Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

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OneWorld111
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Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by OneWorld111 »

Hello BH,

I have got an opportunity to move to Anchorage for a better job (role and responbislity). I will get about 20% raise in base pay. Excited about the role.

Looking at some of the cost estimator like cnn money, it says even 20% increase pay may not offset the cost of living from say Dallas.

What are some of things I should be looking at if the assignment is say for 5 yrs? I have already considered the family part of it.

Regards,
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niceguy7376
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by niceguy7376 »

Weather, Quality of Life, Ability to enjoy the cold winters (should have interest in snow related activities).

Dont know much but hear about residents of Alaska getting yearly oil payments. Would you be able to get them? Based on current oil prices, that might not be a big chunk.
Fifty50
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Fifty50 »

I don't know about COL in Dallas. Anchorage isn't as bad as people usually think as far as cost of living. Your raise will help, housing might be higher than you're used to, but again not sure how it compares to Dallas. I live 180 miles from Anchorage. I moved here with an oil company with a plan to stay 5 years. That was 25 years ago...love it and will never leave.
rotorhead
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by rotorhead »

Hope you like cold weather. Lots of sunshine in the summer. Cost of living pretty high. I think it's not until you've been there a little while, until it sinks in the "lower 48" are pretty far away.
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TxAg
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by TxAg »

I'm in Dallas (lifelong Texan), but would love to live in Alaska for a few years.

I don't have much to offer, but keep us posted on how this goes. I'm excited for you!
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Lucky Lemon »

I also am not familiar with COL in Dallas, however, I would guess that housing, transportation, and some food costs will be higher.

Depending on what style of house you (and your family) are expecting to live in the costs will likely be much higher (large house on a large lot) to not much more at all (townhouse in decent neighborhood). Do you want to live in Anchorage or are you willing to commute from one of the surrounding towns? Will your job be full time in Anchorage or will you be working on the North Slope regularly (I am assuming you are in the oil industry)?

There is not much competition with the airlines between Anchorage and the Lower 48. Some airlines operate seasonally to AK and others only one or two flights per day. If you want some flexibility in your travel times then Alaska Airlines will be your likely choice. Most (but not all) flights depart Anchorage and go to Seattle before continuing on. Seattle is about a 3.5 – 4 hour flight in a 737.

The winters in Anchorage tend to be warmer than many people expect. Anchorage is close to the ocean and that moderates the temps. It is not uncommon for Anchorage to be warmer than the upper Mid-West and most recently the East Coast. Most other localities in Alaska get much colder. Many residents feel it is important to leave Alaska at least once per winter. Hawaii and Mexico are very popular with Alaskans.

The Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) is the yearly payment. It is paid to all eligible residents and is based on the performance of the investments of the Permanent Fund over the previous five years . It is usually paid in early October – just in time to help fund the yearly winter trip Outside.

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choices
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by choices »

I moved from AK to TX. Anchor town is not all that cold but is a bit more expensive than Dallas. AK is great! Not to be missed I lived in Anchorage and Fairbanks for a total of 7 years. I go back every 3 years.
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texasdiver
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by texasdiver »

I moved the other direction, from Juneau to Waco 12 years ago with my family due to my wife's career. You will be fine provided you like Alaska.

First, while Anchorage is nothing like Dallas in size, it seems larger than it's actual population because it is the center of business for an enormous region. Housing costs will be higher due to cost of construction and lack of land (Anchorage is surrounded by public lands). Food will be minimally higher for things like produce but you can shop at Costco same as in Dallas and eat pretty cheap. Gas will be somewhat higher. On the other hand, there are no state taxes. No sales tax or no income tax as oil pays for everything. And you can shop tax-exempt in Seattle by showing your Alaska drivers license.

The permanent fund is the annual dividend checks mailed out to every Alaska resident. You have to be in the state for a full calendar year to qualify so if you moved in 2015 the first checks you'd be eligible for would be the 2016 checks mailed out (or direct deposited) in February of 2017. It is usually in the $1000-$2000 range. Here are the historic amounts: http://www.apfc.org/home/Content/divide ... mounts.cfm We usually used ours for vacation but I always put my kids checks into a 529 plan.

