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Old 02-11-2010, 11:15 AM
 
27 posts, read 89,557 times
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We're thinking about moving to the Valdez area.

Is there plenty of remote real estate available or mostly in town lots/homes?

Is Valdez more of a sea port location type of town with alot of tourist?

Are mudslides a concern in the spring/summer?

Do you experience all 4 seasons?

Any pro's or con's that we should know about?

Thanks!
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Old 02-11-2010, 11:29 AM
 
Location: Wasilla, AK
2,795 posts, read 5,612,445 times
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www.AlaskaRealEstate.com - Statewide MLS system - Homes, Land, Commercial, Businesses is a great Real Estate resource. Valdez would be located in the Prince William Sound area.
Valdez is a beautiful area. They definitely experience winter! Some of the highest snowfalls in Alaska are recorded in Valdez. I've been there quite a bit in summer. Keep in mind it's a coastal town in South Central Alaska. Temps would be between 50 and 65 degrees. Rain would NOT be unusual.
You don't seem as many tourist as you use to. All the major cruises use to stop in Valdez, with a couple of ships a week coming in. Now they all skip Valdez. There's still quite a few that drive in or fly in, and the RV places are usually full.
Keep in mind Valdez has limited access. You would either fly in from Anchorage, or drive 6 hours from Anchorage. You can also take a ferry into Whittier, travel through the tunnel and drive to Anchorage. I'm not sure how long that takes, or how much the ferry costs.
Valdez has a decent grocery store, a hospital, and a small community college extension.
Pro's: beautiful, small town feel. Great fishing. Friendly. Remote, but not too remote.
Con's: Small town, limited access
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Old 02-11-2010, 11:31 AM
 
Location: Wasilla, AK
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Anchorage, AK to Valdez, AK - Google Maps Driving to Anchorage.
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Old 02-11-2010, 12:29 PM
 
Location: Naptowne, Alaska
15,603 posts, read 39,812,105 times
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Valdez, Alaska | Home | History & Adventure In Alaska's Glacier-Filled Prince William Sound

Valdez is located on the north shore of Port Valdez, a deep water fjord in Prince William Sound. It lies 305 road miles east of Anchorage and 364 road miles south of Fairbanks. It is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline. It lies at approximately 61.130830 North Latitude and -146.348330 West Longitude. (Sec. 32, T008S, R006W, Copper River Meridian.) Valdez is located in the Valdez Recording District. The area encompasses 222.0 sq. miles of land and 55.1 sq. miles of water. January temperatures range from 21 to 30 °F; July temperatures are from 46 to 61 °F. Annual precipitation is 62 inches. The average snowfall is, incredibly, 325 inches (27 feet) annually.

The Port of Valdez was named in 1790 by Don Salvador Fidalgo for the celebrated Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdes y Basan. Due to its excellent ice-free port, a town developed in 1898 as a debarkation point for men seeking a route to the Eagle Mining District and the Klondike gold fields. Valdez soon became the supply center of its own gold mining region and incorporated as a city in 1901. Fort Liscum was established in 1900, and a sled and wagon road was constructed to Fort Egbert in Eagle by the U.S. Army. The Alaska Road Commission further developed the road for automobile travel to Fairbanks; it was completed by the early 1920s. A slide of unstable submerged land during the 1964 earthquake destroyed the original city waterfront, killing several residents. The community was rebuilt on a more stable bedrock foundation 4 miles to the west. During the 1970s, construction of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline terminal and other cargo transportation facilities brought rapid growth to Valdez. In March 1989, it was the center for the massive oil-spill cleanup after the "Exxon Valdez" disaster. In a few short days, the population of the town tripled.

As a result of significant oil taxation revenues, the city offers a variety of quality public services.

As the southern terminus and off-loading point of oil extracted from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope, Valdez has one of the highest municipal tax bases in Alaska. Four of the top ten employers in Valdez are directly connected to the oil terminus. Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. employs nearly 300 persons. Valdez is a major seaport, with a $48 million cargo and container facility. City, state, and federal agencies combined provide significant employment. 41 residents hold commercial fishing permits. Two fish processing plants operate in Valdez, including Peter Pan and Trident Seafoods. Valdez Fisheries Development Association operates the year-round Valdez Fish Hatchery and a processing plant during harvest season. Several cruise ships dock in Valdez each year. Valdez is a foreign free trade zone.

