Thinking of Moving to Alaska^^

hello Alaska RIU!!

I currently live in AZ, bu ti hate the desert and want to live in the snow and ice.
I am wondering what you would tell a desert boy wanting to move to Alaska?

I hear that weed is pretty much as legal as it can be up there...and that people pretty much leave you alone if you keep you head down. There is good deer meat, good people, and a slower way of life.

I want that, i want to grow, and raise my family away from most people...is Alaska a good place for me??

Philosophist said:

hello Alaska RIU!!

I currently live in AZ, bu ti hate the desert and want to live in the snow and ice.
I am wondering what you would tell a desert boy wanting to move to Alaska?

I hear that weed is pretty much as legal as it can be up there...and that people pretty much leave you alone if you keep you head down. There is good deer meat, good people, and a slower way of life.

I want that, i want to grow, and raise my family away from most people...is Alaska a good place for me??

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It all depends on YOU.
Do you have skills that can transfer easily from one job environment to another?
Ask specific questions & I'll do what I can to help you get the answers.
GWN

This is an amazing place. If you've never been, you need to come for sure. It's a great place and a lot of people from AZ move here or have two places here and there. Up to an oz in your home is a non-offense, no arrest, no fine. People do tend to leave you alone but there are assholes that have moved up from the lower 48 that do not have the local mentality of "live and let live and stay the fuck out of other people's business". Our deer are caribou and moose and one of each would typically be over 2,000 lbs. There are "regular" deer also but most don't bother when you can have 800 lbs of moose with one shot. AK has millions of square miles where you can get away from people but that is not real advisable unless you've spent a year or so here within reach of facilities and know what to expect and how to deal with the unexpected. i.e. you build yourself a cabin 20 miles from the nearest neighbor. It's -30 degrees and snow is 4' deep and your cabin catches fire; you don't have time to grab anythng but your boots. Your coat is inside, along with everything else. You're fucked. Anywhere except Anchorage would probably be fine for growing; the best would be up in the valley or on the Kenai. PM me and tell me what you do for work; that's a big thing. The cost of living up here is expensive, much moreso the first year; after that you get some breaks and will have learned where to shop. We just moved up on a shoe string this past April; I can tell you how to do it on the cheap.

Well i am retired Military. So i have a fixed income that isnt a whole lot. My wifey works in health care.
I have been through the military's S.e.r.e. training course so im pretty good outdoors etc.
I have a bad back but, will be going to school when i get there for the extra VA money fro schooling.
Why is Anchorage bad for growing?? seems it would be a good place .....

Id like to live the sort of life where i can hunt for some meat, fish some fish, grow some weed, and shoot some guns....All while on a 4wheeler...

potpimp said:

This is an amazing place. If you've never been, you need to come for sure. It's a great place and a lot of people from AZ move here or have two places here and there. Up to an oz in your home is a non-offense, no arrest, no fine. People do tend to leave you alone but there are assholes that have moved up from the lower 48 that do not have the local mentality of "live and let live and stay the fuck out of other people's business". Our deer are caribou and moose and one of each would typically be over 2,000 lbs. There are "regular" deer also but most don't bother when you can have 800 lbs of moose with one shot. AK has millions of square miles where you can get away from people but that is not real advisable unless you've spent a year or so here within reach of facilities and know what to expect and how to deal with the unexpected. i.e. you build yourself a cabin 20 miles from the nearest neighbor. It's -30 degrees and snow is 4' deep and your cabin catches fire; you don't have time to grab anythng but your boots. Your coat is inside, along with everything else. You're fucked. Anywhere except Anchorage would probably be fine for growing; the best would be up in the valley or on the Kenai. PM me and tell me what you do for work; that's a big thing. The cost of living up here is expensive, much moreso the first year; after that you get some breaks and will have learned where to shop. We just moved up on a shoe string this past April; I can tell you how to do it on the cheap.

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Good advice here OP, you would do well to heed these words.
And we can always use a few more good people.

Edit: I'm retired military as well - FYI, our VA medical facilities in Anchorage are fantastic.
And thanks for your service !

what sort of degree would be good to get if planning on living up there?? Wildlife conservation comes to mind, or something in Energy etc...