Biggest shocks will be how isolated Anchorage is. There are basically 3 roads out of Anchorage. You can drive north past Denali to Fairbanks. You can drive east back towards the Yukon and SE Alaska, or you can drive south down into the Kenai. Anything else puts you on dirt roads or air travel. So you can't just hop in the car and go places like in Texas. You'll be spending more $$$ on airfare than before, especially if you have roots in the lower 48. Familiarize yourself with Alaska Airlines and join their mileage plan from the start, it is a good one.

The cold and darkness will get old too. Frankly it really isn't any colder than northern midwest towns like Chicago or Minneapolis as it is near the ocean. The truly arctic temperatures are found further into the interior in places like Fairbanks. But winter can be dark and you'll be going to work and coming home in the dark for several months. One just adjusts. Get into winter and outdoor sports. There is a world-class ski area just down the road at Alyeska and endless opportunities for cross country skiing, boating, fishing or powered outdoor sports. Most people live in Anchorage because it is close to Alaska, not because it is a particularly great city on its own right. Although there are a decent selection of restaurants, brew pubs, and shops. There are a lot of young people with decent salaries in Anchorage so there is a decent amount to do.

Don't bring any vehicle up to Alaska that isn't either 4x4 or front wheel drive. You don't NEED a 4x4. I drove a Camry for years. A small front wheel drive like a Camry with 4 studded snow tires makes a pretty good snow car. But rear wheel drive is useless. The 2x4 pickups you see around Texas are going to be useless and almost impossible to get rid of in Alaska.

Finally don't watch any of the crazy reality shows about Alaska. They are all a joke. Daily life in Anchorage will be pretty much the same exact thing as in Dallas, suburban living, driving to an office, shopping at Costco, etc. Except that you get the occasional moose.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Valuethinker »

akblizzard wrote:I don't know about COL in Dallas. Anchorage isn't as bad as people usually think as far as cost of living. Your raise will help, housing might be higher than you're used to, but again not sure how it compares to Dallas. I live 180 miles from Anchorage. I moved here with an oil company with a plan to stay 5 years. That was 25 years ago...love it and will never leave.
Given Alaska's budgetary situation, I suspect the oil dividend fund checks will be much reduced.

Also Alaska is quite dependent on US Federal government spending. Maybe with Putin et al. that goes up again, but generally that is being cut back. So that's another negative.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Valuethinker »

I have been to Queen Charlotte Islands (geographically part of the Aleutians in effect, but part of Canada not USA).

So please take this as educated guesses rather than sure knowledge.

Some observations:

- the mentality is frontier - it's hard to put a finger on it, but it is the frontier, even in the urban areas. And not frontier in the way Texas is. There is a kind of small l libertarianism, you do get some odd folk (Northern Exposure ;-)), coupled with a concern for neighbors (at least in the smaller places). Maybe a bit like Wyoming or Idaho? It might be a place to take up hunting or fishing

- something about cold places and cold countries, people are more introverted than the expansive Texan personality (or any warm country). Harder to make friends, people less sociable. That's true of Canadians, Scandinavians, Minnesotans and I suspect Alaskans. People communicate a lot by the tone of their grunts

- people really go all out in summer. The state fair (or whatever it is called) is just massive. The nights are almost nonexistent, the weather is warm, people really live it up

- underlining that is things like moose and bear even in urban areas. Nature is *close*

- a lot of people work for government or government related things (in Anchorage, also the energy industry)

- native issues are big. Native land claims and property rights. Native rights. Also the usual problems with Native Americans re alcohol and drug abuse (they are not the only people with those issues, but can be very visible)

- there is a significant drug problem in Queen Charlottes (or there was). Stuff like heroin comes in by sea, winter nights are long

- it's one of the last places where you get highly paid blue collar workers: oil industry, fishing, government jobs etc. That gives it an interesting flavor. Alaska is full of 'real men' in the stereotype with all the pluses and minuses of that

- aside from the Native Americans, it is much less racially polyglot than most of the USA. There is a greater homogeneity -- this is both good and bad, but it is very different from a big city in Texas or California etc.

