possible move to Alaska

Fiona59 · Oct 28, 2004

Internet real estate site give you an idea of prices, but its kind of creepy taking virtual tours of other peoples houses.

Ask a local realtor, you'd be surprized at how well connected they are. They can always find somebody that knows somebody.

Contact the local nurses assoc.. for help with document transfers.

Education departments all have websites.

Find out if your hubby's employer will sponsor a relocation trip to find housing. Will they pick up moving expenses?

Just finished moving across Canada three times in 15 years.

If long distance moves are good for one thing, its cleaning loads of junk out of your closet and life.

And think about a snowblower!

Safe move.

Trauma Columnist · Oct 29, 2004

I lived in Alaska from 86 to 88 - hubby was stationed at Ft. Greely in Delta Junction, AK. It is in the interior - 110 miles south of Fairbanks and 500 miles north of Anchorage. If you move to Fairbanks - there is ONE hospital - Fairbanks Memorial. Its a very nice and growing hospital. In Anchorage, there are TWO hospitals - Providence and the other one I can't think of right off the bat. Fairbanks is much colder than Anchorage - more snow. Anchorage is very rainy - much like Washington state. Good luck - we enjoyed our two years in Alaska. My husband is from Michigan (near the UP) and he likened the weather to Michigan!

JMBM · Nov 2, 2004

Welcome to Alaska. We've lived here 24 years and still love it. Of course, Alaska is the size of rest of the US west of Utah, so alot depends on where you will be living. Anchorage is an average small city just like anywhere else in the US. Other than being further to drive/fly, moving here won't be any different than moving to any other small city. All the major realty companies have offices up here and I'm sure your local offices could give you a head start on houses. The national moving companies service the area. Our son has had a great experience in the public schools. We have 2 large private hospitals, Providence and Alaska Regional, and a Public Health service hospital - all of which in need of experienced nurses. The climate here in Anchorage is probably warmer than where you live in Michigan. We are on the ocean, so temperatures stay fairly moderate. Being so far north, we do have very short winter days and very long summer ones. In fact, the variation in light is what most people comment on. The trick to enjoying your time here is to get outdoors. Whether it be hiking, skiing, fishing, hunting, berry-picking or just strolling, find a reason to get out. Anyway, it'll be a great adventure and, if you are anything like us, you may never leave.

live4today, RN · Nov 2, 2004

let's see...i just described what it was like for me to live in california and hawaii on two other post, now i'll share my experience when i lived in alaska. :) this must be the night for this stuff i guess.

i lived in fairbanks, alaska in 1996 - 1999 (off and on). my husband was stationed there, so he had to stay the entire three years, but i came and went. i had other obligations back in the lower 48 that needed my attention, too. :)

it was a once in a lifetime experience, but i wouldn't want to live there permanently because of the distance it would be from my family and friends.

the moose are very ugly, strong, and the mothers are very protective of their babies, so don't try and touch one. :nono:

the bald eagles are beautiful to see in flight! there are polar bears in anchorage that come ashore and have been spotted in the local areas where people reside.

i loved the snow more than i did their warmer weather. it is semi-dark during the winter days, and in the summer it is light approx. 22 hours out of 24. it's not as freezing cold as one would think since it is near the north pole, but you can still get frost-bitten if you don't dress appropriately for the weather. don't be fooled by it's temperatures. read up about how to dress the different seasons of the year.

when we were there, there was a very very very tiny "mall" that is a joke! not a "mall" like we know a "mall" to be. :chuckle

cost of living is expensive. the residents receive dividends per family member. when we were there, it was about $1500/per family member. :coollook:

anchorage has the malls, the shops, the nice restaurants, the colleges, etc. it has a younger population than fairbanks which is usually where the older people stay to retire. however, there are still plenty of young families in fairbanks.

there isn't much trouble the kids can get into in fairbanks, and there was only one movie theater then that was butt cold inside, so we had to dress warm just to sit through the movie without freezing. i do believe i saw frost on the inside walls of that theater. :chuckle

food and gas are expensive, but anymore it doesn't matter where we live, the cost of food and gas is expensive everywhere now a days.

the parents we knew there liked the schools their kids were in, too.

some people bought four wheel drives to get around over there, but they were the cars we saw in the ditch the most. we had just a frontwheel drive, and never slid into a ditch.

the ice sculpture shows are out of this world! you'll love those!

the ididarod (dogsleigh competition) is nice to see, too.

your children will love knowing there is really a town called "north pole" there...equipped with reindeer, a santa and mrs. claus, and a huge house with lots of christmas things to buy inside. really neat!

take pictures because the folks back home won't believe it! :)

peeweedelivery · Nov 2, 2004

My hubby has been told to expect a transfer to Anchorage, Alaska in two years and drag the pets and fam damily along too. He warned me that if he wants to keep his job that the move is necessary. Any suggestions on how to prepare? How the heck do I look for schools or housing while living in Michigan? Our children are 12, 10, 8 1/2. Anybody make a big move like this? Alaska? It might as well be France!

Greetings from Alaska!!!

Hi, my name is Michelle and I live in Alaska. I moved here in November 1999 with the Army, now my husband is out and we live in Anchorage. I attend the UAA nursing program. If you want me to give you more info, email me at [email protected]. Alaska is fantastic, you are lucky to get to experience it.

Look forward to hearing from you.

GirlArcher · Nov 2, 2004

I moved my daughters (13 and 10) and myself to Alaska. Just us. Alone. For five months, until my husband was able to move up with us. It was a big move for us, as they had never lived anywhere but Montana and we were going without my husband, but my job started sooner than his ended, so off we went. We loved it and hated it. Loved the wildness, the slow pace, the 24 hours of light in the summer.....hated the 24 hours of dark in the winter, hated not being able to drive anywhere, as we were in the "bush" and had to fly in and out....did I mention we were above the Arctic Circle? Yep....At least Anchorage is on the road system and you can see it all. It's really a wonderful place to live and we plan on going back, just not so far north:rolleyes: . And really, who wants to live "a stones throw from Russia" anyway? Nope, not me...not again....give me some roads and a vehicle to drive, even an atv:p .....anyway, the state of alaska has a web site http://www.state.ak.us/ check it out and it has other links that are useful too. Good luck and think of it as an adventure. :coollook: