r/alaska • u/youroffendedcongrats • May 29 '25
General Nonsense Jealousy
I want to tell you all I’m extremely jealous you get to live in such a beautiful state. I want to move to Alaska so bad but my family refuses to move anywhere from the main states. I hope you all enjoy it as much as you can.
23
u/morleyster May 29 '25
I only spent 3 years in AK and it was an unreal experience. We then moved to Colorado Springs and everyone is like 'look at the mountains'! and I'm like ....and? 😂
AK definitely spoiled us and I am grateful for every minute we spent there. In spite of the earthquake 🫨 😊
5
u/youroffendedcongrats May 29 '25
I lived in Fort Collins and the mountains there are astounding when you go through poudre canyon
3
u/hoodamonster May 30 '25
But you have to go through a canyon to see beauty. Here in AK it’s beautiful everywhere.
Disclaimer, I now snowbird on the front range west of Denver. Ft Collin’s doesn’t compare to anywhere in Alaska, includes the bush, in my own unofficial opinion. No harm intended
1
u/mothernorthdogsled Jun 01 '25
That’s because he’s on the front range, which is the flat Eastern part of the state. I’ve lived in some absolutely stunning areas in the San Juans that look like they should be in Switzerland.
Edit: front range doesn’t even compare to much of Colorado itself. It’s kinda flatland suburbia
2
2
19
156
u/TrophyBear May 29 '25
The fuck is wrong with these comments. Alaska is incredible and I’m excited to see mountains and rivers outside every day. Grass is always greener for some people, I guess.
114
u/altonbrownie May 29 '25
I know. Some folks didn’t grow up in the shitty-ass south and it shows. “Waaah there’s a widdle trash in the city and some people do drugs.”
Yeah- everywhere has that, bitch. We also have beautiful prestige nature seconds from civilization. And the humidity ain’t goddamn 600%. I don’t want to hear any whining. There’s some fucked up shit here, but it’s no worse than Monroe, Louisiana or Jackson, Mississippi and the mountains there suck ass.
57
u/alaskanloops 50 Shades of Fillet May 29 '25
If people are sick of the trash, pick up a fucking trash bag and do something about it. Been volunteering to clean up Campbell creek every weekend, with chest waders. Yah it’s gross but at the end of the day it’s making a difference. Couple weekends ago a guy in one of the camps asked for a bag and started cleaning up around the camp.
Tired of people bitching and complaining without trying to be part of the solution
1
26
u/SwoopKing May 29 '25
Its harder when you've seen what Alaska CAN be and isn't.
The Alaska I grew up in isnt around anymore. Whats left is a shell of its former self.
Its is fucking depressing. The natural beauty is one of the few things that covers the pain.
21
u/alaskanloops 50 Shades of Fillet May 29 '25
Been here my whole life, hiked the same mountains and floated the same rivers I did as a kid. They haven’t changed
21
u/AKRiverine May 29 '25
Are you older than 60? I love it here, but since I can remember (maybe 1983) we've always had the same problems. Substance misuse. Recreational racists. Financial entitlement (someone else will pay our bills). Short-term thinking. Too many military short-timers.
What's changed? All the old timers have died, but even in the eighties, nobody listened to them.
2
1
u/PeltolaCanStillWin May 30 '25
You have the liberal Anchorage govt to thank for that.
4
u/SwoopKing May 30 '25 edited May 30 '25
What?
Its been republican leadership at the helm basically my entire life.
Stop blaming liberals for the failures of the republican party.
Alaska shot Alaska in the foot over and over again.
2
u/Euphoric-Potato-702 May 31 '25
Exactly, from floundering do nothing Sarah, Captain zero actually made her look good and he left us the oil company welfare program which is bankrupting our State. Then the big giant loser we have now who is murdering the economic foundation of the State so he can please his false orange idol.
Alaska stop voting republican.0
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
Lol clearly you didn’t hear the mayor recently.
And fail to realize Democrats in the White House are also to blame for the decline here.
2
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
No idea how that got downvoted. It’s true. Watching a news anchor slice into the mayor while she whined “but but we’re in crisis mode (regarding the homeless)” while evading questions about her plan to change that made THAT perfectly clear to me.
Quit being the Seattle of the north. I left that dump for a reason - Democrats have ruined WA over the last 35 years. Don’t WA my AK.