Philosophist I think you're all over it man. The S.E.R.E training would come in handy, especially if it included arctic training. Jungle training at Ft. Picket won't help much, LOL. Anchorage is a great place; I live here now, but for growing it's best to be out a bit. I live in a duplex and the next door neighbor is about 15 feet from my house and my place is very small. You get a lot more house for your money in the valley. Just come on up man; I'll do anything I can to help you out on this end. I can tell you the best (cheapest) way to get your vehicle up here, the things you'll need and the things you won't, where to get more "stuff" for next to nothing, etc. Hunting, fishing, 4wheelers, snowmachines, boats, guns, and booze are a way of life up here; that's what I came for too. I figure after 17 vacations up here, and living here two times for a couple of months each time, I figured it was time to make the move. Oh, and the economy is great here. Anybody that wants to work can find work and usually make a good living.

Philosophist said:

hello Alaska RIU!!

I currently live in AZ, bu ti hate the desert and want to live in the snow and ice.
I am wondering what you would tell a desert boy wanting to move to Alaska?

I hear that weed is pretty much as legal as it can be up there...and that people pretty much leave you alone if you keep you head down. There is good deer meat, good people, and a slower way of life.

I want that, i want to grow, and raise my family away from most people...is Alaska a good place for me??

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buy a jacket that seems ridiculous to you now. seriously you will need it.

Holy smokes rents in Anchorage are EXPENSIVE!!! growing in some of those places seems impossible><

Are rents that high outside of Anchorage?

Also can i just go hunt for meat when i need meat?? Thats the allure of Alaska to me, i want to be self sufficient. I want to be able to do man shit, like feed myself, and chop wood hahahahaL;P

Im looking at pictures and im already in love with the whole place....
and i KNOW the 1st cold will just obliterate me...im used to 115 and shit haha

Yep, the housing is expensive but in the valley it's not quite as bad. You need to see the movie "Alone in the Wilderness", LOL talk about getting you fired up!! It's an incredible place for sure and if it were easy to move here we would be overrun with people. Here in south central the winters are not that bad, seldom hits zero and it really is a dry cold. The summers are unreal, barely hit 70 half a dozen times this summer here. This year it's been very rainy and gray skies, not typical at all but still nice. I took this pic a couple of weeks ago from my front porch.

I loving every word you say..... I totally need sweatshirt weather in the summer time.... i have always needed that....

Teh -20 might be rough, but i have always felt its easier to warm up them to cool down.... but i have never been in -20 weather so its still only theory lolz.
You were saying that Jobs are plentiful right?? That is a big problem down here in Tucson, no jobs, no on ehiring and 7 dollar an hour jobs are taken by peopl ewith bach degress sometimes even....

Just wanna get a descent job and go to school and be a (something cool that lets me smoke weed and drive around in a truck doing Alaska stuff)
small dreams.

I want to hunt and fish, not becaus ei am blood thirty and want to kill deers and shit liek Ted Nugget.. but id rather do the killing myself, KNOW its fresh, non processed, no hormoned meat that is about as organic as it gets. PLus i LOVE fresh fish, and seafood, an di hear you can get a big lobster for pretty cheap compared to in the 48.

And teh whole 24 plants things is just unreal man...just to cool for school Is it just like a pot paradise up there??

Lobster??? Lobster is nothing but a seagoing cockroach; I'm serious. I'm gonna PM you.

I know they are just water roaches....but i put that out of my mind.....cuz that shit taskes GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.

I hage a friend of mine that grew up in Alaska that is thinking about coming with me...so its looking liek a pretty good chance ill be Alaska bound before too long

Philosophist said:

I know they are just water roaches....but i put that out of my mind.....cuz that shit taskes GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.

I hage a friend of mine that grew up in Alaska that is thinking about coming with me...so its looking liek a pretty good chance ill be Alaska bound before too long

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If you're going to make the leap I would do it NOW, or I'd wait about 8 months.
Winters up here are downright nasty - no time to be homeless & looking for a place.

