Dude, there is no magical answer. And several people have listed many reasons besides "great hunting and fishing."

Here's why IMHO:

• Summertime! There is nothing like hanging out on your deck with your friends at midnight with the sun still above the horizon!

• Wintertime! IMHO...there is nothing better than watching all the kids in the neighborhood getting bundled up on Saturday morning to go sled-riding or walking down to the nearby school to play hockey on the outdoor rink! Oh, and BTW, the Alyeska ski resort has had 550 inches of snow at the summit and 326 inches at the base so far this year. It also has some of the best rooms I've ever stayed in.

• You are adventurous and like doing any sort of outdoor activity, both in the summer and the winter. I am not a hunter, nor am I a big fisherman, but I love Alaska. There is no better place to enjoy the outdoors and mountains. There are hundreds of biking and walking trails all over the Anchorage municipality. BTW, the municipality of Anchorage is bigger than the state of Delaware. You can walk, run, hike, bike, ski, snowboard, cross-country ski, skijoring (like dog-sledding, but with one dog and you are on skis), mountain bike, rock climb, ice climb, snowshoeing, camping, boating, GA flying, you name it. And, you can do all of that without running into a million people all doing the same thing. Try doing that in the lower 48. I lived in Colorado, and after fighting traffic for hours, you can enjoy your favorite outdoor spot with thousands of your closest friends. My favorite activity is sea-kayaking in Prince William Sound. There is nothing like paddling around the most beautiful waterway in the world, enjoying the wildlife and scenery, and not seeing another human being except your family all weekend. If your idea of the great outdoors is hanging out by the pool in the backyard all summer...don't move to ANC.

• Crime is no worse than anywhere else in the lower 48. Do you believe everything you read on the internet? I doubt it. I've lived in PA, TX, SC, MS, FL, GA, CO, and AK. I feel considerably safer in general in Alaska than I ever have in any of those other states...you just learn to stay out of certain parts of town just like anywhere else. American society has been going downhill with respect to crime for quite a while. Alaska is no different.

If you or your family are the type that wears a sweater and parka when it dips below 60-degrees F...don't move to Alaska.

And finally, a LOT of people here in Alaska don't make anywhere near the money a purple/brown pilot makes and they survive just fine.

Good luck finding your magic answer.