Grab it with both hands. Go whale watching. Skiing. Hiking. Chances to live so close to nature come but once in life. Live it to the limit.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by texasdiver »

Valuethinker wrote:
akblizzard wrote:I don't know about COL in Dallas. Anchorage isn't as bad as people usually think as far as cost of living. Your raise will help, housing might be higher than you're used to, but again not sure how it compares to Dallas. I live 180 miles from Anchorage. I moved here with an oil company with a plan to stay 5 years. That was 25 years ago...love it and will never leave.
Given Alaska's budgetary situation, I suspect the oil dividend fund checks will be much reduced.

Also Alaska is quite dependent on US Federal government spending. Maybe with Putin et al. that goes up again, but generally that is being cut back. So that's another negative.
They aren't really oil dividend checks anymore. The Alaska permanent fund was seeded by oil money back in the 70s and I think they have deposited oil money in it from time to time but it is really a sovereign wealth fund in which the managers have free rein to invest worldwide in whatever they think will produce a return. So dividends are really more linked to the stock market than oil prices. Here is information on their asset allocation. Right now it is 55% equities and pretty much looks like a big global equity fund. Apple is their top holding. They also hold a bunch of real estate around the US sort of like a REIT

http://www.apfc.org/home/Content/invest ... on2009.cfm

So the permanent fund itself isn't really linked to oil or the Alaska state economy anymore. However the state is indeed very much linked to oil and I expect Anchorage is much like Houston in that respect. Low oil prices will will also slash the state budget which is almost entirely dependent on oil.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by texasdiver »

Valuethinker wrote:I have been to Queen Charlotte Islands (geographically part of the Aleutians in effect, but part of Canada not USA).

So please take this as educated guesses rather than sure knowledge.

Some observations:

- the mentality is frontier - it's hard to put a finger on it, but it is the frontier, even in the urban areas. And not frontier in the way Texas is. There is a kind of small l libertarianism, you do get some odd folk (Northern Exposure ;-)), coupled with a concern for neighbors (at least in the smaller places). Maybe a bit like Wyoming or Idaho? It might be a place to take up hunting or fishing

- something about cold places and cold countries, people are more introverted than the expansive Texan personality (or any warm country). Harder to make friends, people less sociable. That's true of Canadians, Scandinavians, Minnesotans and I suspect Alaskans. People communicate a lot by the tone of their grunts

- people really go all out in summer. The state fair (or whatever it is called) is just massive. The nights are almost nonexistent, the weather is warm, people really live it up

- underlining that is things like moose and bear even in urban areas. Nature is *close*

- a lot of people work for government or government related things (in Anchorage, also the energy industry)

- native issues are big. Native land claims and property rights. Native rights. Also the usual problems with Native Americans re alcohol and drug abuse (they are not the only people with those issues, but can be very visible)

- there is a significant drug problem in Queen Charlottes (or there was). Stuff like heroin comes in by sea, winter nights are long

- it's one of the last places where you get highly paid blue collar workers: oil industry, fishing, government jobs etc. That gives it an interesting flavor. Alaska is full of 'real men' in the stereotype with all the pluses and minuses of that

- aside from the Native Americans, it is much less racially polyglot than most of the USA. There is a greater homogeneity -- this is both good and bad, but it is very different from a big city in Texas or California etc.

Grab it with both hands. Go whale watching. Skiing. Hiking. Chances to live so close to nature come but once in life. Live it to the limit.
Alaska has some superficial similarities to Texas but the cultures are very different. Texas has a very strong southern Bible belt strain to it along with a poor history of black/white race relations going back to segregation, slavery, and the confederacy. Alaska is a young state that is very non-religious and more similar to Oregon or Washington that way. There are a lot of Texans and Louisianans who have moved up to work on the north slope. And the remote blue collar outpost towns such as the oil towns on the north slope and the fishing towns in the Gulf and Bering Sea are over-weighted with men. However Anchorage is not. It's pretty much an ordinary city where most people work the same ordinary jobs they work in Dallas....banks, insurance companies, corporate jobs, schools and universities, retail, etc.

The few blacks you'll find in Alaska mostly came up with the military and stayed and are pretty much middle class. For example, my next door neighbor in Juneau was an aircraft mechanic who came up with the Air Force and stayed to work for Alaska Airlines and raise his family. Many Hispanics and Filipinos and other Asian immigrants have moved up to work in the fishing industry, construction, and service industries just like anywhere else.

