I live in Wisconsin now and I'm thinking of moving to a new place, because I just lost my job here due to downsizing at Snap-on Tools. Is Alaska a good place to live/work? I know it is great hunting and fishing so that's why I'm thinking of AK. I'm planning to send my resume to someone in Anchorage (I'm a Metallurgist). Any input would be appriciated.

quote:

Is Alaska a good place to live/work?

Dude, do you see anything wrong with this question? It's almost impossible for anyone to answer, for someone else.

Would 650000 people live here if it sucked?

dave

Theres not much idustry and manufactoring done up here. Maybe the oil company??

I would suggest you come to Ak for 2-4 weeks to check out the job market, housing ect. expect to pay $700+ for rent and $150k+ for a home in anchorage. Sometime in July would put you in the window for great fishing though earlier might be better for hitting the bricks.

-Ron

I couldn't imagine living anywhere else, we've called the area home for 8 years. The tough part is finding a job that pays the bills, and provides the time off to enjoy the state. So far I've only managed to get the bills paid. If you could get an oilfield job where you work two weeks, then get two weeks off per month you'd be set.

You might be shocked at the cost of living, I'd imagine housing and food are much more expensive than where you are at.

You'll also probably be shocked to find that getting the good hunting even as an Alaskan resident is expensive, and or time consuming.

Check www.adn.com to get a feel for the job market and housing. I think you'd be hard pressed to find much of a home in Anchorage under $200k, but there are duplexes and condos that are a bit more affordable.

You better like winter sports, as winters are long. If you really like outdoor sports, ie skiing, biking, hiking, camping, climbing, etc, then it is IMHO, the best city in the US by far. If you're not into winter sports, I think you would quickly hate the state. There really are just those that couldn't live anywhere else, and those that can't wait to leave.

Johnny,

I lived in Alaska for over 20 years and believe me Anchorage is not the place to be if you are interested in hunting and fishing. Of course if you get a job right off that pays real well you can afford to fly out to the real Alaska. People hunt and fish from Anchorage all the time but it is hard to get away from all the people in Alaska's largest city that holds half of the states population.

Your other choice is to get a job in the bush. Living in the bush has many drawbacks but at least you are near what most people envision Alaska as being. A lot of it is still very wild.

What I'm saying is your not going to just throw your rod or rifle in the car and drive somewhere and have the classic Alaska experience. You need to knoe this before you move to Anchorage and then figure out you can't get to the good moose hunting or a private stream unless you shell out a pretty hefty bit of change.

Moving to Alaska is not something to do on a whim. Do your research and you may very well fall in love with the country.

Good luck,

Mark

I don't see how our cost of living is higher than other places. We have no sales tax nor state income tax. Everytime I travel outside I am amazed at how much things cost in other states. We have the cheapest utilities in the USA. Even our property taxes are lower. Housing prices are high but have you priced decent housing in any city? Our gas is usually less than the other states as well. The two things I think are higher here are the the prices of hotel rooms and for dining out. Other than that we are the best kept secret in the USA.

Compared to the rest of the West coast, housing is definately cheaper. I'm not familiar with Wisconsin housing prices, but I made the assumption that they are probably less then Alaska's. True enough on the other points, though food is also a bit more up here.

I agree we're the best kept secret, unfortunately it must be getting out, as more and more folks seem to want to run the state and city the same as the lower 48.

I think we're actually getting reamed on gas prices. We have the lowest the tax per gallon in the country, and we refine the crude when it's only 1/2 way down the pipeline, then ship it via rail to Anchortown. Me thinks it could be even cheaper, but the politicians don't seem interested in getting serious about looking into the books of the refinery and retailers.

