Negatives of living in Alaska (Anchorage, Fairbanks: real estate, job market, schools)

[heathen]

Maybe too much time on my hands...



Recreation Sites, From Downtown Anchorage

Within a Half Hour (After Work)
Kincaid Park
Far North Bicentennial Park
Eagle River Valley
Eagle River Mountain Backroads (Skyline, Mile-Hi)
South Fork Eagle River Valley
Arctic Valley
Peters Creek Valley
Basher Road Trailheads
Glen Alps and Prospect Heights
Rabbit Creek Valley
Bear Valley
Turnagain Arm to McHugh Creek, Falls Creek, Indian

Within an Hour (Half-Day Trip)
Eklutna Lake
Knik River Valley
Old Glenn, Butte, Lower Matanuska Valley
Palmer
Rest of Turnagain Arm (Bird Creek, Beluga Point, etc)
Girdwood, Alyeska, Crow Creek, Winner Creek
Portage Valley

Within 2 Hours (day trip)
Hatcher Pass and Arcangel Valley
Matanuska Valley, Glenn Highway
Matanuska Glacier
Sheep / Gunsight Mountain
Nancy Lakes Rec Area
Talkeetna and Denali Viewpoints
Whittier
Turnagain Pass
Hope and Sixmile Creek
Moose Pass, Kenai Lake Area
Cooper Pass, Kenai River, Russian River

Within 4 Hours (Overnight Trip)
Seward and Resurrection Bay
Exit Glacier and Harding Icefield
Skilak Lake
Sterling Highway, Cook Inlet, and Volcano Views
Homer and Kachemak Bay
Denali State Park

Within 8 Hours (Long Weekend Road Trip)
Denali National Park
Denali Highway Loop
Big Fairbanks Loop (Parks, Richardson, Glenn Highways) plus Chena Hot Springs
Delta / Tok Loop with Nabesna Road, plus Chicken and the 40-Mile Country
Valdez and Thompson Pass
Chitina, McCarthy Kennicott (Wrangell St Elias National Park)

[pittsflyer]

Originally Posted by heathen

Maybe too much time on my hands...



Recreation Sites, From Downtown Anchorage

Within a Half Hour (After Work)
Kincaid Park
Far North Bicentennial Park
Eagle River Valley
Eagle River Mountain Backroads (Skyline, Mile-Hi)
South Fork Eagle River Valley
Arctic Valley
Peters Creek Valley
Basher Road Trailheads
Glen Alps and Prospect Heights
Rabbit Creek Valley
Bear Valley
Turnagain Arm to McHugh Creek, Falls Creek, Indian

Within an Hour (Half-Day Trip)
Eklutna Lake
Knik River Valley
Old Glenn, Butte, Lower Matanuska Valley
Palmer
Rest of Turnagain Arm (Bird Creek, Beluga Point, etc)
Girdwood, Alyeska, Crow Creek, Winner Creek
Portage Valley

Within 2 Hours (day trip)
Hatcher Pass and Arcangel Valley
Matanuska Valley, Glenn Highway
Matanuska Glacier
Sheep / Gunsight Mountain
Nancy Lakes Rec Area
Talkeetna and Denali Viewpoints
Whittier
Turnagain Pass
Hope and Sixmile Creek
Moose Pass, Kenai Lake Area
Cooper Pass, Kenai River, Russian River

Within 4 Hours (Overnight Trip)
Seward and Resurrection Bay
Exit Glacier and Harding Icefield
Skilak Lake
Sterling Highway, Cook Inlet, and Volcano Views
Homer and Kachemak Bay
Denali State Park

Within 8 Hours (Long Weekend Road Trip)
Denali National Park
Denali Highway Loop
Big Fairbanks Loop (Parks, Richardson, Glenn Highways) plus Chena Hot Springs
Delta / Tok Loop with Nabesna Road, plus Chicken and the 40-Mile Country
Valdez and Thompson Pass
Chitina, McCarthy Kennicott (Wrangell St Elias National Park)

Yep, if you have a GOOD non mcjob with healthy leave its amazing. Otherwise Alaska is not that nice.

