Anchortown Questions--

[Ducknut]

Folks

 

I got some non-climbing questions about living in Anchorage. Looks like I may be offered a job in Anchorage. Good job, good pay, job security provided by the gubment. So my questions are about living conditions. I live in Washington and work in Portland, so I am pretty happy with the quality of life, access to the mountains and other things. I have enjoyed my visits to Alaska, everything from Fairbanks, the Brooks Range, Dillingham, Bethel, Cordova and Juneau. I am wondering if you have observations, suggestions and thoughts about living in Anchorage, the housing market, dealing with the weather, places to avoid, or anything else that may be relevant to the decision to move. The office is in south Anchorage. My climbing has mellowed with age so I am not looking to live at the base of the knarliest ice climb or where I can strap on the skis and schuss out the backdoor. I would appreciate you thoughts either posted here or by PM. Thanks.

[shapp]

You better like winter for >75% of the year, cragging is harder than in the lower 48 due to lack of roads, housing market is very tight for affordable good houses in town and they are more expensive than what you will find in Vancouver/portland metro, buy a snowblower, most likely your first fill winter will be a major depressor for you when compared to your current location due to light cycle and weather change. Good luck

[wfinley]

People have differing opinions on quality of life. For me it is being able to live in a large enough city to have a competitive thought provoking job yet still being able to easily escape into the mountains. Another thing that I really appreciate is the wildlife and the fact that one can still have almost daily contact with moose, eagles, bear and salmon while living in a large city. Couple the above with the fact that 20 minutes from my house I can be in a huge state park and within an hour of hiking be away from almost everyone.

 

As for the city itself; Anchorage is a young city - and because of that there are alot of growing pains but it's getting nicer. Hard to swallow concepts like 'Zoning' are now being considered. Crime is an issue; Alaska is pretty isolated so everything moves through Anchorage making it a magnet for the drug trade and issues that go along with it. The housing market is tight but not overly so. A nice home in south Anchorage will cost you around 350K. 2 years ago they were selling overnight but it's slowing down.

 

It is winter for 9 months out of the year and the rock climbing sucks. Dealing with 9 months of winter means crap like calling roto rooter when your bathtub starts spewing sewage as ice blocks the sewer pipes.

 

Personally I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world!

[foraker]

Makes me glad I had a chance to live there when it was only a population of 40,000-50,000

[W]

Well, on the positive side:

 

XC ski trails right in town and along the waterfront (Tony Knowles coastal trail) for after work cardio. Ice climbing in Eklutna, Seward Highway, and Portage an hour or so from city center (admittedly, much of it is not that interesting compared to, say, the Rockies...but still a lot better than any NW day options most times). Potentially good lift skiing at Alyeska an hour away. Endless backcountry ski options 20 minutes out of town. The darkness in dead of winter is an issue, but you learn to make the most of your daylight. A mild climate by Alaska standards, being next to the water. Beautiful scenery and clean air. The worst traffic is usually like a weekend day in Seattle. Alpine climbing possibilities between the Chugach, Talkeetna, and Alaska Ranges are endless. Lots of cool glacier traverses and things to do over weekends. Sea kayaking in Whittier/Prince William Sound, 90 minutes away- about as good as sea kayaking gets if the weather cooperates. Great hiking/fishing in the Kenai 2 hours away.

 

Downsides:

The city itself largely has a dumpy, 70's feel to it. Rock cragging here, and in most of Alaska, pretty much sucks...the few dry summer days you do get.

 

If you have the money and don't mind a bit of a commute, check out Eagle River (kinda the "Bellevue/Kirkland" of Anchorage...) or Chugiak. In Anchorage, the upper hillsides above Rabbit Creek and DeArmoun Road are the places to live if you can afford it. I don't know much about prices.

 

Avoid the Spenard neighborhood unless you like hookers, street drunks, drug dealings, and shootings.

[foraker]

At least no one's warned him off if he's not already married. I guess the women situation has improved. Certainly, Chilkoot's is no longer what it once was.

[wfinley]

Yes; anchorage does have a dumpy 70s feel to it at times. On the bright side we have every major chain steak house in the world all within 5 blocks of each other. The outlying communities aren't much better though; Eagle River has turned into a Jesus-freak suburb of Anchorage; wall to wall condos, strips malls and Starbucks. It's everything Anchorage is minus the 70s feel.

 

As for size; yes it would have been nice to live here when there were only 50,000 people. On the other hand there were no jobs unles you worked for oil.

 

I imported my woman from the Lower 48. There are some up here but I prefer imports.