The ethnic conflicts to the extent that they exist are mostly native vs non-native and mainly over subsistence hunting and fishing issues. That is the longest standing political and cultural battle in the state. Land claims were mostly resolved by Congress in the 1970s with two major laws, but subsistence rights were not. Native communities have historic communal subsistence hunting and fishing rights and often do things like group hunts or fishing and sharing of harvests within a community that are in conflict with sort fishing and hunting regulations. On the ocean subsistence fishing comes into conflict with sportfishing and charter fishing operations. It's basically an endless and still somewhat unresolved issue. And then many native villages face the same problems with alcohol, drug abuse, and underemployment that reservations all over the lower 48 face.

Anyway, I say go for it if you are up for the adventure. There certainly aren't any good financial reasons not to make the jump.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Toons »

Weather :happy
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by texasdiver »

Valuethinker wrote:
akblizzard wrote:
Also Alaska is quite dependent on US Federal government spending. Maybe with Putin et al. that goes up again, but generally that is being cut back. So that's another negative.
That's mostly because of geography. Yes there are military bases that have been cut back to some extent since the end of the cold war. But mostly we are talking about the Coast Guard, Weather Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Minerals Management Service Parks Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, BLM, Forest Service, Indian Health Service, and all the other agencies that come with a state that is mainly Federally owned and that has half the nation's coastline and fisheries resources. The high Federal spending in Alaska is mostly for these reasons and not because Alaskans are on food stamps or welfare or something.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Valuethinker »

texasdiver wrote:
Valuethinker wrote:
Also Alaska is quite dependent on US Federal government spending. Maybe with Putin et al. that goes up again, but generally that is being cut back. So that's another negative.
That's mostly because of geography. Yes there are military bases that have been cut back to some extent since the end of the cold war. But mostly we are talking about the Coast Guard, Weather Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Minerals Management Service Parks Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, BLM, Forest Service, Indian Health Service, and all the other agencies that come with a state that is mainly Federally owned and that has half the nation's coastline and fisheries resources. The high Federal spending in Alaska is mostly for these reasons and not because Alaskans are on food stamps or welfare or something.

Note atablizzard did not write that, I did!


I apologise if I left the impression I meant 'on welfare'. Rather, I meant that Federal government installations are a big part of the economy-- defence and also the others that you cite.

And therefore employment and spending on goods and services is reduced by cutbacks in Federal spending.

I should have been more clear.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Valuethinker »

texasdiver wrote:
Valuethinker wrote:
akblizzard wrote:I don't know about COL in Dallas. Anchorage isn't as bad as people usually think as far as cost of living. Your raise will help, housing might be higher than you're used to, but again not sure how it compares to Dallas. I live 180 miles from Anchorage. I moved here with an oil company with a plan to stay 5 years. That was 25 years ago...love it and will never leave.
Given Alaska's budgetary situation, I suspect the oil dividend fund checks will be much reduced.

Also Alaska is quite dependent on US Federal government spending. Maybe with Putin et al. that goes up again, but generally that is being cut back. So that's another negative.
They aren't really oil dividend checks anymore. The Alaska permanent fund was seeded by oil money back in the 70s and I think they have deposited oil money in it from time to time but it is really a sovereign wealth fund in which the managers have free rein to invest worldwide in whatever they think will produce a return. So dividends are really more linked to the stock market than oil prices. Here is information on their asset allocation. Right now it is 55% equities and pretty much looks like a big global equity fund. Apple is their top holding. They also hold a bunch of real estate around the US sort of like a REIT

http://www.apfc.org/home/Content/invest ... on2009.cfm

So the permanent fund itself isn't really linked to oil or the Alaska state economy anymore. However the state is indeed very much linked to oil and I expect Anchorage is much like Houston in that respect. Low oil prices will will also slash the state budget which is almost entirely dependent on oil.
Thank you for that very helpful correction/ explication.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Valuethinker »

texasdiver wrote:
Valuethinker wrote:I have been to Queen Charlotte Islands (geographically part of the Aleutians in effect, but part of Canada not USA).

So please take this as educated guesses rather than sure knowledge.

