Things I'll miss if I move away from Alaska
July 4, 2011
As I'm seriously thinking about moving back to the Lower-48 at the end of this year, I thought I'd make a list of things I'll miss about Alaska if I do leave:
- Fresh air
- Extremely low population density
- Mountains
- Open roads
- Many things about Talkeetna, Seward, and Palmer
- Driving on Hatcher Pass
- Being able to hop on my bike at my front door and easily go for a 20-mile bike ride.
- Joy rides
- Watching tourists
- Seeing sled dogs
- Being able to walk around town at night without any fear
- Not having any lightning or thunderstorms
- The great, local people, who seem much more comfortable being themselves here
- Small-town life
- The extremely long summer days
- The fun around the Iditarod
- Seeing moose, and the occasional bear (I currently live in downtown Palmer, Alaska, so I don't see any bears unless I go off into the woods)
- Great outdoor activities
- Some local restaurants (the Train Wreck in Seward, the Bucket of 'But place in Seward, The Middle Way Cafe and Johnny Chicago's and other spots in Anchorage, several places in Talkeetna)
As for things I won't miss, it's a much smaller list:
- The tornado-like weather that is Palmer in the wintertime (constant 50mph+ winds)
- Stretches of overcast skies that go on for weeks
- The long winter
- The high cost of everything (which is slightly offset by the PFD checks)
- Being far away from family and places I like in the Lower-48 (various beaches, Santa Fe, and some other places)
- Anchorage is crowded, a little like some downtown Chicago areas I used to know, with very small parking spaces and tight turns. It was also recently voted one of the dirtiest cities in America.
I'll keep updating this list as I go along, but those are the things that come to mind immediately.