You're getting some great information from my fellow Alaskans. I grew up pretty darn close to where you live, but I've lived in Alaska now for nearly 20 years. It's changed alot up here in those years, just like every where else. People come and go all the time. However, for the most part the people who stay are pretty good folks, and I've made some of the best friends in my life up here...people you can count on (people you have to count on). I hunt, fish, camp, snow machine, etc. as much as I can, but please realize and appreciate that each of those activities for the most part are expensive. We don't have many roads, so access is by foot, boat, ATV, snowmachine or airplane (I'm sure I left a few other means out). Anyway, all of these cost money, lots of money sometimes. Heck, even the shirt on your back (and the other three layers to keep you dry and warm) can be pretty expensive. I guess what I'm saying and what you're hearing from others is...Alaska can be (is) a pricey place to live. Now, all that said and done, the money really doesn't matter to me and never really did(and fortunately my wife is good with that). I absolutely love our state, and I've been all over it. I've harvested many moose, bears, caribou, deer and wolf (all unguided), and I've been skunked or passed on animals many times too. More importantly, I've enjoyed my adventures with truly good people, and I have a boat load of life experiences that are remarkable because they happened here, which is like no other place on earth. Move here if you want. It's a risk that all of us Alaskans who didn't grow-up here took at one point or another. Just know it is a risk, and many people just don't make it for one reason or another, and they leave. Good luck with your decision. Life is short.

Thanks to you all. I have alot to think about. I kind of guessed it was expensive. I have hunted caribou out of Iliamna and fished halibut out of Homer. I enjoyed it up there, but living in a place vs vacationing are two very different things. I will persue a job and see what happends. If I find the right job, I will come on up. Thanks again.

I have lived here since 1977. The one thing I noticed for certaintly is how the "big box stores" such as Walmart, Costco, Sams Club, Sportsman Warehouse, etc have made many products cheaper to purchase. Taking inflation into consideration it is without a doubt cheaper to live here now than in the 70's. I shop at Costco. I have 2 freezers in my garage. One is usually full of moose or vension and the other is full of halibut and salmon. a 3,100 sq foot house only costs me $140 a month to heat with natural gas in the winter.

You want to see expensive, move to Colorado! A crappy house in Denver will cost you well over $200k. On the western slope you cannot get into a real house for less than $300k. My buddy bought a doublewide right on I-70 and paid $205k. Colorado is priced very expensive and the jobs don't pay any more than anywhere else. On top of that the hunting has gone downhill, it took me 4 years just to draw a mulie tag in a decent area. I would LOVE to move to Alaska if it weren't for the Ball and Chain.

First off, you shouldn't think about moving up here because it's dark and frozen.
Living in Anchorage or the greater Anchorage metrpolitan area, including Wasilla and Palmer, isn't that expensive. Like what dc223 said, there's a lot more expensive housing in the US. In bush Alaska it's a different story. Everyting is either barged or flown in.
I came to Alaska in '88 for a two week vacation. It's been a nice trip so far.
Ken

I am still thinking about moving there. My wife said she would consider it after she is done with pharmacy school. I would assume Alaska like everywhere else has a shortage of pharmacists. Plus it would be nice to run a trapline again. They banned trapping here in Colorado in 1996.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcatcher223:
You want to see expensive, move to Colorado! A crappy house in Denver will cost you well over $200k. On the western slope you cannot get into a real house for less than $300k. My buddy bought a doublewide right on I-70 and paid $205k. Colorado is priced very expensive and the jobs don't pay any more than anywhere else. On top of that the hunting has gone downhill, it took me 4 years just to draw a mulie tag in a decent area. I would LOVE to move to Alaska if it weren't for the Ball and Chain.

In North Pole, Alaska, a four bedroom new home costs around 250-300k. A one bedroom apt. in Fairbanks costs from $300.00 to $500.00 (more sometimes). A gallon of 2% milk costs nearly $5.00. And in relation to property tax, my $106,000 home is assessed by the borough at $150,000, since they say that if I was going to sell my home, i could easily get that amount for it. My loan's monthly payments are supposed to be $722.00, but by the time I pay tax and insurance it goes to $1,100 per month. Add the monthly electric bill, plus a heating fuel bill, plus $270.00 for septic tank pumping each year, and things add up. There is a shipping cost to anything you bring to Alaska, too.

I would advise anybody coming to Alaska to take a one month vacation here before deciding to stay. At least 50% of all Alaska workers work for the State, city, borough, etc. It means that the number of Government workers is huge, which in turn has put the PERS (retirement system) in the hole for nearly $6 billion! Yes, you heard right: Almost six billion dollars.

Milk = $4.29 per gallon
Heating fuel = $200.00 per month
Electrical = $100.00 per month
Loaf of bread = $2.29

To register a Honda 1987 Civic Si:
Registration = $80.00, plus IM test = $165.00 or so.

