moving to Barrow (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kipnuk: how much, houses, luxury)

[icu2rn]

I am planning on moving to Barrow in August and starting work at the hospital. I really have found very little information on living in Barrow on here. I know it is a very small town on the north slope......I know it is colder than Siberia......I just want to talk to someone from there and find out how they like living in Barrow and what I need to know before I arrive.

Thanks so much,
Sherry

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by icu2rn

I am planning on moving to Barrow in August and starting work at the hospital. I really have found very little information on living in Barrow on here.

Poke around a bit... there are pictures and discussions in several past threads. Granted that most of it is directed at people who will visit for a day or two, not live here.

I know it is a very small town on the north slope......I know it is colder than Siberia......I just want to talk to someone from there and find out how they like living in Barrow and what I need to know before I arrive.

Nah, trust me, Siberia (and Fairbanks too) is colder!

But our weather is harsh! The wind blows. Heh, we love it too!

I swear, a couple days ago it was snowing and blowing to where the visibility was less than 1/2 a mile, and I went over to the Big Store (Alaska Commercial Company's store is called Stuaqpuk, which is "Big Store" in Inupiaq), and as I was walking across the parking lot to the door when going in, and the same when going out, I noticed something interesting. It was clear as a bell that everyone who was out and about was loving it! They all had big s**t eating grins! The other thing I noticed was that only long time residents were out. I saw nobody that had lived in Barrow for less than half a dozen years...

On a cool clear day, this is that parking lot:

The first thing you need to know is that what Barrow actually is for the rest of us might be fun and interesting, but for hospital staff it makes very little difference. Virtually all of them stay in their housing area and never get out. I've heard of people who've spent 2 or 3 years here and have visited the Post Office and the AC store, and that's it.

But if you want... Barrow is a great little community, with a very international flavor in most ways and yet still shows its roots as an Inupiat Eskimo village (virtually all of the politics here is controlled by the Inupiat people, which in many ways is very good).

[quakinator]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

(virtually all of the politics here is controlled by the Inupiat people, which in many ways is very good).

In which ways? Just curious about native culture really.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by quakinator

In which ways? Just curious about native culture really.

The structure of Borough and City governments in Alaska has been prescribed by State Law. How that is implemented of course has a lot to do with the administration of the laws, and such things as their value systems.

Native cultures in Alaska differ significantly, and hence how the infrastructure works varies amongst the many villages. One of the variations is that several Native villages have simply refused to maintain a municipal government based on the State's model. They have gone back to their own tribe's cultural models. My eldest son live is the village of Kipnuk on the west coast of Alaska, and they have a tribal government. A little over ten years ago the Alaska Federation of Natives convention in Anchorage had a forum one evening on village governance, and invited the then leadership people from both houses of our State Legislature and several other State officials to participate. They went on and on about how they and the State knew best. But there were two participants (both of whom have passed away since) who were actually from Native villages. Glenn Godfrey was the head of the Alaska State Troopers. Luke Amik was the head of the tribal government in Kipnuk. When all the rest had had their say, Glenn Godrey literally told them the were wrong! He pointed out that the State Troopers were the only State presence in most villages, and they did almost nothing. After he said that, Luke Amik gave a wonderful speech (which was translated from Yup'ik). He was by far the oldest participant, and he spoke to the rest of them very much as the "Senior Statesman", and gave them a lecture on what works and what doesn't, based on real experience. The best part was that this was broadcast statewide, and at the end after the thankyous were given, the very last comment before the microphone went dead was a lady who said, "And thank you Glenn Godfrey, for telling the TRUTH."

To some degree that sort of distinction applies here on the North Slope. Inupiat values are highly regarded, and tauted with regularity. Rather than regulate everyone, government here is meant to help everyone. The least able people may not have a life of luxury, but they damned well do not starve to death or freeze while sleeping under a bridge. They don't get mugged in the alleys either.

Nobody spends a lot of time worrying about spreading the money around "equally". The point is to make sure everyone gets enough.

