I'm looking into a job in Homer.

What can you AK guys tell me about town, the outdoor recreation (hunting and fishing mostly), homes, Cost of living, etc?

I'm open to any and all information you are willing to offer.

thanks

Homer is a quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem.

Go..Been to Homer a number of times. Great fishing, should be good hunting out there too.
I had a chance to move to northern canada 26 yrs ago on a job offer. we went and have never looked back..

Watson Lake,,

Homer is within striking distance for black bears.

Moose hunting pretty much sucks peninsula-wide. Fires are needed to alter habitat, and brown bears and wolves need more folks killing them.

I have heard a rumor that the game board is planning to make moose hunting on all of the KP draw, because moose numbers are so low. There are moose to be had, but it is not like it was 10 years ago.

Fishing is good, but from up here (central pen) it's not necessary to go all the way to Homer to fish for halibut.

Homer is a very artsy community. I have a number of friends and acquaintances there. It's enough of a "hippy" community that folks there are referred to as Homeroids by folks elsewhere on the KP.

That said it's pretty diverse.

BTW, what is the job?

PM is fine if you don't wish to respond on open forum.

Have a beer at the 'Salty Dawg' for me. Been a long time since I was there.

Thanks for the info guys.

If you eat at the Chinese restaurant near the supermarket, take a spare roll of Charmin on the boat the next day!

The weather is supposed to be a huge plus for Homer. As I understand it the area is considered to be much milder than other parts of AK.

Were I to live in Homer I'd think owning some kind of off shore boat to be a must and would consider trying to hunt and fish all the surrounding area including the west side of Cook Inlet. I think there is a ferry that can take you to Kodiak Island from Homer and there are hunting opportunities for deer, goats, bear and elk.

So what u doing...You will be sorry if you do not go..
Man Homer I wuld be gone in a heartbeat..who cares about the wages...
It will work out..
Watson lk.

quote:

Originally posted by Watson Lake:
So what u doing...You will be sorry if you do not go..
Man Homer I wuld be gone in a heartbeat..who cares about the wages...
It will work out..
Watson lk.

Most of Alaska is pretty expensive, and so Homer and the rest of the Kenai Peninsula.

Gas here is 3.85 US a gallon, Milk 6.85,
I did the conversion to USD and US gallons..
Lettuce 2.09 a head, bread 2.99 a loaf, beer 26.00 for 15 cans...
Expensive yes Homer no, Yukon Territory Canada Yes.
Watson

It's a great location for saltwater fishing, hiking, camping and incredible scenery. Hunting is so-so, but you're on the road system so can reasonably access any AK hunting.

What you need to realize is most AK residents hunts are more along the lines of a week or two week expedition then going out in the the evening or for a weekend. And those expeditions typically involve flying in small planes, off road vehicles or boats. So long as you understand that approach and budget your funds and time accordingly, you'll enjoy AK hunting. Your hunting budget should be in the thousands each year, it is what it is so realize that up front.

Cost of living in AK is high, but as someone has opinioned, that's because it's worth it. The real question is what standard of living are you looking for, and can you afford that in AK. There are many people that get by on not much, and there are ways to defray some costs.

If I didn't have to be near Anchorage for work, Homer would be on my short list of places I'd move to in a heartbeat.

quote:

Originally posted by Watson Lake:
Gas here is 3.85 US a gallon, Milk 6.85,
I did the conversion to USD and US gallons..
Lettuce 2.09 a head, bread 2.99 a loaf, beer 26.00 for 15 cans...
Expensive yes Homer no, Yukon Territory Canada Yes.
Watson

In Alaska we also have places where fuel and food costs twice the amounts you have listed for Watson Lake. This is the case with remote villages in Alaska where everything must be flown-in, and sometimes barged-in. But in general, in the places connected by the road system in Alaska, the cost of living is a lot cheaper than in the remote villages. I imagine that this is the case in Canada, too.

Now, Homer and the rest of the Kenai Peninsula is more expensive than any towns nearby, simply because it's located farther from Anchorage. Homer is just at the end of the road.

This is some good information guys. After doing some searching online, I'm leaning towards not taking the plunge. I want to go so badly but I just don't know if I can pencil it out until I get some more debt cleared up.

I was just in Homer. Gas was about $3.94 and moved closer to $3.36 the closer to ANC we got.

Box of Ginger Snaps for the wife was almost $5

Cost of items is certainly influenced by remoteness, but sometimes Alaska prices are inflated because of the tourists that visit that are willing to pay inflated prices while on vacation.
Some of the merchants that depend on the tourist dollars (much of which are seasonal), will sometimes have unadvertised discounts for local residents.

I just returned from 2 weeks in AK. I love hunting and fishing but would not be able to handle the lack of sunshine. This is summer and in two weeks the sun was only visible for about 1 hour. Although there was only 4 hours or less of actual darkness there was perpetual cloud cover, very depressing. I believe I'd go for a visit before burning any bridges behind me.

Money doesn't bring happiness. If you know your job and work hard Alaska will reward you. My wife and I uprooted 7 years ago. The first year or two is a little tough, but once you make new friends, get used to the weather and earn the respect of the community everything will fall into place. Good luck.