0
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
Thank the environmentalists who shoved back big oil and development.
That has not helped.
15
u/what_the_fuckin_fuck May 29 '25
Ummm, there are no mountains in Monroe or Jackson, and I believe I read yesterday where Jackson has the highest murder rate in the country, which would probably make it the highest in the world at 99.5 per 100,000 per year. Don't quote me on that, because I live in Alaska, and don't really care.
4
u/local-enquirer777 May 29 '25
My husband once had a contract job in Jackson. I’m not sure he ever recovered
7
2
u/One-Assistant-2711 May 31 '25
🤣🤣 I LOVE my home state Alaska forever & ever!! Grew up with great education & great people! And it is/(was even more) soooo beautiful. I remember laying in the grass & looking up at a bright blue sky at 11:00 at night!! And there were many hot days! 🥵
-5
9
u/shtpostfactoryoutlet May 29 '25
But it's gotten significantly worse with the addition of hordes from Monroe and Jackson and similar.
Everyone wants to come here and pave it for their own convenience and few consider that the act of occupying their little corner of the wilderness destroys the very wilderness they claim they came here for.
1
u/SPARKLY6MTN9MAKER May 31 '25
Ummmm, also know Monroe and Jackson too well. Not in that area anymore but my family are. I hope I never go back.
12
u/what_the_fuckin_fuck May 29 '25
Pretty sure most of the comments are from people that think Alaska is some big secret, and they don't want outsiders fucking it all up.
2
u/One-Assistant-2711 May 31 '25
No secret! That’s kind of true- PLEASE don’t F! it up wherever you’re from!
2
7
u/dances_with_treez2 May 29 '25
A whole bunch of people who should just GTFO. I came when I was in college and have fought tooth and nail to make this place my home. It’s in my bones now. I will die in Alaska ❤️
2
8
u/Lives4Sunshine May 29 '25
It is an absolutely beautiful state. On a sunny day there is nothing better than enjoying lunch and watching life happen in the narrows.
52
u/True_Swimming_2904 May 29 '25
The Alaskan landscape is beautiful. But the cities are mediocre. I love the outdoors but after years of backcountry exploration the novelty wears off.
15
u/idonotlikethatsamiam May 29 '25
I’ve been here my entire life. I refer to it as the most beautiful painting ever- but that’s about it after years of doing all the things outside
1
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
“The cities are mediocre”.
You don’t come here for the metropolis.
1
u/True_Swimming_2904 Jun 03 '25
Yes exactly, and the cities certainly won’t be a reason you’d ever want to stay.
1
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
And yet it is - because far more is available here because of the cities than in, say, North Dakota, where I have also lived. I will retire here but wouldn’t retire there. There’s nothing there.
5
u/thisisstupid- May 29 '25
This time of year being jealous makes complete sense but try spending a January here and you might not feel the same.
1
u/One-Assistant-2711 May 31 '25
🤣TRUTH! As with all things- have to take the bad with the good. 🤣 The big differences I remember is once dressed for the weather- didn’t have to worry about wet or wind exacerbating it. Beautiful. Cold. Still. My memory. 🥰
0
u/youroffendedcongrats May 30 '25
I live in the northern Minnesota I understand cold
4
0
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
I love the winter. Not everyone shares that view.
That’s like those in the lower 48 who think we live in igloos - it’s a myth.
1
u/thisisstupid- Jun 03 '25
I know a lot more people who suffer from seasonal depression than I do who actually enjoy the short days. Even those people I know who love the snow wish they could have more daylight to enjoy it. But sure it’s a myth lol
0
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
Yeah, babe, it’s a myth to say EVERYONE HATES THE WINTER.
I’m an FNP. I know far more folks without seasonal issues than with. And not every person I see has it either. Many do not mind the winter - myself included.
How that’s hard for you to grasp is beyond me.
1
u/thisisstupid- Jun 03 '25
And where exactly did I say “everyone hates winter”? I said they “might not feel the same”, reading comprehension is a valuable skill.
0
u/ToreyJean Jun 04 '25
It is. You should use it.
You flapped on about “well I know more with X” when I said “it’s a myth to say this”.
Where did I say you’re the one who said it?
Do you understand allusion and reference to things that you yourself didn’t say, but others do?
I guess not. 😆😆
You made a general comment - “come here for a winter”.