[Northrick]

Originally Posted by pittsflyer

Yep, if you have a GOOD non mcjob with healthy leave its amazing. Otherwise Alaska is not that nice.

If you have a crappy job anywhere life may very well suck. That's not Alaska specific. As far as having lots of paid leave, I think the point heathen is making is that there are a lot of nice places you can go that are very close to Anchorage.

[pittsflyer]

Originally Posted by Northrick

If you have a crappy job anywhere life may very well suck. That's not Alaska specific. As far as having lots of paid leave, I think the point heathen is making is that there are a lot of nice places you can go that are very close to Anchorage.

That is false, Alaska can be much more brutal due to the extreme weather conditions if you are broke. So now, not only are you not able to do all the fun stuff but it very quickly turns into survival.

With the state of our economy being what it is, this is a non trivial risk.

[mtnwatcher]

Originally Posted by pittsflyer

Yep, if you have a GOOD non mcjob with healthy leave its amazing. Otherwise Alaska is not that nice.

You cant go hiking, fishing, etc after work or on the weekends? How is that costly? Nature is free. That's how the rest of the country does it.

Also, you're saying any accessible outdoor location in Alaska will have a crowd of people? I haven't been to AK yet but that doesn't sound right. I can walk outside where I am and not bump into people and it's WAY more populated here. Are you just not an outdoors type of person?

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by mtnwatcher

You cant go hiking, fishing, etc after work or on the weekends? How is that costly? Nature is free. That's how the rest of the country does it.

Also, you're saying any accessible outdoor location in Alaska will have a crowd of people? I haven't been to AK yet but that doesn't sound right. I can walk outside where I am and not bump into people and it's WAY more populated here. Are you just not an outdoors type of person?

Pitts lives in Anchorage, and with the amount of tourists that place gets during fishing/hiking/etc. season, it's not as easy as it looks from the outside to get a relatively people-free outdoor experience. Combat fishing is a real thing.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by mtnwatcher

You cant go hiking, fishing, etc after work or on the weekends? How is that costly? Nature is free. That's how the rest of the country does it.

Also, you're saying any accessible outdoor location in Alaska will have a crowd of people? I haven't been to AK yet but that doesn't sound right. I can walk outside where I am and not bump into people and it's WAY more populated here. Are you just not an outdoors type of person?

Also saying that unless you have your own transportation if you want to get to some of those more remote uncrowded destinations you probably have to pay someone to help you reach it; air taxi, charter vessel, charter aircraft or commercial flight, ferry, etc.

[Music_Man]

Pittsflyer is always down on Alaska and all the cities and villages. I have seen him on this and other forums for a few years now yet he is still living here! So please ignore his posts.

[pittsflyer]

Originally Posted by mtnwatcher

You cant go hiking, fishing, etc after work or on the weekends? How is that costly? Nature is free. That's how the rest of the country does it.

Also, you're saying any accessible outdoor location in Alaska will have a crowd of people? I haven't been to AK yet but that doesn't sound right. I can walk outside where I am and not bump into people and it's WAY more populated here. Are you just not an outdoors type of person?

Wait until you are on the seward highway on a nice sunny weekend day to go fishing during dip netting season. Or a nice sunny day to go try to park at flat top parking area, etc.

Sure you can go out on some marginal weather day during the week and its probably fine. But when spring comes and its nice out and everyone has the same days off its not particularly pleasant. Motor homes congest the roads and police dont enforce the trailing car rules.

That is why myself and my families have always owned planes but now with the economy being what it is its more and more of a struggle to maintain all the equipment.

When you can make good money and go fly out to pick blue berries or go fishing its super nice. When money is tight Alaska is not really a fun place to be.

[pittsflyer]

Originally Posted by Music_Man

Pittsflyer is always down on Alaska and all the cities and villages. I have seen him on this and other forums for a few years now yet he is still living here! So please ignore his posts.

You might want to try arguing my points otherwise you might be the one to get ignored.