Living in Alaska?

@prude does.

Bring Palin repellent.

Palin is already repellent.

I’d appreciate actual responses rather than humorous remarks. Thanks.

I knew a guy who lived up there during his military stint, and that was thirty years ago, but he seemed to like it. Said it is comparable weather wise to NW Illinois.

Have you tried Googling Alaska websites? Sorry I couldn’t be more help. and sorry these people didn’t give you what you wanted, the drubs.

@evelyns_pet_zebra Hey now, I did the best I could!

Humor is actual.

I’ve found tons of websites. It’s different actually talking with someone who’s been there though, or lived there. My wife and I went up and visited in Spring of ‘07. It was incredible. I just don’t know what it’s like to live there.

Fairbanks seems to be nice, my friend lived there… I never heard complaints but during that time we lost touch a bit. I’ll forward this to her, hopefully she can share some information.

Eskimos are Chill.

Welcome, @skyfilms85. You should have received serious responses first—the guidelines do call for jesters to wait until a few straight answers have been given.

Oh, yes, @Jeruba? Thanks. I learn something new about Fluther several times a day.

^totally waited!

I live in Wasilla, Alaska, about an hour north of Anchorage, but you’ll have to be a bit more specific before I can begin to be very helpful. What sort of lifestyle are you looking for? City, town, or out in the Bush, ie remote, isolated areas? Any medical needs? What sort of job do you expect to have? Anchorage probably has the most job opportunities, for instance. I moved here from Florida and am currently helping a Texas friend who just arrived house-hunt, so an Alaska move is certainly doable but knowing what you want and expect can help me be, well, more helpful.

I’m a sort of media guru. I do photography, video, motion graphics, film, 3D. We have our own company with several members in different parts of the US. So, I don’t necessarily have to have a local clientele. We also do weddings, contract photography, etc. We’re looking for preferably a few acres outside of of a town, so we’re close enough to town to be part of the community, but so we have more peace and quiet. I grew up on a farm so I constantly long for that. My wife and I have visited once. We drove through Wasilla and stopped at a sidewalk sale for some gear. I believe we also stopped at a tobacco shop and got some cigars. We really liked the Kenai peninsula. We’re torn between the southeast and south central. We want to be fairly close to the ocean, within an hour for sure. We liked Eagle River a lot. But, I have no idea what it’s like to live there.

The only thing I can tell you is Alaska is expensive because of its location.

I’m short of time right now, so just addressing a couple things this post. First, there is an active organization in Anchorage for those involved in media, whether it be movies, podcasts, or whatever. I don’t have a link handy right now, but will see if I can find one. As a photographer/writer, I’d love to have you here. Can I have a job? Ha

Eagle River is considered a suburb of Anchorage and is rather pricey as it’s the main “bedroom community” for those who work in Anchorage. Nice area, tho’ it is rapidly growing, and a good compromise if you expect to be working across the state as it’s somewhat centrally located if you take in the Kenai area. Getting places in Alaska often involves flying, which is VERY pricey, so the more centrally located you become, the better. More later….

Just a quick follow-up (Sorry, on deadline right now, so pressed for time): Home in the Eagle River tend to be more expensive than those in the Mat-Su Valley, ie Palmer, Wasilla, Willow, and Talkeetna to name a few valley addresses. As noted before, that is because Eagle River is closer to Anchorage and provides a better commute. On the other hand, you have to calculate your costs. Is it cheaper in the long run to spend more on a home in the Eagle River area than to drive a couple hours a day to a job in Anchorage. I assume you work your own hours, but if you’re going to do that in Alaska, travel time becomes huge. As someone noted, costs are higher here, too. Right now, gas is over three dollars a gallon and I don’t know if it ever got below $2.50’ish even when everywhere else it had settled into the one dollar range. Just a fact of life up here, making travel all the more costly. In other words, there are lots of pluses, but you have to take a long, hard look at the minuses of living here, too.

What is the Mat-Su Valley like? How do you enjoy living there?

The Mat-Su (Matanuska-Susitna) Valley is beautiful. Mountains visible just about any direction you look and close enough to be a long day trip to both Seward and Denali. Wasilla is the most town-like, tho’ despite the strip mall atmosphere that was allowed to grow up along a stretch of the Parks Highway, is still a nice little town, not at all like the critics painted it during the Presidential election. That said, yep, definitely quirky, very small town mentality at times, but still a nice place to live. Palmer has retained more of the “old Alaska” feel, remembering that “old Alaska” isn’t that old, but is having growing pains, too. It has more of a rural feel to it, tho’, but the winds over there can be fierce. Willow is about thirty miles up Parks Hwy. and there really isn’t much there, tho’ if you’re into dog mushing, that’s the place to be. Talkeetna, well, think “Northern Exposure”. It’s just a cool place, I love visiting there, tho’ not close to things for convenience. There are cetainly other places to look into, like Big Lake and Houston (yep, Alaska has a Houston, too), and small, rural areas like Butte, as well as looking north to Sutton. Not sure off the top of my head if Glennallen is in the Valley or not, but may be. Again, nice and more rural than a place like even Palmer, but not convenient.

Great. Thank you for all of your input. If I can ask you personally, what’s your favorite part about living in Wasilla?

The simple answer is that’s a pretty area and relatively convenient. I can buy just about anything I need here without having to drive to Anchorage but if I want to go to Anchorage, it’s about an hour drive. I craved the mountains and that is the overall sense of Wasilla, being surrounded my the majesty of mountains in about every direction, including some you can drive or hike into. It’s relatively central as it goes in Alaska (remember, the road system is very, very limited) and I can make a long day trip and go north to Denali Park or south to Seward and be home in my own bed that night without feeling like I’ve put in a marathon drive. Fairbanks would probably be doable in a day, but that’d be pushing it cos it wouldn’t leave much time for anything but driving. So, overall, I like Wasilla for its beauty and convenience.

Skyfilms85 – I too live in Alaska but in Anchorage. I would suggest, after seeing/learning what line of work you are in and that you are undecided about the town but are sure about the state, to start off in Anchorage. You could rent when you first get here so you aren’t totally committed to staying in Anchorage. I think it’s a really good place to network, get your bearings and use as “HQ” while exploring other parts of the state. Anchorage actually has a blossoming art scene and the cool thing about it is that it’s still small enough that you could squeeze in quickly and easily and become a part of it. Not much snobbery up here…yet. But since you want a few acres you may want to consider just north of Wasilla in a community called Meadown Lakes. It’s just off the Parks HWY but has LOTS of land for sale (raw land) that is situated in a way that makes you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. But it’s close enough to town that you have all the conveniences. Still, Anchorage is a good starting point.