I have gotten a new job and have to choose between Juneau or Anchorage,Alaska.?

Question

I would appreciate any and all info on both cities. Is it easy or hard to find a place(in my case,I would prefer a house to an apartment or condo)to live? If you can tell me how to prepare for the change in weather(I live in Florida now),I think that's one of the things I need to know most. Also,my contract is for a year with the option to renew when it's up;anyway,my point is that before the first year is up,I would need to find a school for my daughter(she'll be 6 in June)and I'd like to know what the schools are like. I've already tried to find out stuff but all I could find was the official city websites;I'd really like to hear from people who live there or have lived there!!!!! Can anyone point me to any forums/message boards/chat rooms where there are people from either city there?!? Also,the few places I saw for rent said "No Pets";can't have that cause I feel I'm making enough changes in my daughter's life by moving;I won't make her give up her cherished cat!!! PLEASE HELP!!!

I also meant to ask what shopping is like;although,I mean for groceries and household stuff,not for(how do I put it?!?)superficial(for lack of a better word) stuff. Also,I have DirecTV and DSL(through my phone company) here(in Florida) and would like to know if there's anything equivalent in either city. Also,I'm not big on seafood so what would my dining out options be like? If there's anything I haven't mentioned,that you think I should know,feel free to tell me!!!

Answer 1

Anchorage is a city, and you have all the pros and cons of a city.

Many airlines fly into Anchorage, so it tends to be cheaper to get there (nice if you are going to have people flying to see you or vice versa).

Unlike Juneau, you can drive there. This is not necessarily practical, but it can be a great psychological benefit (transplants in Juneau seem to feel isolated there).

Unlike Juneau, Anchorage has a modern hospital there. In fact, many people in need of serious or long-term medical attention in Juneau are usually flown to Anchorage or Seattle. This can be important if you or someone living with you has a long-term disease or sickness of some sort.

Anchorage has a decent University there (UA-Southeast doesn’t have the quality and selection UAA does.

If you are into hunting or viewing, there is a wide variety of wildlife in Anchorage or within a days drive of Anchorage. The fishing in Anchorage is just OK (I’m an ocean fisherman, not an inland one)

As Anchorage is a city, the population can support a variety of entertainment like restaurants, night clubs, etc..

The downfall to Anchorage IMHO is the fact it is a city. There is more drugs there, more crime, more traffic, and more dealing with people. Some people don’t care about this. Personally, I find it a major turn off (Anchorage is no where near as bad as a “real” city like the Chicagoland area where I live now, but it is a city compared to Juneau).

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If you are looking for a small town atmosphere, Juneau is your place.

In Anchorage, you are an anonymous person in a city. In Juneau, you are you and you are only as good as your word.

Juneau is an ocean city, which would be a HUGE factor for me. With the ocean, you have great fishing and marine life viewing.

As I mentioned before, the downside is that there is no road to Juneau, so you have to fly or ferry in. Contrary to popular belief, Juneau isn’t terribly expensive. The cost of most things there is about the same as what I pay in the Chicagoland area (it may be expensive compared to the SE US though). One exception is automobiles. Many people will go to Anchorage or Seattle and ferry the car into Juneau.

The airport in Juneau is mainly serviced by Alaska Airlines. As Alaska Air has started flying throughout the US, they are much cheaper than before, but it is still almost 50% more to fly to Juneau than to Anchorage.

I have found the people to be more friendly in Juneau than in Anchorage.

While the fishing is good, the hunting in the Juneau area is lacking somewhat. Mainly, there is only bears (brown & black) and Sitka Blacktail deer. There are some Mountain Goats in the area, but I’ve never seen one close enough to shoot. Hunting Brown Bear usually requires boating to a different island (like Admiralty Island).

The entertainment really is lacking. The number of bars in the town can be counted on both hands. There used to be a mice variety of restaurants, but from what I hear many of them went out of business. Some of the big box stores are moving into Juneau, but it seems that many do not last. JCPenny and Sears couldn’t make a go of it. K-Mart was closed after a few years. Costco and Fred Meyers are the two major stores there now. Rumor has it Home Depot is opening soon (if not already) and a Wal-Mart might be moving in soon. There are only two movie theaters there, one downtown and one in the “valley”.

