until you've done it here.  Everything is a struggle in the winter, but some people thrive in it.  Your cars will need to be winterized (have special heaters installed for the oil, engine, battery, etc.) and it will have to be plugged in whenever you park.  The temps in the Fairbanks area go down to 40 or 50 below zero and can go up to 80 or 90 in the summer.

Snakes - I've never seen one here, although some say they've seen garter snakes.  Nothing to worry about there.

The wildlife is all over and you need to be careful if you have small pets who go outdoors.  Ravens are huge and will pick up little dogs if you live in rural areas.  Eagles too, although they can't sustain carrying them for long.  

Bears are always a risk, no matter what state you live in.  It's not like there are polar bears running around the city though!  Grizzlies (brown bears) are fierce, but stay out of their way and obey the regulations and you'll be fine.  Don't keep garbage outside the home.  You'll draw all sorts of creatures that way - wolves, bears, etc.  Just use common sense and don't ever think you're in a zoo where the animals will let you take their picture from up close.

If I were you, I would start going to the library and signing out any books about Alaska that I could.  Try to learn all you can about the people here and the cultural differences.  This is a VERY unique place to live - and some people absolutely hate it while others would never live anywhere else.

The worst thing (for us) about living here is that you are so far from family in the rest of the US.  Plane tickets cost a fortune and it's just not feasible or possible to drive out of here during a lot of months of the year.  A lot of Alaska can't be reached except by plane, boat, or snowmachine, so you can either love the wilderness and lack of shopping choices or good restaurants, or you can love that this state is huge and you can really get away from everything.  You just need to be educated about how to stay safe here - especially in winter, because mistakes cost lives every season from those who used poor judgment.  

Hope this gave you a small taste of what it's like in Alaska!

Answer 3

The cap. is Ancorage! It can have some bad earthquakes, I hear! Those r the only things I kno about Alaska bsides it was the 50th state in2 the Union of the U.S! Sorry I wasn't anymore help!