POtential Relocation to Anchorage - What's It Like?

[Lane Meyer]

So there's a very small chance I may have the chance to relocate to Anchorage in the next six months - I'm trying to gather info. I know nothing, and have never even been to AK. I realize I can look these things up, but I value the input of the minions.

What's Anchorage like, specifically in terms of:
1. Climate - I looked it up on wunderground.com, seems to be akin to Seattle, rainy/cloudy 75%, sunny 25% - is this about right? Is is butt-ass cold most of the year, and lukewarm the rest?
2. Daylight length - is it really really dark most of the winter?
3. Access to hiking/fishing/skiing/kayaking (need I even ask) comparable to Portland/Seattle/Boulder?
4. Skiing - what are the nearest hills of interest to an ex Squaw local? Season passes?
5. GF would need job in Environmental or conservation Planning/GIS - solid industry in those fields?
6. Does the city have any culture? Nightlife?
7. Cost of living - about 10-30% higher than the mainland US? (I'm used to this anyway).
8. Airfare - is it exorbitantly expensive to fly anywhere from Anchorage? can you even fly direct to Hawaii (family) or do you have to go through Seattle/LA?

Thanks!

[Samwich]

I don't know much about it because i don't live there, but from being there for a couple days, this is what I can tell you:

It is the biggest little town I've ever seen. Everywhere you go, it looks as if you're in some tiny ass town somewhere, but it keeps going and going and going. You'll see when you get there.

It's prolly a cool place to live.

[Alkasquawlik]

G-
I don't have too much experience there but I was there for about 10 days and this is what I can tell you
-Aleyska has some decent terrain. Not comparable to Squaw but the shit under the tram is pretty sick.
-Girdweed is a damn chill town that is like Tahoe City only with more community feel and even more weed (imagine that)
-I was there in April and the temps were very comparable to Tahoe in the Spring, only a bit wetter with a lot less sunshine.
-Anchorage had a cool feel to it and it many ways has more night life than the north shore has ever had.
-Overall AK had a cool mellow vibe to it with some amazing terrain and even more amazing scenery. I wouldn't want to live there full time but wouldn't mind spend a year or two there.

Just my $.02

[Odin]

1. Climate is close to Seattle, but more so if you head out towards Valdez. Anchorage itself does get rain, but during the summer is very very nice. High temps never get much higher than 70. The mistaken idea about AK is that we are ass cold all the time. While you will get those days of below zero temps I don't think the weather is very bad here at all.

2. Relativly Dark until Feb 1st then we have 8 hrs of daylight back. We are gaining over 2 and a half minutes right now. Your ski day in December begins at 10:30 and ends at 3 to 3:30, unless you night ski.

3. Better than any of those places for the adventure lover. Hiking up in some places is old school, topo, compass, survival gear, and no trail - fun. (mountain biking is in relativly woefull form though, although I don't participate and rapids kayaking is ass cold) Fishing is one of the best spots on the planet.

4. Alyeska is the only game in town. (Anchorage area has three hills, hilltop: Jibber/Night skiing paradise/small Alpenglow: Small Alyeska: Rockin. If the north face and traverses aren't open it skis small. Holds pow well though. Passes are expensive. Almost makes more sense to put your money into a snomachine.

5. Don't know, but I believe those are solid fields up here.

6. Culture: depends upon what you are talking about. Alaskan culture is very laid back. Jeans to work for most people. Nightlife is little-big-cityish. Everyone you meet knows your friend or your friends friend.

7. Cost of living isn't too bad in anchorage. Other places it is high.

8. Yes and No. Salt Lake - Expensive, Seattle - Not, Hawaii - Not (comparitvly) - France - Not (supisingly) East Coast - Expensive Please note though: I don't think that I have seen ANY out of state fair for under 150. Most fairs are 350 to 400 or more.

Here is the biggest deal to AK. You come up here to do BC skiing and Heli-skiing. If you want to ski a resort area 24/7 the lower 48 is more your bag. If you like to get out in the Back Country and see the most amazing terrain/scenery anywhere that I have been, then come here. The back country is beyond belief, and limitless. If you want pow you can get it, if you want to ski until July you can get it, if you want to ski amazing terrain you can get it.

[grrrr]

Odin is pretty right on. The weather is overall colder and not as moderate as Seattle, though still moderate by AK standards. Summer is alot of 60s, winter varies from 30s down to minus 20s. Most years see a lot of cloud cover in the summer (last summer not withstanding).

