Anchorage.
10-12-2014, 06:28 AM
#1
Layover Master
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Anchorage.
With FedEx and UPS both currently having domiciles in ANC, I was curious how many of of you live there and what your thoughts are. My wife and I are in the planning stages of a move and are looking at Eagle River and a couple neighborhoods in South Anchorage.
Thanks for any info.
Chip
Thanks for any info.
Chip
10-12-2014, 08:40 AM
#2
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2014
Posts: 160
Lots of great places in Anchorage. Consider southern exposure aspects wherever you end up. ER is great, but there's a lot of housing that's north facing or in the valley floor - winter sun is low on the horizon, so you'll spend several months without direct sunlight on your place. This can make a huge difference in QOL for some folks.
10-12-2014, 10:39 AM
#3
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Joined APC: Mar 2012
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Originally Posted by OrionDriver
Lots of great places in Anchorage. Consider southern exposure aspects wherever you end up. ER is great, but there's a lot of housing that's north facing or in the valley floor - winter sun is low on the horizon, so you'll spend several months without direct sunlight on your place. This can make a huge difference in QOL for some folks.
10-12-2014, 11:30 AM
#4
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If you are an airline pilot, how many times month are you driving to Anchorage to go to work? One? Three times? Its not like a daily rat race. FWIW I lived in Eagle River when at Elmendorf in the 1990s, and drove the Glenn daily to work. You do have to take weather into account, but its wasn't that bad. The family needs at least 1 AWD/4WD, and you'll be fine. Bike trails through the area are nice, and waking up and seeing the mountains every day is inspirational.
10-12-2014, 11:42 AM
#5
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Thanks for all the advice/info so far, really appreciate it.
Didn't think a lot about the southern exposure aspect, good thinking! I wonder how much that affects real estate value. I like the neighborhood feel of the area south of Eagle River Rd, so it's disappointing to hear about the lack of sun there. The neighborhood area around War Admiral Rd and New England Dr are quite nice, but a little out of my price range. I've been renting a car on layovers and checking out potential neighborhoods, looks like I'll have to keep looking a bit. (Not that ER is that big).
FWIW, I would be commuting to the Hilton and not the airport, thus another reason for the preference of ER. Our crew pickup is there and easier for me to get to.
Didn't think a lot about the southern exposure aspect, good thinking! I wonder how much that affects real estate value. I like the neighborhood feel of the area south of Eagle River Rd, so it's disappointing to hear about the lack of sun there. The neighborhood area around War Admiral Rd and New England Dr are quite nice, but a little out of my price range. I've been renting a car on layovers and checking out potential neighborhoods, looks like I'll have to keep looking a bit. (Not that ER is that big).
FWIW, I would be commuting to the Hilton and not the airport, thus another reason for the preference of ER. Our crew pickup is there and easier for me to get to.
10-13-2014, 08:27 AM
#6
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Second the motion about Eagle River. There will be a couple months where you will get zero direct sun.
I lived in S. Anchorage halfway up the hill. Best advice I can give you...find a place on the flats. If you live anywhere up the hill you will have an additional 6 weeks of winter. The snow falls first at the higher elevations and moves down the hill. The reverse applies in the spring. My house was at the corner of Birch and Huffman. We would have significant snow on the ground before Halloween and would still have snow in the yard on Memorial Day.
That was LONG after people on the flats had seen the snow disappear. Usually by Halloween there was so much snow where I lived the kids couldn't go trick or treating. The good news was the phone company would set up a little Halloween village in their garage so the kids could do their thing.
Try to find a place as low and sunny as possible. You'll appreciate it in the winter. The MatSu valley is an alternative if you're not going to drive to the airport more than a couple times a week. Its more small town out there. Be advised its VERY conservative politically and a LOT of religious fundamentalists live out that way.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I lived in S. Anchorage halfway up the hill. Best advice I can give you...find a place on the flats. If you live anywhere up the hill you will have an additional 6 weeks of winter. The snow falls first at the higher elevations and moves down the hill. The reverse applies in the spring. My house was at the corner of Birch and Huffman. We would have significant snow on the ground before Halloween and would still have snow in the yard on Memorial Day.