Some observations:

- the mentality is frontier - it's hard to put a finger on it, but it is the frontier, even in the urban areas. And not frontier in the way Texas is. There is a kind of small l libertarianism, you do get some odd folk (Northern Exposure ;-)), coupled with a concern for neighbors (at least in the smaller places). Maybe a bit like Wyoming or Idaho? It might be a place to take up hunting or fishing

- something about cold places and cold countries, people are more introverted than the expansive Texan personality (or any warm country). Harder to make friends, people less sociable. That's true of Canadians, Scandinavians, Minnesotans and I suspect Alaskans. People communicate a lot by the tone of their grunts

- people really go all out in summer. The state fair (or whatever it is called) is just massive. The nights are almost nonexistent, the weather is warm, people really live it up

- underlining that is things like moose and bear even in urban areas. Nature is *close*

- a lot of people work for government or government related things (in Anchorage, also the energy industry)

- native issues are big. Native land claims and property rights. Native rights. Also the usual problems with Native Americans re alcohol and drug abuse (they are not the only people with those issues, but can be very visible)

- there is a significant drug problem in Queen Charlottes (or there was). Stuff like heroin comes in by sea, winter nights are long

- it's one of the last places where you get highly paid blue collar workers: oil industry, fishing, government jobs etc. That gives it an interesting flavor. Alaska is full of 'real men' in the stereotype with all the pluses and minuses of that

- aside from the Native Americans, it is much less racially polyglot than most of the USA. There is a greater homogeneity -- this is both good and bad, but it is very different from a big city in Texas or California etc.

Grab it with both hands. Go whale watching. Skiing. Hiking. Chances to live so close to nature come but once in life. Live it to the limit.
Alaska has some superficial similarities to Texas but the cultures are very different. Texas has a very strong southern Bible belt strain to it along with a poor history of black/white race relations going back to segregation, slavery, and the confederacy. Alaska is a young state that is very non-religious and more similar to Oregon or Washington that way. There are a lot of Texans and Louisianans who have moved up to work on the north slope. And the remote blue collar outpost towns such as the oil towns on the north slope and the fishing towns in the Gulf and Bering Sea are over-weighted with men. However Anchorage is not. It's pretty much an ordinary city where most people work the same ordinary jobs they work in Dallas....banks, insurance companies, corporate jobs, schools and universities, retail, etc.

The few blacks you'll find in Alaska mostly came up with the military and stayed and are pretty much middle class. For example, my next door neighbor in Juneau was an aircraft mechanic who came up with the Air Force and stayed to work for Alaska Airlines and raise his family. Many Hispanics and Filipinos and other Asian immigrants have moved up to work in the fishing industry, construction, and service industries just like anywhere else.

The ethnic conflicts to the extent that they exist are mostly native vs non-native and mainly over subsistence hunting and fishing issues. That is the longest standing political and cultural battle in the state. Land claims were mostly resolved by Congress in the 1970s with two major laws, but subsistence rights were not. Native communities have historic communal subsistence hunting and fishing rights and often do things like group hunts or fishing and sharing of harvests within a community that are in conflict with sort fishing and hunting regulations. On the ocean subsistence fishing comes into conflict with sportfishing and charter fishing operations. It's basically an endless and still somewhat unresolved issue. And then many native villages face the same problems with alcohol, drug abuse, and underemployment that reservations all over the lower 48 face.

Anyway, I say go for it if you are up for the adventure. There certainly aren't any good financial reasons not to make the jump.
I apologize if I have taken us too far into a discussion of race, history etc.

Without beating about the bush, I was trying to say Alaska is a 'white' state with minimal hispanic or black cultural influence (the 2 predominant American urban cultures, perhaps) and limited immigration eg from Asia. I do not make a judgement on that, but in that sense it is less 'diverse' than Houston or Dallas, say.

Conversely as you so helpfully point out, there are zones of dispute with Native Americans.

Again apologies if my original post was elliptic or ill informed. Not seeking to offend or state an opinion re good or bad, just to inform.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by trinc »

I have never 'lived' there, but have been many times. Work trips for 4-6 weeks at a time when I was working on radar systems, and for more than 20 yrs have in-laws in Anchorage ( working for the local paper ) so many vacation trips.