The weather in Juneau tends to be wet and miserable. People think the rain in Seattle is bad, but Juneau is much worse. It rains so much, moss grows in the lawns and is pretty much everywhere.

It is extremely difficult to find a cheap place to live in Juneau. If you have a good paying secure job, great. Check out realtor.com for both cities. A 3 bedroom house in Juneau will get you back between $250,000 and $300,000 at minimum. My friend who is renting a 3 bedroom apartment is paying about $1300 a month. If you lose your job, be prepared to move quickly. There is very little good paying work in Juneau. Besides the government, most work in Juneau is fishing or retail related. Fishing can pay good, but can be hard to get into.

Personally, my vote would be for Juneau, but I am biased. I have been to 20 foreign countries and more cities than I can remember, and I have yet to find a place better than Juneau. If you are coming from the mainland to Alaska for the first time, it may be easier to adapt to Anchorage.

Regardless of where you go, be prepared for major physical and psychological changes. The weather in either city can turn on a dime. While I never spent a winter in Anchorage, I can say that snow stops nothing in Juneau, even when they get feet. The whole 3 months daylight/darkness thing really messes some people up mentally (a lot of winter depression. Personally, I didn’t know places had daylight in winter until I moved to the Midwest). Like I mentioned, some people feel trapped in Juneau as they can not drive off there. Most people in Alaska have guns (at least in Juneau…I guess I can’t speak so much for Anchorage). Guns are a way of life up there as is fishing and hunting. Finally, people tend not to take sh*t from others. I’ve seen more fights in Anchorage and Juneau in a summer than I have in the Chicagoland in 10 years. If you are polite, people are polite back.

I can not speak on Anchorage schools, but the schools in Juneau were excellent, at least they were 20 years ago. When I moved to Wisconsin in the 4th grade (I moved back and forth), I was almost 2 years ahead of their kids. Overcrowding is getting to be an issue in the schools though. I would check out http://www.greatschools.net and see what people say about the schools. A lot can change in 20 years, so don’t take my word for it.

I am not trying to scare you, just warning you to be prepared. If you can be adaptable and get used to the weather, I think you will be happy in Alaska, no matter which city you choose.

Good Luck! Remember to register for the Permanent Fund as soon as you get there!!! (Gotta love free money)

Answer 2

Didn't you read 'Animal Farm'? 'Some animals are more equal than others'. The Burkah and Hidjab are not required by mohammedan scripture, so if the Govt win this, then people can refuse to employ mohammedans who wear these symbols of cultural slavery. Any court case would bring your question before the judges, and then the whole system would go into melt down. Squaring the circle would be easier than trying to get people to accept that Christians cannot wear crosses because they are not demanded in scripture but mohammedans can do what they like when not demanded by scripture. I had to laugh when I read that UK Govt Lawyers said that the 'Freedom of Religion' was not an absolute right! It doesn't say that anywhere in Human Rights Treaties and Laws, it says that you have a right to Freedom of Religion. What next? Freedom of Religion to only practise the religion that the state approves? Talk about bringing the law into disrepute and undermining the law, there would be mass dissent and, possibly, mass demonstrations. This certainly seems as if the judges are acting as recruiters for the far right.

Answer 3

Hi Pardner, i have been working in Alaska for the last 5 yrs...

Are you going soon??? from Fla??? Hahahahahaha,,, your in for a shock buddy,, hahahahaha,,,,,, Its Winter time and its getting Dark there NOW,,, in about a month you will have No Sun...until about March ,,,,,

Anchorage over Juneau,, easier access,, Food and clothing is More expensive,, because everything is Shipped up there,,, Buy a house over rent.... make sure it has a heated garage !! or your car will freeze,, oh,, 4 wd also,,,, it SNOWS,, I was at the company apartment on Easter Sunday and it snowed 5 ft....thats in APRIL.... hahahahaha

Oh,, watch out for the Moose, they walk everywhere,, dont come near a Mommy Moose and her young one,,, they will KILL YOU !! No kidding.... Dont go out camping with out a BIG PISTOL to shoot the Bear if one gets after you.... and Yes they Eat people...... save the last bullet for yourself if need be... no kidding....

So ,,, go have fun,,, it is beautiful,, the Northern lights are wonderful,,, the food is BLAND...... and expensive ......but i love it up there,,,,, myself....

good luck

Answer 4

Go to Anchorage......good luck