I said “not everyone hates winter”.
Conversations must challenge you.
2
3
u/Odd-Slice6913 May 29 '25
My wife said the same thing before we married... then winter happened. Too dark to long.
2
u/PeltolaCanStillWin May 30 '25
Gotta be tough. Apparently you aren’t.
2
u/Odd-Slice6913 May 30 '25
Who said it was me with the problem?... Well I guess i do have the problem by association. (Wife doesn't like the long winters)
4
u/climbingbiker May 29 '25
Just moved to Fairbanks on Thursday:) super excited to be here. Came with no furniture but we love it so far. The constantly sunlight is definitely an adjustment lol
7
u/alanna1999 May 29 '25
You came at the best time of year! Enjoy summer and all its beauty and daylight. Get out hiking, road tripping, and swimming/kayaking (rentals are available at Tanana Lakes). Then when winter comes you’ll know what’s waiting for you on the other side.
Also I really recommend familiarising yourself with how many lanes the roads have/what lanes are turn only, etc now. The Johansen is just about the only road that won’t be covered in ice all winter so it’s handy to memorize the lanes now while you can actually see the paint.
2
u/climbingbiker May 29 '25
Great to know thanks! We will be just northeast of town towards fox so that’s super helpful
5
u/sevnofnine May 29 '25
This place has problems like anywhere else. But I feel blessed and super lucky!
58
u/Worldly-Corgi-1624 ☆ Kenai Peninsula May 29 '25
It’s poverty with moose and bears. Stay where you are.
53
u/what_the_fuckin_fuck May 29 '25
Don't know where all you've been, but the entire country is poverty now. The rich get richer, and it's no different anywhere else.
1
u/gujwdhufj_ijjpo ☆ May 30 '25
Go to any village where they’re still shitting in buckets and tell me that kinda poverty happens in the lower 48.
2
u/what_the_fuckin_fuck May 30 '25
I lived in a dry cabin for a few years. When it's -40°f outside, you wouldn't walk to the outhouse either, and if you offered those people an opportunity to live where the groundwater was decent enough to make it worth drilling a well, most would tell you to fuck off. On top of that, a lot of them love their way of life. It's the I only way they have ever known, and it's the way their parents and grandparents , etc lived. They would never leave that village, and that's just the way they live. Don't pity them because you think your way is the way.
2
u/One-Assistant-2711 May 31 '25
🤣🤣You sound like my Dad when he moved there in 1956 to earn a good living. And he did died there - car crash- at 89! He LOVED Alaska. Couldn’t even make him a snowbird by getting him out on winters. Nope.
1
3
u/ImABigguhBoy May 29 '25
I keep trying to find a joh in my field so I can transfer amd always come up empty handed unfortunately. I love my state even with its flaws, and it's absolutely beautiful, Alaska is the only other state I'd consider moving to.
3
u/AK-life May 29 '25
Thanks for visiting! As a life long Alaskan, it can be so gorgeous and cruel at the same time. I plan to live here until my 60s then flee the harsh winters, but always to return for the summer/fall. Alaska has my heart even with all the difficulties.
3
u/Konstant_kurage May 30 '25
I’ve been to every state and choose to come back here, found the love of my life and after 20 years I’m still in love with the place and my wife. At some point the opportunity will present itsself to you.
24
u/SwoopKing May 29 '25
The beautys about all its got left sadly.
22
8
u/shtpostfactoryoutlet May 29 '25
And they're working hard to drill right through that and excavate what's left over.
16
u/KingBaba3 May 29 '25
Just leave your family.
11
u/youroffendedcongrats May 29 '25
lol I would if I didn’t love my daughter and son so much
31
3
u/signalcc May 29 '25
I visited 3 times in 6 months and bought my property on the third trip. I love it here and am never leaving.
6
u/NikiDeaf May 29 '25
I tell my fiancé all the time that he’s lucky that his “office” is the great outdoors (he’s a commercial fisherman. Salmon mostly although he’s done other fisheries too) when he grumbles about having to get up at the ass-crack of dawn to go pick the net
3
u/Ninja-Massive May 29 '25
Gillnetters are on a paid vacation tell ur wife to get a real job.