There is NO comparison for outdoor activities in the lower 48. Hunting, fishing, nordic, BC, snowmobiling, hiking, etc. Imagine the best of each you can find in the lower 48 - all wrapped up in one.

Work for your GF? Don't worry, she'll leave you about November, either to move south or to shack up with someone else. As they say, bring your own, but be prepared to share.

What is worse than the cost of getting anywhere is the time. My last trip from Kodiak to Mexico involved four planes over 27 hours.

[splat]

After five years of commuting to Anchorage and Fairbanks to work, I'll just say you'll need to feel comfortable hanging in a kind of small city that sometimes feels as distant from the Lower 48 as it really is. That said, the mountains are awesome, the winter can get dreary, your gf is in a field that has work (not as much as when the Exxon Valdez spilled) and the getaway to Islands is no more expensive than from SF. Summer is incredibly beautiful, especially if you're an insomniac.

[The AD]

Remember that it's a pretty long haul getting back to the lower 48. Air miles from Anchorage to Seattle is something like 1,400! Compare that to something like 600 miles between Reno and Seattle.

[splat]

Originally posted by The AD
Remember that it's a pretty long haul getting back to the lower 48. Air miles from Anchorage to Seattle is something like 1,400! Compare that to something like 600 miles between Reno and Seattle.

Oh, I remember. I commuted almost weekly to Anchorage and Fairbanks from Reno. Nice way to make Gold on Alaska Airlines and bank some killer miles for ski trips.

[joshbu]

I found Alaska to have a very unique flavor. The people are all very open and warm. I think it might have something to do with the reality that Alaska is not controlled by man-kind, yet. You don't have to go very far into the backcountry to be in a place more wild and remote than anything in the lower 48.

It's a killer feeling. I like it and I've already got plans to make an annual pillgramage.

[Evil E]

from what I hear, its just like corvallis, Oregon. Except its further north and they make fun of tall dorky redheads.

[Rusty Nails]

Your girl would find PLENTIFUL work opportunity. Either through consulting firms or state or federal work. TONS of GIS/env. sci. employment up there.

Odin explained the climate/skiing right on.

Not to dis Samich, but he knows nothing. Downtown Anchorage is pretty damn nice and once you know where to go it's a VERY fun city. Great restaurants since there aren't many chains up there (comparatively) and some really cool watering holes. Fack, I think I-5 is a big stretch of trash. Puyallup? Pacific Ave? Shoot me in the head. Anchorage rules and I enjoyed living there year round for four years.

Traveling is NOT that spendy if you plan well ahead. Flights in the summer are expensive. The rest of the year is not too bad and sometimes cheap. Besides, you're an ass if you want to leave AK in the summer. It's paradise. Leave in the dark and dreary days of Nov-Jan. By Feb, tons of light.

Hiking - right out your back door. Fishing - best in the world. Kayaking - can't do it from Anchorage, hafta go down to Whittier, Valdez or Homer. Biggest pisser about Anchorage is Cook Inlet -- all that beautiful water and all you can do is look at it.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Rusty Nails

Hiking - right out your back door.

I almost forgot to tell Lane about clamming in the Turnagain Arm Mudflats! WHOOT!

[Innominatus]

Originally posted by Rusty Nails
Biggest pisser about Anchorage is Cook Inlet -- all that beautiful water and all you can do is look at it.

Why? Currents too strong or something?

[iceman]

Originally posted by Rusty Nails
[B. Biggest pisser about Anchorage is Cook Inlet -- all that beautiful water and all you can do is look at it. [/B]

I don't understand. You can't go boating?

[Rusty Nails]

2nd largest tide flucuation in the world (Bay of Fundy #1). Currents are nuts and it's very shallow during low tide. Plus, tidal flats are deadly. There is a small clique of about a half dozen bozos that windsurf the shit out of Turnagain arm in 40+ mph winds, but they are the only ones!

[Viva]

Originally posted by Rusty Nails
There is a small clique of about a half dozen bozos that windsurf the shit out of Turnagain arm in 40+ mph winds, but they are the only ones!

Sounds like our kind of peoples.

[ak_powder_monkey]

What's Anchorage like, specifically in terms of:
1. Climate - I looked it up on wunderground.com, seems to be akin to Seattle, rainy/cloudy 75%, sunny 25% - is this about right? Is is butt-ass cold most of the year, and lukewarm the rest?