And it isn't based on the school your father went to, who your mother sleeps with, or what the color of your skin is. It's based on how much you need and how much you produce.

[icu2rn]

Thank you Floyd for your wonderful response. I will probably live at the hospital with my husband, however, we darn sure will not keep ourselves isolated from the village. My husband will need to find work when he gets there, but I will be working in the emergency department. I am so excited to live in a small village with a strong moral fiber. I have been living in Phoenix, Arizona for the last 6 years with approximately 3.5 million other people. I am tired of the hustle and bustle, the homeless living on the streets, and everyone trying to keep up with the Jones's. I want to live a simple life.

I can't even explain how excited I am to move to Barrow. I found a few books on Alaska that I have ordered and anxiously await their delivery. It is my father's fault that I love Alaska. He was stationed in Fairbanks for several years and always told me stories about Alaska. It has taken me this long though to realize that I can move there.
I look forward to meeting you and Brian when I arrive. We are planning on moving in July or August. I have to wait to hear from the hospital and the housing coordinator as to a particular date.

We still have a lot of things to take care of here. We have to put vehicles in storage, downsize our furnishings and put them in storage. Personally, I would just as well sell it all and just go. But, we have plenty of time now to adequately prepare ourselves for this exciting adventure.

thanks again,
Sherry

[stiffnecked]

Good luck.

Barrow, Alaska: Cold Frontier - TIME

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

Good luck.

Barrow, Alaska: Cold Frontier - TIME

Shame on you for trying to foist that off as representative of Barrow. It wasn't a very accurate write up in 1972 when the ink dried, and of course has almost no relationship to the Barrow of today.

In 1972 not a dime of oil money had yet happened. The North Slope Borough was formed that year, and a new way of doing things was started though! And today more than 35 years later, Barrow of course has adults who have never seen it as anything other than what it is today: the wealthiest village in Alaska.

And I know that you are aware that that article was way off base even when it was written!

[icu2rn]

I have already had an interview with the hospital and am awaiting a formal job offer after they check all my references. I am so excited about getting back to the basics. What can you tell me about the hospital? I am anxious to meet people in Barrow and learn about the local culture and customs.

My husband will be looking for work after we arrive. He has alot of experience in factories, management, and warehousing. What kind of work is available for spouses of the nurses at the hospital?

I am reading through the entire website here trying to find any topics regarding living in the bush. I definitely need to downsize what I will be bringing with me. I currently live in the desert, so alot of arctic gear will be needed.

Floyd, I sure do appreciate all you do on this forum. I have already read so many of your posts and all the information that you offer upon request. You are a valuable asset to your community. You an my husband would probably enjoy talking. I am constantly printing off posts on here and showing them to him. So far I am back to reading posts from 2007.

thanks again,
Sherry

[stiffnecked]

You may think it was a lie but the truth of the matter is you were not there then. When I was working at Public Safety we used to go through the old police reports that were still around from the old Barrow City Police. I spent at least 12 hours over a period of time talking with Sadie Neakok about what life used to be like for the city police back in the day. In the article she says:

Barrow, Alaska: Cold Frontier - TIME

Of the 700-odd arrests made by Barrow police over the past year, almost all were related to drinking. An important police chore during night hours in Barrow is getting drunken townspeople in from the freezing cold. "They're simply bored," says Mrs. Sadie Neakok, 51, the district magistrate in Barrow. "There's nothing better to do than get drunk."

That's the same thing she told me. Sure things have changed. But there is nothing wrong with learning about a place from a historical prespective. You need to get out more often.

And to the OP, good luck on your move. You'll enjoy it. Your husband shouldn't have any problem finding a job.

And for a little bit of current news you might check the Arctic Sounder since some of us don't like historical articles.

http://www.thearcticsounder.com/

[Classic Satch]

Floyd, how could it NOT be colder than Fairbanks? The proximity to the water can't possibly be enough to lessen the effect of the cold given the far more northern latitude. Or am I wrong?