Moving

christalandrea

Hubby and I are thinking about moving to Alaska within the year. As a court reporter I will have to travel all over but will have to be located in a city. Any advice about good areas to live in, or Any good apartments? Any other advice on the area or the climate change would be a great help, also. We are moving from Alabama so it will be a big change.Thanks so much!

Luckystarx7x

You are absolutely right when you say it'll be a big change. I'm from NC, the first winter will suck really bad...but you'll get over it and be happy there is snow. This winter( my second) was SO much easier on me. Have you ever visited?  I would suggest you visit before you make a huge leap of faith. I love it up here, but its not for everyone.

christalandrea

We have visited but only during the summer, and we really enjoyed the fact that there is no humidity. We actually have visited twice once in July and once in October. I really enjoyed the culture while there. We really like the outdoors and are very active people, so we are excited about all of our oportunitys to get out and about. How is the living expences comared to NC, if you don't mind me asking?

Luckystarx7x

Different. Everything up here cost more. Yes, we get paid more...but its to compensate the prices. After my husband and I lived up here for 6 months, we went back home. It was crazy bc we make more up here, so it almost felt like we were rich lol. A case of beer up here will cost you around $25, in NC a case is around $14. Not really a living expense but it gives you an idea. We moved from a pretty expensive area in NC so the rent is similar. You can rent a house for $1,200 a month. I'm not sure about apartments. House prices tend to be cheaper here than anywhere else.So if you want to buy a house the market up here is pretty good. Gas prices are more than the lower 48. Its $3.40 right now, and it's going up almost every day.

sandyfortier

Hey,

If it's not too late, I can throw in my ideas. I moved to Juneau last August and haven't visited very many places (I have been to Anchorage, Sitka and Homer). But I can tell you that Juneau is different than the Northern parts of Alaska, like Fairbanks or Anchorage. Juneau is in a rainforest, so it doesn't get as cold here. There are some years with a considerable amount of snow, but as I grew up in Colorado, I didn't find the winter bad at all. It rains a lot, but stays warm. There are other similar places in Southeast Alaska that will be similar if you aren't sure you can cope with the extreme cold, dryness, or dark in the winter months.

 Juneau has a nice arts community and is the capitol, so there is enough going on.  

 Good luck, and if you end up in Juneau, I will take you to coffee and show you around. 

lrowe70

I have to disagree that your first winter will be bad. I moved here from Palm Springs, California and loved winter. It was surprisingly easy to adjust to and I loved all the winter activities I never got to participate in before. 

 Just get good tires and warm clothes(and maybe some ice skates) and all will be fine!