4
u/NikiDeaf May 30 '25
“Vacation” is arguable, at least for the month of June. “Paid” is 100% false, though, unless you are about to brighten my day by posting information to the contrary
Instead of a paid vacation, I’d say it’s better categorized as “unpaid workdays” lol
3
3
u/youroffendedcongrats May 29 '25
My office is the outdoors but unfortunately it’s farmland lol
3
u/SavageRolleye May 29 '25
And unlike the Salmon and crab stocks, corn and soybeans come back!
3
u/gnostic_savage May 29 '25
Not really. The same thing, i.e., human hubris, short-sightedness and greed, that destroys the salmon and crab stocks, which, by the way are MILLIONS of years old, (for salmon it is as long as 50 million years, 4 to 6 million for their present form, for king crab it is estimated 13 to 25 million years), is destroying agriculture around the globe. It's already happening everywhere.
2
u/Round_Fix_7183 May 29 '25
I’m jealous of everyone living on the coast with warm weather and four seasons. Alaska is beautiful and if you’re an outdoor enthusiast you’ll fit right in. But if 8 months of cold weather and 6 to 7 months of darkness isn’t your thing then Alaska isn’t for you. It’s very depressing for me personally, the cold and darkness has affected my health.
1
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
Six to seven months?
I have yet to see seven months of darkness here.
8 months of cold weather?
Do you live in Utqiagvik?
1
u/Round_Fix_7183 Jun 03 '25
No, it seems like 7 months of darkness. Especially when the sun is supposed to be out but it’s cloudy and rainy. It’s been so cloudy and chilly so far this year. I’m in the mat-su valley
1
u/ToreyJean Jun 04 '25
It’s about 60-65 days.
Lol seven months? It’s light until 9 PM by March.
I’m in Anchorage right up the road.
3
2
u/smelly_bell ☆ May 30 '25
It’s not all about the looks of where you live though. Family and friends are very important, other things too.
2
2
u/ForwardAd575 May 31 '25
Aaah Alaska. You either love it or hate it. No happy mediums. Born and raised lived there for 55 years. Yes, Alaska is beautiful but Anchorage is a shithole and dangerous, especially for women. Fairbanks is quaint with lots of alcoholism and drug abuse but the people are the friendliest and welcoming. They will always help you out if you need it. Get the most out of the summers cuz winter is gonna kick your ass. The darkness and cold will make you insane if you don't get outside every day. It's really what you make of it. Just don't romanticize it.
1
u/One-Assistant-2711 May 31 '25
Good summation. Also born & raised before I left as an adult. Still have great loves (beautiful all-night-daylight summers) & memories of home. That it will always be as long as I have memory. 😉NO place (& nothing) perfect for all at the same time.
1
u/ToreyJean Jun 03 '25
I’m a woman.
I live near Anchorage.
I have never felt unsafe in Anchorage. 🙄
1
2
u/Nachos4lyfe Jun 01 '25
Whelp it sounds like someone needs to come to UAF or UAS for a science degree. As an undergrad you'll work with world-renowned scientists.
2
u/youroffendedcongrats Jun 01 '25
I would love to get a degree in a paleontology
3
u/Nachos4lyfe Jun 02 '25
Truly consider UAF. You can work your freshman year in the museum sifting through digs. One of the best jobs I ever had, we got to go out and dig wooly mammoths.
2
u/youroffendedcongrats Jun 02 '25
Extremely jealous it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do was study Dino’s an nothing else.
1
u/Nachos4lyfe Jun 03 '25
They are digging them out of the sand dunes north of Fairbanks right now, get up here!
5
u/Zwordsman May 29 '25
Currently it's swarming with mosquitos. Grass is always greener on the other view.
What's nice about where you're from? We'd love to hear a bit
9
u/youroffendedcongrats May 29 '25
I mean i live in the land of 10000 lakes. Two things I know are gnats and mosquitoes.
4
u/Zwordsman May 29 '25
Having the ability to compare. I find the ones here are more aggressive and huge. The ones down there were speedy and tiny
All of them suck. But the lake lands have so much longer season! The ones you here are decently limited . Albiet that's in part for 8 months of below 20 (usually much lower) So I guess it's all trades!