That was LONG after people on the flats had seen the snow disappear. Usually by Halloween there was so much snow where I lived the kids couldn't go trick or treating. The good news was the phone company would set up a little Halloween village in their garage so the kids could do their thing.
Try to find a place as low and sunny as possible. You'll appreciate it in the winter. The MatSu valley is an alternative if you're not going to drive to the airport more than a couple times a week. Its more small town out there. Be advised its VERY conservative politically and a LOT of religious fundamentalists live out that way.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
10-13-2014, 08:35 AM
#7
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Originally Posted by Packrat
Second the motion about Eagle River. There will be a couple months where you will get zero direct sun.
I lived in S. Anchorage halfway up the hill. Best advice I can give you...find a place on the flats. If you live anywhere up the hill you will have an additional 6 weeks of winter. The snow falls first at the higher elevations and moves down the hill. The reverse applies in the spring. My house was at the corner of Birch and Huffman. We would have significant snow on the ground before Halloween and would still have snow in the yard on Memorial Day.
That was LONG after people on the flats had seen the snow disappear. Usually by Halloween there was so much snow where I lived the kids couldn't go trick or treating. The good news was the phone company would set up a little Halloween village in their garage so the kids could do their thing.
Try to find a place as low and sunny as possible. You'll appreciate it in the winter. The MatSu valley is an alternative if you're not going to drive to the airport more than a couple times a week. Its more small town out there. Be advised its VERY conservative politically and a LOT of religious fundamentalists live out that way.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I lived in S. Anchorage halfway up the hill. Best advice I can give you...find a place on the flats. If you live anywhere up the hill you will have an additional 6 weeks of winter. The snow falls first at the higher elevations and moves down the hill. The reverse applies in the spring. My house was at the corner of Birch and Huffman. We would have significant snow on the ground before Halloween and would still have snow in the yard on Memorial Day.
That was LONG after people on the flats had seen the snow disappear. Usually by Halloween there was so much snow where I lived the kids couldn't go trick or treating. The good news was the phone company would set up a little Halloween village in their garage so the kids could do their thing.
Try to find a place as low and sunny as possible. You'll appreciate it in the winter. The MatSu valley is an alternative if you're not going to drive to the airport more than a couple times a week. Its more small town out there. Be advised its VERY conservative politically and a LOT of religious fundamentalists live out that way.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
10-13-2014, 03:24 PM
#8
Line Holder
Joined APC: Oct 2014
Posts: 46
I live in ER, currently stationed at JBER. I love it! The commute to ANC is about 35 minutes depending on traffic/road conditions. I have a North facing home but I get to see the sun out back, which has more windows as well as while outside on the deck. Just about all the married mil I know live in the ER area. Hoping for an ANC domicile from one of the big boys up here after I retire. Of course if it doesn't work out, I may have a house you can rent!
10-19-2014, 03:52 PM
#10
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Position: Livin' the dream!!!
Posts: 48
Taterchip,
I thought I'd throw in my $.02. I've lived in ER for 10 years and recently moved a little further out to Chugiak. I commute to my domicile (not ANC based). Anchorage has many nice places to live, but my family and I enjoy the close-knit community feel of ER/Chugiak. My wife drives to ANC everyday for work and does not mind the commute. Her ANC dwelling coworkers act as though she just drove in from Fairbanks everyday!
I go to ANC 2-3 times per month to commute out and it works great.
The best bit of advice so far is to find a home with southern exposure. I used to lose direct sunlight from mid-November thru mid-January and it was a bummer. The worst part is that your driveway stays snowed/iced in until the sun is there to help thaw it out!
Best of luck!
Trouser
I thought I'd throw in my $.02. I've lived in ER for 10 years and recently moved a little further out to Chugiak. I commute to my domicile (not ANC based). Anchorage has many nice places to live, but my family and I enjoy the close-knit community feel of ER/Chugiak. My wife drives to ANC everyday for work and does not mind the commute. Her ANC dwelling coworkers act as though she just drove in from Fairbanks everyday!
I go to ANC 2-3 times per month to commute out and it works great.
The best bit of advice so far is to find a home with southern exposure. I used to lose direct sunlight from mid-November thru mid-January and it was a bummer. The worst part is that your driveway stays snowed/iced in until the sun is there to help thaw it out!
Best of luck!
Trouser
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