Alaska

[adame]

Has any one lived in anchorage? Thinking of moving there at the end of the year. Thanks for the help.

[Greenhead329]

I spent 3 weeks up there in February 2012.
ALOT of snow that time of year...every thing shuts down for the Iditarod, it's like their superbowl.

People are friendly...cost of living is increased vs lower 48.
I didn't really get to experience much other than the Iditarod (reason for the trip)

[duramax]

I never lived up there, but I have worked in Anchorage. It is probably the best place to live in Alaska for the average person to keep in touch with modern society, and the weather is probably better than North Dakota or or northern Minnesota. It's on the ocean, so it's quite temperate. The biggest challenge is the lengths of the days. I was there for the summer solstice, and it really messes with your head when it's 1am and it feels like it's 30 mins before sunset. In the winter, seasonal affective disorder (aka S.A.D.) is a real thing. For 2 months, the best you get for sunlight is what would feel like sunrise and an immediate sunset (2-3 hours of real sunlight).

Surprisingly, people are super friendly and I was blown away at how few folks I met were actually from there originally. They loooooove any excuse to party. Businesses shut down for the summer solstice and it was a big party.

[peewee]

I have never been but have applied for a few positions over the years there. I have a cousin that lives on Kodiac and has given me some input on Anchorage. He advised me that with my family Anchorage would be great. They could get a lot of the amenities we still get back home but I could take a 15-20 minute trip and be in out in wilderness. As mentioned the cost of living (housing) is really high, especially when compared to MS.

[TODO]

My ex wife taught school in Naknek for a spell and I went out there about a dozen times. I liked Anchorage. Everybody is really friendly, and like previously mentioned, not many are native Alaskans. Its not that big and its pretty easy to drive around in. Within an hour or two drive of Anchorage is all kinds of good outdoor stuff. Hunting, fishing, snow skiing, pretty much whatever. Most of the people I talked to that lived there suggested the Kenai Peninsula as the best area of Alaska to live.

[mshunter77]

Spent two and a half months on the Kenai Peninsula. Absolutely loved it. Anchorage is probably best place to start off to adjust to living up there. Lots of tourist in the summer of course. Food is not that great except for pizza but lots of good beer. As stated before most people are friendly and not originally from there. Also the state as a whole is extremely clean.