Johnny:
If you've got a real skill, and are willing to work, I'd say you could get a good job up here. As was pointed out, take a trip to visit & spend some time here. I've been here since 1967 & seen almost all of it. Personally, I think the pipeline was the beginning of the end of the real Alaska but that's me. I had the priveledge of knowing a few of the real "old timers" & it was great.
I personally would never live near Anchorage though that's where most of the jobs are. To comment on some of what Ray wrote, don't think you have to live in town. There are plenty of nice homes out of town. We have boroughs up here not counties. Fairbanks is in the Fbks. North Star Borough and the only sales tax is in the village of North Pole (about 15 mi. from Fbks.). People tend to shop in Fbks. & avoid the N.P. sales tax. Of course we do have property taxes. I do think that if you're willing to work and not very picky as to what you do, you could find a job. I can't really comment on rents or home prices since I built my place in the late 70's & it's still in the "Alaskan Rustic" condition but of course that keeps my taxes down. On a note regarding vehicle registration - the borough requires an I&M inspection before it can be registered but it's good for 2 years. IMHO, it's one of the BS regulations that's nothing more than a tax & does no good but for now, we gotta live with it.
In short, come on up but I'd spend some time looking around & getting a feel for the place. It seems that one either loves it or hates it. BTW, the coldest part of our winter is usually mid Dec. to about mid Jan. Right now, we've got something like 11+ hours of sunlight (gaining about 6 min./day) and about +10 deg. Hope to see ya here. Bear in Fairbanks

Johnny B

Check this out .



Alaska's Job Bank - Job Description
Job Order: 4460279 Job Title: METALLURGIST
Region: NORTHERN City: RED DOG MINE

Education: BA Months of Experience: 60 Minimum Age: 18

License(s) Required:

Job Description:
TECK COMINCO ALASKA INCORPORATED IS SEEKING A METALLUR-
GIST FOR IT RED DOG MINE OPERATION IN ARCTIC ALASKA.
APPLICANT WILL CONDUCT SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM PROJECTS TO
IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE ON THE CONCENTRATOR. REQUIRES A
BACHELOR DEGREE IN METALLURGY OR EQUIV. AND A MINIMUM OF
5-10 YERS OF MILLING EXP. EXPOSURE TO COMPLEX SULFIDE
FLOTATION WILL BE AN ASSET. RED DOG IS A "FLY-IN" CAMP
OPERATION WHERE EMPLOYEES WORK ON ROTATION 4/2 OR 2/1.
EXEMPT POSITION, 10 HR/DAY, 7 DAYS/WK PAYS $82,000 TO
90,000 (DOE) PLUS BONUSES, VACATION, RETIREMENT & HEALTH
INS. EMAIL RESUME TO METALLURGIST.TECK@HIREDESK.NET OR
FAX TO (907) 426-2177.


Job Duration: FULL TIME OVER 150 DAYS Pay: $ 82,000.00 PER YEAR ( TO 90,000.00 PLUS )

Hours: 70



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If you meet the employer's requirements and wish to apply for this job, follow referral instructions in the job description above. If no instructions appear in the job description, mail or fax your resume to the .
To apply you must be a U.S. citizen or an individual authorized to work in the United States.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Alaska Job Center Network

I have lived in Anchorage, Sitka, and Barrow, and spent a ton of time in Fairbanks.

Goods and services are more expensive in the Bush and SE. Hotels, resteraunts, and other BS is about the same as Seattle, or San Francisco.

Houses are the same as coastal WA or OR and cheaper than CA. Houses in Fairbanks are the same as in Casper Wyoming.

Utilities are dirt cheap, and of course no tax.

Cost of getting your self out to hunt is expensive, but worth it.

Hunting is less successful than anywhere for moose and bears. Caribou are easy in the North Slope. Wolves are easy during the winter on a sled, and Muskox are easier yet.

Alaska is one extreme then the other. No where is it a paridise full of wildlife, it's all huge and open, and empty. I love it, but sometimes wonder if its worth all the rodeo.

Ranger Rick

I saw the Ad for the Metallurgist at the Red Dog Mine and have applied for that. Thanks for the heads up. Wish me luck.