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There have been a rash of wanting to rent threads in our local trading post Facebook page, and it got me to thinking.
We are getting ready for our third year in our current community that doesn't offer teacher housing. When we moved here, we were put in contact with a landlord that had a small house that was in great shape. It was efficient and convenient for our jobs. It was small. It was downtown. But we have outgrown it. The housing that was available has been very disappointing. Either the house is in terrible shape or price is just unaffordable.
I'm ok with small because of heating costs, but the wife wants room. Thankfully we had some friends leaving and we were able to take over the house they are currently living in.
Before you move to rural/bush Alaska, it would be good to understand the rental market. The good places never make it to the advertising market. Start looking for places to rent now. Reach out to co-workers living in the community. Be prepared for substandard quality compared to what you are used to. It ain't easy living in rural/bush, but with patience and due diligence you can find a decent spot, if you are in a hub.
The same could be said for other areas like the SF Bay Area... people come here with no idea just how hard it is to secure housing and this applies to availability and cost.
My Alaska friends either built of bought homes... found renting to be the least desirable for many reasons.
There are some similarities, but there are serious differences. If you go to the Bay Area on spec. and discover that it's not going to work out, it's a short enough drive to somewhere that'll be a better fit. It really is a whole different thing in rural/bush Alaska.
The same could be said for other areas like the SF Bay Area... people come here with no idea just how hard it is to secure housing and this applies to availability and cost.
My Alaska friends either built of bought homes... found renting to be the least desirable for many reasons.
and I bet they live on the road. In the bush, it is often times near impossible to buy.
Most live in Juneau with several working in government.
One lives in the middle of no where and he gets around being a bush pilot.
Another did the whole homestead thing, off grid, really in the middle of no where... sad ending... he took his life after his girlfriend went to civilization and decided the bush life was not for her... really bright guy, military survival trained... great at improvising, climbing... for fun he use to climb to the tops of redwoods when he lived off grid in the Santa Cruz Mountains... really sad way to go but couldn't get over the breakup.
Not a renter in the group... one does have rentals in Juneau
OK, but the subject of this post wasn't Juneau. I would say that the rental situation in Juneau is closer that of SF than rural or bush Alaska, though.
I would think in the Bush it would be foolish to simply expect Housing to be available.
Several of my friends are Traveling Nurses and a couple have accepted assignments in Alaska and all came with housing... even if it was a remote village clinic.
Most live in Juneau with several working in government.
One lives in the middle of no where and he gets around being a bush pilot.
Another did the whole homestead thing, off grid, really in the middle of no where... sad ending... he took his life after his girlfriend went to civilization and decided the bush life was not for her... really bright guy, military survival trained... great at improvising, climbing... for fun he use to climb to the tops of redwoods when he lived off grid in the Santa Cruz Mountains... really sad way to go but couldn't get over the breakup.
Not a renter in the group... one does have rentals in Juneau
I'd love to build. Or buy. I'm just not willing to pay the insanely high costs. Not yet anyways. Also, I couldn't buy land in our previous location.
Makes things challenging when you live in a native community.
Travel packages for medical professionals come with housing in many parts of Alaska -- and it's more likely to be included if the job's in a remote village.
Not so for teachers, as the OP stated. He's offering some good advice -- advice that he's learned from first-hand experience.
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