I have a family of 9 and I want to move to alaska! There are many things there that I feel are good for me and my families life! I want to know how much would it cost for all of my family to live there! We want to know how well is the school systems and are jobs avalible for teens age's 15 and up!I live in maryland and i want to know how much it cost to live in alaska?We have 7 kids...and we do just fine here. Alot better then we were doing in upstate NY. Yes, housing here is ridiculous, its seriously cheaper to take out a loan and pay mortgage then try to rent. An average 3-4 bedroom will run you about $1800 a month. sick...considering how cheap some of these places look. I personally would never raise my kids in anchorage or Fairbanks, I think the cities are dirty...but thats just my opinion. As a kid we moved around alot, from Fairbanks all the way down to Juneau. And I've always preferred the smaller towns like Kenai, Seward, Haines, and Sitka. The smaller towns have more one on one with your kids in the schools. Every town has its ups and downs. But what you need to ask yourself, what are the things you cant live without??? Some remote areas are very beautiful, but in the end you may drive yourself and family crazy with nothing you like to do. Sit down with your family and ask them what they think a town should have and do your research on it.
If you do move here, I suggest you enroll in Costco or one of the other wholesale stores. It sure helps us stretch our food!
Jobs like everywhere else in the country are tight....but if your resume is good, then you have a fighting chance. Many towns here are tourist based economy....meaning we make our money mostly in the summers. Great for the teens and summer jobs. Nursing and construction...those are damn near guaranteed jobs.
here's what we budget my family of 9 for one month
$1500 food
$1275 Rent
$55 elect (summer) winter is closer to $350
$210 cable/ph/and the highest dsl avail
$400 gas
our garbage is free...but most people pay $50
But that is here in Juneau....this town is commonly referred to as the %26quot;white mans retirement town.%26quot; Everything is expensive here. Housing is insane...you have the legislature that comes in and many renters base their apartments on what they get for their rental allowance. which makes it hard for everyone else.....much like towns that are around a military base, basing their rentals off BAH instead of the quality of the rental.
We are currently moving. Headin up north to a nice quiet, and less expensive town. Schools are great, jobs are avail, and its of course,its beautiful year round.
here is the most common job search used in Alaska. http://alexsys.labor.state.ak.us/