Nope its sunny most of the time, we are in a rain shadow behind the chugach, we average about 11 inches of precip a year (i think) so in th esummer it'll be sunny for weeks at a time and in the winter its real variable, this year it seems to be streaky, snow then sun then snow for like a week at a time

2. Daylight length - is it really really dark most of the winter?

Between november and february the sun goes down at about 4:30 so it gets light, the trick is to go do xc or something at lunch

3. Access to hiking/fishing/skiing/kayaking (need I even ask) comparable to Portland/Seattle/Boulder?

we probably have 100 kilometers of bike trails, wich become ski trails in the winter, right in town, fishing is good right in town, as well as everywhere else, kayaking is about an hour and a half drive from town for class 4 but theres some class 3 right in town, skiing is about 45 minutes from town for the good stuff, of course there are 2 hills right in town,

4. Skiing - what are the nearest hills of interest to an ex Squaw local? Season passes?

Alyeska sick steep and deep its not in the rain shadow and averages 600+ inches a year, with skiing into june season pass about 1 pfd check

ALpenglow, mellow and windblown most of the time but uncrowded and untracked on the rare powder day,

Hilltop, midwest style

and theres freaking mountains everywhere

5. GF would need job in Environmental or conservation Planning/GIS - solid industry in those fields?

probably

6. Does the city have any culture? Nightlife?

yes, my family brings uyp about 40 singer songwriters a year, and theres almost always shit going down at chillkoot charlies

7. Cost of living - about 10-30% higher than the mainland US? (I'm used to this anyway).

not too bad I don't think no sales or income tax

8. Airfare - is it exorbitantly expensive to fly anywhere from Anchorage? can you even fly direct to Hawaii (family) or do you have to go through Seattle/LA?

direct to hawwaii for as low as $400 p person less if you fly through Seattle/LA

its more expensive to fly in state then out, you can get to seattle for about $200 if you shop around


also crime is way low, summers are awesome, winters are awesome, people are generally nice, there are tons of fish and lots of snow, and we get paid by the state to live here


if you come up and wanna go fishing let me know I know all the hot spots

[bigAK]

odin's report is pretty spot on. here's my additions.

anchorage is a funny place sometimes. like splat said, it can feel isolated because it is pretty self contained and there are definately people i know who have never left ak in their lifetimes (20+ years). it's probably the one of the most sprawling cities of its size, the motto seems to be build out, not up. crazy small-town feeling too, literally everyone knows everyone else's friends here. i grew up here and literally can't go to a coffee shop or the grocery store or shopping (rare) without bumping into someone i know

as far as the climate goes, expect two seasons. if you're a fan of fall or spring, you won't find them here. strange summer weather patterns, june is almost invariably sunny and 60s-a few 70s, July it gets cloudy and rains. for winter, people who don't or won't go outside (to exercise, xc/dh ski, run, whatever) even when it gets ridiculously cold will definitely get depressed.

culture: not really sure what you're looking for, but if you're a big concert goer, expect to be somewhat dissappointed. we get mostly smaller acts, but things have been improving in recent years. a lot of folksy singers do make the trek to ak. we also get a fair number of ballet/fine performance type events throughout the year. there are some cool bars in anchorage, but expect to see the roughly the same people or group at each night in and night out. if you're into "clubs", you'll find them somewhat lacking.

as i see it, you should come to alaska for one reason: escape everything and be able to get out into pristine wilderness (actual wilderness, not developed, overhyped thirty cars at the trailhead wilderness) at the drop of a hat. there's so much space and options to explore around anchorage and all around alaska you literally can't get bored. there's really no reason to be here if you're not way into the outdoors. if you think you'd relish the opportunity to live in a city while still having to deal with moose and other giant animals that could kick your ass hanging out in your yard, this is the place. plus, what other city of a quarter of a million people has skies that light up like this on occasion?

[AKturnanburn]

Hmmmm...

Lane theres really only one thing to say

don't work a day job in the winter!!!


I see way to many people miserable/dapressed/alcoholic affected by the lack of light.


9 to 5 weekday job = go to work and come home in the dark 4 months a year (when its dumping in the mountains)
I don't know how so many people survive.


^that^ as opposed to enjoying the 300 inches of fluff just in december, the L I M I T L E S S backcountry to be enjoyed with permalpinglow beautiful peaks and easy access to it all.