Alaska or Bust!

[Dusty Buffalo]

I think I'm moving to the great state of Alaska.

No other state gives you money just to live there. Those lucky folks are gettin' about $1100 each. That includes every kid too.

I know I could deal with the snow and cold, it's just that whole 24 hours of dark in the winter and 24 hours of light in the summer that would take some adjusting.

[bearfretworks]

Come on up! and I believe it is $1,106 this year....

Don't be shocked at grocery, housing, fuel, or pretty much any other prices though

[Mick Walker]

Kelly, how can you be a cheesehead and live in Georgia? I though all of us cheeseheads lived here in WI. My daughter has lived in Alaska for the last 16 years. She is a nurse at a hospital in Anchorage. When she first moved up there she was getting around $2500 a year from the oil. I have visited there 3 times, a beautiful state but wouldn't care to live there. Mick Delta P-20

[Minnesota scroller]

Kelly, I too have visited Alaska 3 times. It's got to be one of the most majestic spots in the world. I used to be a photo bug and the last time I visited I went for the sole purpose of getting great photos of brown bears, which I did. I too thought I wanted to live there some day. In the summer you can fish most of the night away. But, I have only been there in the summer. I have kept an eye on the climate in the winter time and it compares closely with Minnesota. However, their winters come earlier and stick around longer. I also don't think I could handle 20 hours of darkness. I believe this is a factor resulting in so many suicides in interior Alaska. These poor people have nothing to do in the winter except drink and run each other over with their snow machines. I know this is the interior I'm talking about, not Anchorage, but even so I think it would be tough to cope with. The money you would get from the oil company wouldn't even put a dent in the additional living expenses. A burger at a McDonalds can cost you $3. You might be better off getting a subsistence permit and living off the land.