 

 

[W]

Eagle River et.al...well let's also remember that the Alaskan version of 'style' bears examples in things like...covering the Tyvek on 3 sides of your house instead of zero...etc. As for Jesus freaks, Eagle River has nothing on Glennallen or Paxson.

 

Re: the women. The ladies used to say "odds are good but the goods are odd". That's still true in rural areas and the latter is true everywhere, but Anchorage has a positive ratio of F:M these days.

 

'Koots: Used to be a place to sit with your back to the wall, both to protect yourself and to have a good view of the inevitable late night knife fight, or so I'm told. Today, it's full of frat boy and sorority girl lookalikes who go there to vicariously pretend they're hardcore "sourdoughs" hanging out at a "real" Alaskan tough-guy tavern. Except the nightly event is more likely to be a wet t shirt contest sponsored by the local hip hop station and emceed by it's dj's. Yeehaw!

[wfinley]

W: when was the last time you were at Koots? Frat boys don't go there - they hang out at Bernies; the local Seattle-wanna-be hotspot. Koots is still the place to go if you want to get assaulted by midgets or see skanky girls flash their boobs.

[W]

 

Ok I admit, it's been probably 6-8 years since I was there. The times I went there it had about as much "frontier" atmosphere as a bar in Seattle's U-Village does today (but with plenty of attendant weirdos to distinguish it).

 

I've been out of the loop...I guess Bernies stole all the customers from Humpy's, then?

 

On an even funnier note, did you notice that Fantasies on 5th changed their sign a year or so ago? The cartoon 70's-era skank got an upgraded look- her hair looks more modern, like, 1984!

Edited April 6, 2007 by W

[wfinley]

Humpy's is still packed; however the hip kids have moved on. It's now packed with sled-necks who dabble in snowboarding and Air Force pilots looking for tail (although the latter has always been there).

 

I had noticed the Fantasies sign; it's a big stink because Anchorage is trying to pass a zoning law in regards to sign size and Fantasies is pushing the limits.

[W]

Hey Ducknut,

 

One more thing- if you harbor a secret desire for a 1980's era Chevy Caprice, Buick Skylark, Dodge Aries-K, Pontiac Grand Prix, or Chrysler Cordoba...welcome to Alaska! You'll find a virtually unlimited supply to choose from up here. Some even come with all the quarter panels and bumpers still attached!

 

[Kraken]

I came up to Anchorage to go to school for a semester. I've never left. I've lived up here for four years and have few complaints about it, except that god bands rarely come up here, ugmos can be bitchy beauty queens, and beer is expensive.

 

We have all of the amenities of a big city with a small town feel. Sure it gets dark in the winter, but if you are able to get out and enjoy your day while its there, it ain't so bad.

 

How could it be bad when you are able to go climb a few pitches of ice inbetween classes on a week day?

[shapp]

I forgot to mention one really good thing is taxes are pretty low especially compared to Oregon, and also to Washington.

 

[Ducknut]

Hey Ducknut,

 

One more thing- if you harbor a secret desire for a 1980's era Chevy Caprice, Buick Skylark, Dodge Aries-K, Pontiac Grand Prix, or Chrysler Cordoba...welcome to Alaska! You'll find a virtually unlimited supply to choose from up here. Some even come with all the quarter panels and bumpers still attached!

 

 

Well I don't harbor any 1980 POS car fantasies, but this does bring up an interesting topic, what sort of car/vehicle do you recommend for the most utility in Alaska. I have a 2000 Volkswagen Golf and 1992 Suburban, both have their merits but I doubt I'd bring either of them.

 

Aside from my own woman, what other sort of toys do you recommend in addition to the snowblower?

 

Final interview is late this week so if I get the offer I'll know early next week.

[wfinley]

Be aware that you'll be driving on ice for 9 months out of the year. The Golf will rock for milage but suck driving day after day on ice. It's sad to say but everyone up here has an SUV, Subaru or truck. Driving a tiny car means it's only a matter of time before some redneck in a Dodge Ram towing 3 snowmachines t-bones and crushes you on the highway. Nasty winter accidents up here are the norm, so a bigger car is nice to have. We have a 4-runner - but we walk to work so commuter miles / gas costs are not an issue.

[shapp]

Hitting moose is also an issue. Be advised that if you are thinking of getting a new rig, if you can buy in the lower 48 and drive up yo will most likely save substantial money on a new pickup or SUV. You need to get your Alaska drivers lisence though so you don't have to pay sales tax in WA or ID.

 

Other gear to have: 5 and 8/9 weith fly rods. Raft w/rowing frame, sea kayak, river kayak, several bottle openers, 12 gauge, 30/30, smoker, vaccum packer, freezer. No need of a shaving razor, bug dope, other dope can be obtained in state.