Oh and sorry, no lobster here, just lousy old King, Snow & Dungeness crab.

GreatwhiteNorth said:

Oh and sorry, no lobster here, just lousy old King, Snow & Dungeness crab.

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That's what I'm talking about!!! Once you've had king crab you'll never desire lobster again, I promise. You should be able to find a place here now. Now is the best time of the whole year to find a place and get it at the best deal. Check Craigslst.org; they have all sorts of places for rent. They also have jobs, furniture, vehicles and everything else. Some growing stuff in there too every week but it's much cheaper down there. Hey, can you stop near Fresno and pick up my stuff?

the twentyfour plant thing is written in the statute, but what the boys in blue do is weigh those twentyfour plants and then charge ya with a felony weight crime. THE best way is either get 2 med. cards !patient, and 1caregiver if you can, and grow12 plants. otherwise keep EVERYTHING to yourself especially the odor{that is how they get 90% of their warrants} and they have a hell of a time getting around our privacy rights here. SERIOUSLY...the 24 plants is also only the level where it turns felony, so if you had 24 baby cuts, you may only get a misdemeanor, but if they are a foot tall they just kill em, weigh em, and get ya on weight. over 4 zips PS they are as crooked as they come here in the greatland and they never weigh stuff proper. When i got busted I had 24 plants in my basement, in october in AK. they went out to my compost pile ,took out the seedlings i had culled a month prior and counted them as plants!!!! Iproved in court a plant is a living organism, and this was plant matter, but anyway, they charged me w/4 felonies and 4 misdemeanors the latter being reckless endangerment of my 4 kids!!! When the judge saw that he asked the D.A if the plants were explosive!!!! They dropped those, then on to the felonies. The cop, named KYLE YOUNG asked if I had ever smoked a joint w/anyone b4 and when i said of course, he said"thats a form of distribution". And remember the dead seedlings out back? And the 24 downstairs? he charged me w/63 plants. And using a dwelling 4 drug purposes. So I beat it all eventually w/out an attorney but it took 4 years ,alot of stress and a strong hatred for that part of the system.24 plants...........8.85lbs. they said.I wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!THE DRUG WAR IS A JOKE anyone who doesnt believe it can hear the entire story, but i am sure ive bored you enough w/my rant, but thoght you should know how they operate here

Not boring at all!! God I hate the fucking pigs; they are the most useless, worthless pieces of shit in the damn universe. Cops are the biggest liars, perjurers, and every other evil known to man. They are worthless shit that are too lazy to work and too scared to steal.

Not sure when I'll start my grow; I don't know how badly these strains will smell and I don't have a carbon system yet. I live in a duplex and I think the couple next door are cool but you never know; shit happens sometimes. I've been fantasizing about moving to the valley and starting a nice grow. Everything I do will be strictly under the radar.

Fairbanks is nice if you can handle some SERIOUS cold. That's where I live now, and -40 is a "mild" winter (I think the record low here was like -88?). Anyway, the cops are actually pretty chill here, most just let you mind your own shit - just don't get caught toking and driving, they take their dui's seriously! I've been pulled over 3 or 4 times, and let off with a warning every time. It's a great place for hunting and to a lesser extent fishing, so it's got that going for it. The only main problem here is that rent is RIDICULOUS!! I lived my first year up here with my girlfriend paying 500/month for a place with no water. Good luck with wherever you decide.

If we all work to form a united front, we can move Alaska into an industry state and all have what we need.

Woodsmantoker

This post is relevant to my interests. I currently work as a full time produce manager in a supermarket in New Jersey, but living to Alaska is a dream of mine. A friend I have moved from Ft. Lauderdale Florida to Alaska and does guided tours a few months out of the year, and diddly-squat after that. I don't know about the tourism industry, but I've been poking my head around craigslist and watching a whole lot of Alaska's State Troopers and just wanting to move there so badly. I'm 25, my girlfriend is 23 and she's finishing up a business degree in school. After she's done we really want to move to Alaska, but going from NJ to Alaska is sort of mind-boggling. It's like... where do we start? Hmmm... if anyone from this thread checks this PM me with any kind of information! Thanks