I would tell everyone to go ! it is such a beautiful place. If you are trying to decide I'd suggest a trip up there, AA runs some specials but Jet Blue just opened seasonal routes ... we got in on the $99.00 ea way for the end on June :happy

seward mountain race, fishing on the Russian & mooses tooth pizza ! I'd also recommend the train to denali.

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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by White Coat Investor »

You'll probably break even on the 20% raise. That's not a good reason to go to Alaska. You need to want to be there. Those who don't, usually leave after the first Winter. That's why Alaskans are the happiest people. All those who aren't happy there have already left.

Dallas has a very low cost of living relative to anywhere else. I know two Alaskans living there. They consider themselves "Alaskans in Exile." A lot of Texans in Alaska probably feel similarly.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by BL »

I think it depends on your (and spouse's, if any) personality and how open you are to new and very different possibilities. I remember seeing young people stationed in Germany who were almost afraid of leaving the base and going out in the community. I realize the language differences was a major part of this, but I also think it was that everything was different. So you have to know yourself and whether you look forward to new adventures or not.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Watty »

I would assume that this is a company paid relocation but if you decide to return in a few years you may not be able to find a job where your relocation expenses will be paid to bring you back so be sure to budget for that.

You will also likely need to budget more for travel back to visit families or if there is a death or wedding in the family.

Figure in your car costs too if you not be taking your car up there.

I agree that the 20% bump in pay will likely not cover your increased expenses but it might still be a good opportunity for career advancement or adventure so it might not be just a short term financial decision.

One other factor is that even in the Pacific Northwest the short days of winter can cause depression in some people so you should be alert for that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_a ... e_disorder
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by texasdiver »

Watty wrote:I would assume that this is a company paid relocation but if you decide to return in a few years you may not be able to find a job where your relocation expenses will be paid to bring you back so be sure to budget for that.

You will also likely need to budget more for travel back to visit families or if there is a death or wedding in the family.

Figure in your car costs too if you not be taking your car up there.

I agree that the 20% bump in pay will likely not cover your increased expenses but it might still be a good opportunity for career advancement or adventure so it might not be just a short term financial decision.

One other factor is that even in the Pacific Northwest the short days of winter can cause depression in some people so you should be alert for that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_a ... e_disorder
I disagree with this having lived in both Alaska and Texas. It depends on your circumstances but you might very well come out way ahead with the 20% bump in pay even with the higher cost of living in Alaska. For example:

Amazon.com and other online venders do indeed sell to Alaska for the same prices as they charge in Texas and also give you free shipping just like in the lower 48 EXCEPT that the lack of sales tax in Alaska means that everything you order on Amazon will be 8.25% cheaper than it costs you in Dallas. The only exception are really big and heavy items that go freight rather than UPS.

Prices at the Costco I shopped at in Juneau and Anchorage never seemed any different from the prices in Seattle except for some items like fresh produce and even they weren't much higher. And again, in Anchorage, no sales tax.

Prices for new and used cars really aren't much different. The dealerships work the same as in the lower 48. You might not get quite as good of a deal as in Texas where you have near infinite number of dealers to play against each other but certainly it isn't 20% higher. And the used vehicle market isn't over priced. Tons of people bring vehicles up to Alaska for short-term jobs then want to dump them before returning to the lower 48 so there is often and oversupply of used cars. Just know how to check for rust.

Housing will cost more but if you are buying that kind of evens out in the long run as you'll get it back when you sell.

Heating will cost more but you won't be paying for air conditioning. My utility bills were definitely MUCH cheaper in Alaska where I heated by a high efficiency oil furnace compared to paying for air conditioning and a pool here in TX. And my water bill was trivial in AK compared to what I pay in TX with a lawn and pool.

Gas will cost slightly more but the difference is not that much and you likely won't be driving nearly as much as in the metroplex. I see regular is $2.32 right now at the Anchorage Costco http://www.anchoragegasprices.com/ which is more than Dallas but not that much more.

Property taxes will be MUCH less in Anchorage and will be the ONLY state or local taxes that you pay. I think they are about 1.3% in Anchorage which is about half what they are in Dallas.