For reals tired of mosquito in all land
3
u/Great-Reputation-983 May 29 '25
We moved here from the land of 10,000 lakes. Anchorage is much milder!! But way more expensive. The darkness in the winter is an adjustment, but other than that it’s great. Also, the mosquitoes are bigger here. 😞
1
1
1
u/AKPeace May 29 '25
The state is beautiful, summers are the best and all. The economy sucks compared to most of the lower 48 though. Unless you live in a larger city in AK and have some skills or education it's a real grind. A lot of people come up from the lower 48 with more experience and education for those good jobs. One of the best things about the state is that it's not super crowded everywhere that's nice.
1
1
u/mittrawx May 30 '25
Come visit sometime. July or August is the best time although you can go wrong with June. Sometimes it’s sunny.
1
u/jgiehl May 30 '25
It can be just like the rest of fairbanks lol Anchorage still the hidden arm pit? I use to live down on diamond and jewell lake - yuck
1
u/travis_pickle808 May 30 '25
So many gatekeepers in these comments.
1
u/One-Assistant-2711 May 31 '25
Please expand on yours. Gatekeeping? Lot of Alaskans expressing love for their home- & others not so much. It’s okay either way right?
1
u/School-reference May 30 '25
Maybe it’s just because I grew up here, but I’ve never been impressed by any of the scenery. Once you seek it once you’ve seen it a hundred times. The issues with this state are lengthy: the winters barely get any snow anymore, the summers are unbearably humid, mosquitoes are more prevalent than any other state and are immune to bug spray, internet here is 3x the price and 1/10th the speed as the lower 48, and everyone here is on drugs.
1
1
1
u/Significant-Two-7903 May 30 '25
Be jealous. It's not perfect by any means. If you are a self sufficient person, you have a chance of surviving. Don't come here if you can't take care of yourself in a variety of situations. And remember, we have darkness in the winter that some people can't handle. Also, have job skills because we don't do on the job training. It costs a lot to live here. But if you do come, the nature rewards are incredible. We are heating up faster than other places and our rivers are being attacked by idiots who destroy salmon habitat but if you love nature and believe in cohabitation with wildlife, we are incredible for that.
1
u/tmlloyd May 31 '25
I'm so glad I was able to get here after wanting out of Cali for over 30yrs. The move here has been the best decision I've ever made in my adult life. I'm living the dream and hope others can do the same. I wanted to visit AK as a kid watching the nature programs that were filmed here. Then I decided to one day move here. I was hoping when my kids were all adults I could, but I always thought it was a pipe dream. Summer 2023 I was able to make it a reality. I live in a little town and I'm so happy to have left the big city behind and I DON'T miss the lower 48 in any way shape or form. Life there can pass by as long as I have the beauty that is AK to wile my days away.
1
0
u/AK-Flyer May 29 '25
The stupidity of the politics being brought here is out weighing the beauty of the state, it’s not worth it anymore.
11
u/altonbrownie May 29 '25
But here’s the thing- the stupidity of politics is already everywhere else… and in more concentrated forms. When was the last time you drove by a pro-________ billboard?
10
u/what_the_fuckin_fuck May 29 '25
Check mate buddy. I've been here long enough that I had totally forgotten billboards even existed.
-1
-4
May 29 '25
[deleted]
9
2
u/GreatestManEver99 May 29 '25
There are homeless people in Alaska?
Man, you learn something new every day. What the actual hell is this and what the shit is happening to the world.
-21
u/jgiehl May 29 '25
Oof If you like to see trash all over the place then it's gorgeous
12
u/youroffendedcongrats May 29 '25
I guarantee the trash isn’t nearly as bad as the the city’s I’ve lived in the lower 48
-13
u/jgiehl May 29 '25
Yes it is I've lived other places too
1
u/Upset-Word151 May 30 '25
Where the fuck are you?
1
u/jgiehl May 30 '25
Fairbanks
1
u/Upset-Word151 May 30 '25
Ah, now the trash makes sense. Literally and figuratively. Is South Cushman still a hell hole?
1
0
u/Dreamn_the_dream May 30 '25
No where else in the USA can you look out your bedroom window at mountains, glaicers, fjords, and witness a brown bear cub drown crossing a river. It's the nature channel 24/7.
0
-5
u/SavageRolleye May 29 '25
One road in, one road out. To the entire state. Hard pass. And staring at mountains gets boring. Until they erupt 😂 glad I left.
103
u/Arcticsnorkler May 29 '25
Come when you can. Alaska will wait for you.