Who has experience living & working in Alaska (Anchorage)?

I'm sick and tired of Philly summers, I'm long overdue for a change of scenery, and my wife is starting to see things that way too.

So my brother has been living and working in the aviation industry in AK for about a decade. He's been telling me that if I came up there I'd be able to get a job within an hour of getting off the plane. (Specifically the Anchorage region)

But would it be a good job? I'm near the top of the pay scale in my trade for the mid Atlantic area, and I know that the cost of living is much different up there. My brother seems to think that I could make a lot more, but would it be enough to make a net gain?

I work as an industrial vehicle mechanic, which is mostly forklifts. I have seen help wanted ads on a trade specific website, for jobs in AK in the recent past.

For those that don't know, forklifts cover a surprisingly broad range of technology. I specialize in electric powered machines, but the newest ICE powered machines have so much electronics in them that I've come to view them as electric machines that happen to have an ICE to make them move. Some are more complex than modern cars. Could there be enough of that type of machinery in the region to require a specialist? My fear is that the majority of the machinery is the crusty old & odd stuff that I go out of my way to avoid.

So, for those who have been there, what is the commercial/ industrial culture like in the Anchorage area? Is it vibrant and up to date in relation to the lower 48, or broke and decades behind? My brother thinks it's booming, but I suspect that he can't see beyond the airport.

Are the schools any good? My son is bright, and we are involved parents, that's important to me.

What are the winters really like? I've heard others who've been to AK (including my brother)say that Anchorage is pretty mild compared to Fairbanks, the Bering Sea coast and the Aleutians. I'm not sure that I find those comparisons reassuring. I've spent time in far upstate NY in the winter, that was pretty darn cold to me. (-10f in the early mornings). I'm not sure that I could take it much colder than that. The short mid winter days (about 5 hrs daylight) would be harder to bear than the cold, IMO.

On that note, I know that a lot of Alaskans of means take tropical vacations in the dead of winter. My brother's wife is from a tropical location,and he gets free air fare, so thats easy for him. I'd have to deliberately budget for it.

I guess I'll have to plan a trip soon, to do my own research, but I know there are a couple of members on this forum that live in AK, and a few more that have spent more than few days there as well. I'd appreciate any all first hand experiences.

Paging skierd.

I lived on the border of Alaska for a time (Stewart BC, right by Hyder AK).

1. Don't blow ALL your money on beer and women.

2. long sleeves, long pants, keep moving. If you stop, the bugs find you.

3. Don't startle a bear; make sure they hear you coming long before you get there.

Gorgeous country. The North still calls me.

Bumpity bump bump

I was stationed in Fairbanks for a few years in the 80's. This SoCal boy loved it but it takes some getting used to. Don't let the cold scare you or stop you. It will slow you down. We used to call Anchorage the banana belt in the winter time because when we would leave Fairbanks it would be -45 and Anchorage would be 0. Big temp change. Summers are very nice though the mosquitos can almost carry you away. Those that leave for the tropics in the winter are usually north coast workers. SWMBO and I both liked it there and wanted to stay but things didn't work out that way for us.

Sorry I missed this thread, my family was up visiting from Maryland so we spent the weekend in Denali National Park.

I live in Fairbanks and only visit Los Anchorage 2-3 times a year. I generally view it as Seattles farthest north suburb. It is a modern city, not hard when you consider it was basically leveled by the 1964 Good Friday earthquake but it's still the gateway to the last frontier and shows it in places. It's not 100% up to date everywhere, but that's part of the charm. Sorry don't expect cell service everywhere. I won't say it's necessarily boomin right now with the bases getting downsized and the oil industry hurtin due to low prices, but the companies haven't really cut back either.

I can't speak for every industry, but in mine (alcohol wholesale) both distributors I've worked for had relatively modern equipment. My current companies warehouse in Anchorage uses all electric equipment inside, our ordering systems are relatively state of the art, etc. previous company used a lot of big propane(?) powered machines in the Anchorage warehouse but it's a big building. I'm sure there's plenty of old out there too, but probably not much busted. Busted doesn't stay in use long up here I've found, but good equipment will be used until it dies. I still see DC3's taking off daily to bush villages for example. Be flexible, and you'll do well. You might even find a company willing to move you to AK, talent is hard to find here.

Cost of Living... Anchorage is less expensive than Fairbanks, which with a few exceptions I've found it similar to living in Baltimore. Rents are high due to the seasonal nature of many jobs, and the military presence ensuring high turnover. Land isn't as bad as back home though. Building material is expensive and you want a well insulated house for sure. Remember that there's no state income tax, so even making the same money you're getting a 10-15% raise. Be smart at the grocery store (boxed goods and bulky stuff has the worst markup compared to the lower 48) and live someplace insulated and you might even save money.

Weather. I'd rather spend a winter in Fairbanks at -20 to -60 F than a winter back east when it's 20-40F and snow/sleet/raining every other day. It felt colder and suckier in Baltimore, and Philly is worse. Anchorage will be wetter and feel cooler than Fairbanks, but hell it didn't even snow in Anchorage last winter. The other side of the winter coin are summers where the sun never sets and it stays between 75 and 85 degrees.

Escaping... Get an Alaska Airlines card. Buy everything on it, pay it off monthly, rack up the air miles. AK residents get two checked bags free too. I use mine for my work expenses for example, haven't paid full fare for a flight in years.

Want to spend a paid summer up here? Alaskatourjobs.com. Come work for Holland-America/Princess. See if you can handle it. If you end up in Fairbanks send me a message.

Bottom line is, it's entirely what you make of it cheechaco. If you expect a heavily urbanized life, you should probably pass. If you can handle and possibly even enjoy the great outdoors, give it a shot.

I absolutely love it here.

Oh yeah, schools. Mines still in the oven so it's not a big worry yet, but I've heard the better high school in fairbanks is good, the others less so but still not bad. Anchorage I assume is similar. The universities are good however, if a bit small.

I have a coworker who lived in Fairbanks for 7 years. I've got a FNG sticker on my truck (his old one) to prove it.

His opinion was that Fairbanks was comparable to living in the caribean or some other isolated area. His employer desperately needed dependable, intelligent workers who wouldn't leave after the "good season".

He also said that winters there are serious. Getting stuck on a mountain road out in the backcountry can mean death.

Thanks for the replies. I put a similar post up on that industry specific forum weeks ago, with zero response .

Are there any good AK specific forums?

I've never seen an AK specific forum, but there usually are results on city-data.com forums when I look up places in state.

You're either going to love it or hate it, and there's only so much online research can do. It's not a very connected state overall so it's kinda hard to google all your answers here. You just gotta kinda jump in.