Water is derived from four primary wells and is stored in five 750,000-gallon reservoirs prior to piped distribution throughout Valdez. Water storage capacity is 2.24 million gallons. The sewage treatment plant is capable of processing 1.25 million gallons a day. Sewage is deposited in a secondary treatment lagoon. Over 95% of homes are fully plumbed. Many homes use individual wells and septic tanks. The Class 2 landfill uses a balefill system. An oil and hazardous waste recycling center is available. Copper Valley Electric purchases power from the Four Dam Pool Power Agency and the Petro Star Refinery and owns diesel plants in Glennallen and Valdez.

The Richardson Highway connects Valdez to Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Canada. Port Valdez is ice-free year round and is navigated by hundreds of ocean-going oil cargo vessels each year. The Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System provides transport to Cordova only in the winter and to Whittier, Cordova, Kodiak, Seward, and Homer in the summer. Valdez has the largest floating concrete dock in the world, with a 1,200' front and water depth exceeding 80'. Numerous cargo and container facilities are present in Valdez. A small harbor accommodates 546 commercial fishing boats and recreational vessels. Boat launches and haul-out services are available. Both barges and trucking services deliver cargo to the city. The airport is operated by the state, with a 6,500' long by 150' wide paved runway, instrument landing system and control tower. A state-owned seaplane base is available at Robe Lake.

January temperatures range from 21 to 30 °F; July temperatures are from 46 to 61 °F. Annual precipitation is 62 inches. The average snowfall is, incredibly, 325 inches (27 feet) annually.
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Old 02-11-2010, 01:11 PM
 
Location: Deltana, AK
863 posts, read 2,076,829 times
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Do not move to Valdez unless you actively ENJOY cloudy, rainy, and snowy weather. That said, when the clouds lift even a little, it's likely the most beautifully located town in Alaska. Remote property is limited to the Lowe River Valley out the highway since everywhere else is extremely steep and avalanche prone. For the most part, "summer" will feel like a long spring with relatively decent weather, then melding into a rainy early fall. It's rare to be uncomfortably warm in a sweatshirt.

-The huge pro of course is the scenery, and the size of the town: small but with adequate services. I have know people who really like the consistently gray, green, and misty atmosphere that you'll get in Valdez.
-The big con for most will be the weather. Also, in my experience, way too many of the residents were lured to town by high paying oil industry jobs, and wouldn't be there otherwise. This gives it a less than ideal atmosphere. Most people live in "nice" neighborhoods that may as well be in Anchorage, though there are certainly more rustic areas around.

Last edited by heathen; 02-11-2010 at 01:20 PM..
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Old 02-11-2010, 01:16 PM
 
Location: Interior alaska
6,381 posts, read 14,560,763 times
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Great place, bring lots of money... Nothing is cheap there.

Lived there for a bunch of years, learned to fly there and always thought a 2,500 foot cloud ceiling was normal...

Oh, bring a really good snow shovel...
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Old 02-11-2010, 05:51 PM
 
27 posts, read 89,557 times
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Thanks for the replies, great info!

About the clouds.... isn't it usually cloudy in other parts of Alaska?


From what I've been reading on the other posts, the majority of Alaska is dark and dreary. Am I wrong?
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Old 02-11-2010, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Naptowne, Alaska
15,603 posts, read 39,812,105 times
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Yes you are wrong.
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Old 02-11-2010, 06:43 PM
 
4,989 posts, read 10,016,720 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rance View Post
As a result of significant oil taxation revenues, the city offers a variety of quality public services..
Except that the Supreme Court recently ruled that a good chunk of that taxation was unconstitutional, and the City was required to pay it back. Fortunately, the City had enough common sense to hold all of that money in an escrow account over the years in case they lost, thus there was little impact to the actual operating budget.

The city of Fairbanks is currently facing a similar situation, but unlike Valdez, they are spending the money as it comes in. Should they ultimately lose in court (probably a 50/50 chance), the folks in Fairbanks are going to see their property taxes skyrocket to make up the shortfall.
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Old 02-12-2010, 08:54 AM
 
Location: Deltana, AK
863 posts, read 2,076,829 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PerduePro View Post
From what I've been reading on the other posts, the majority of Alaska is dark and dreary. Am I wrong?
The windward coast usually has low clouds, the interior usually has clear skies or partly cloudy, the transition areas (Anchorage, MatSu, Western Kenai) are about 50/50. Of course the days are short everywhere in winter.
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