It is possible that you could get by in Anchorage without spending a dime more than you spend in Dallas when all the tax breaks are taken into consideration. Where Alaska will get you is with the air travel back to the lower 48 and beyond. And with all the adventure toys you will start to accumulate.
Last edited by texasdiver on Fri Feb 20, 2015 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by FrugalInvestor »

texasdiver wrote:Property taxes will be MUCH less in Texas and will be the ONLY state or local taxes that you pay. I think they are about 1.3% in Anchorage which is about half what they are in Dallas.
texasdriver meant to say the property taxes will be MUCH less in Anchorage than in Texas.

However, this will be somewhat offset by the fact that housing costs/values in Alaska will generally be higher.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by texasdiver »

FrugalInvestor wrote:
texasdiver wrote:Property taxes will be MUCH less in Texas and will be the ONLY state or local taxes that you pay. I think they are about 1.3% in Anchorage which is about half what they are in Dallas.
texasdriver meant to say the property taxes will be MUCH less in Anchorage than in Texas.

However, this will be somewhat offset by the fact that housing costs/values in Alaska will generally be higher.
That's what I mean yes..I fixed it.
Fifty50
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by Fifty50 »

As a 25 year Alaska resident, this thread reminds me of one more thing the OP needs to be aware of. As with happened to me when I moved my family, a lot of folks are going to give you insight about living in Alaska and quite a bit of it will be on the not-quite-correct side of things. And you're going to get two responses from everyone you tell about your plans. About 90% will say you're insane. About 10% will say go for it. As I recall, having so many people tell me I was insane made for a stressful time for us. Turns out those folks (although trying to be helpful) were also providing insight that was on the not-quite-correct side of things.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by JupiterJones »

Having been to both Texas and Alaska, if I had to live in one of the two for awhile, I'd definitely pick Alaska. YMMV.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by texasdiver »

akblizzard wrote:As a 25 year Alaska resident, this thread reminds me of one more thing the OP needs to be aware of. As with happened to me when I moved my family, a lot of folks are going to give you insight about living in Alaska and quite a bit of it will be on the not-quite-correct side of things. And you're going to get two responses from everyone you tell about your plans. About 90% will say you're insane. About 10% will say go for it. As I recall, having so many people tell me I was insane made for a stressful time for us. Turns out those folks (although trying to be helpful) were also providing insight that was on the not-quite-correct side of things.
If you ain't living on the edge you're taking up too much room. Good luck.
And for God's sake don't watch any of the new reality shows based in Alaska. They are about as close to reality as say MTV's "Real World- LA" would be to actually living and working in LA.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by White Coat Investor »

Plan on your housing costing twice as much in Alaska as in Dallas. Contrary to the post above, you don't necessarily get all that back when you sell. There's a lot of factors that go into how much your house appreciates, but one thing is for certain (assuming you can't pay cash for a house)- you will pay much more in mortgage interest in Alaska than you will in Texas on a similar house on a similar lot.
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by texasdiver »

EmergDoc wrote:Plan on your housing costing twice as much in Alaska as in Dallas. Contrary to the post above, you don't necessarily get all that back when you sell. There's a lot of factors that go into how much your house appreciates, but one thing is for certain (assuming you can't pay cash for a house)- you will pay much more in mortgage interest in Alaska than you will in Texas on a similar house on a similar lot.
With oil prices in a tailspin, now would be an ESPECIALLY bad time to buy in Anchorage.

Housing costs will be double only if you decide to match your Texas-sized house in Alaska. No reason you have to do that unless you chose to. For example, I wouldn't bother with a yard in Alaska. It is unusable much of the year.

On the other hand, the house I bought in Alaska in 1998 had appreciated by about 50% by the time we sold it in 2003 to move to Texas. And I sold it in 2 hours. We rolled our equity into a comparably priced (but twice the size) house in Texas in 2003 and sold it for exactly 5% more than we paid in 2008 so with real estate fees we took a loss.
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OneWorld111
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by OneWorld111 »

delighted to see the responses from BHs. BHs never let anyone down!

We (family) decided against the adventure to move to Anchorage this time.

The comments and responses were helpful.

Thanks,
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Re: Moving to Anchorage from Dallas

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum (where to live).
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