Relocation
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How cold is it in Anchorage?
A: Here are the monthly temperature averages:
January: 25 degrees
February: 27 degrees
March: 35 degrees
April: 45 degrees
May: 55 degrees
June: 62 degrees
July: 65 degrees
August: 64 degrees
September: 55 degrees
October: 42 degrees
November: 28 degrees
December: 21 degrees
Q: Is it always dark in Alaska?
A: Nope! Alaska actually gets as much daylight and darkness as anywhere else on earth over
the course of a year; it's just distributed differently. Summer we have long days, lastly up to almost 20 hours of daylight! From that point forward we start losing 5-10 minutes of sunlight a day. During the winter, the days are shorter. The shortest day of the year has only 4 1/2 hours of daylight (it sound short but with the sunset and sunrise it seems more like 6 or so hours). The shortest day of the year for us is Dec 21st or 22nd depending on the year, which is called winter solstice. After winter solstice, the process starts all over again and we start gaining 5-10 hours of sunlight a day.
Q: Do you live in an igloos?
A: Nope! We have all types of comfortable, warm housing options with all the amenities for you and your family.
Here are some quick stats to help you learn about our area:
Anchorage Communities in Review:
Northwest Anchorage
This section was the birthplace of Anchorage. It includes the two oldest commercial districts, seaport train depot and airport, as well as original pioneer home sites and some of the first residential neighborhoods in the area. Today it is home to one-fifth of Anchorage’s population and is the city’s employment center, encompassing both the downtown and midtown business districts. Northwest Anchorage is characterized by a mixture of homes from quaint to cosmopolitan. It is the hub for the city’s bus lines, taxis and limousines.
Northeast Anchorage
Housing almost one-third of the city’s population, the Northeast is the largest residential sector. It also has the most community parkland and recreational facilities. The combination makes for a pleasant city/suburban region, which is near employment centers and major transportation routes. It is also the site of the city’s two university campuses, three major hospitals and several medial and professional complexes. It is close to Elmendorf Air Force Base and not far from Ft. Richardson Army Base. Public mass transit is plentiful.
Southwest Anchorage
This area contains more than half of the vacant land remaining in the Anchorage Bowl, making it the region with the greatest potential for future growth and development. Eighty percent of the vacant land is zoned for residential use. There has already been substantial development, particularly in the Dimond area. Southwest Anchorage is home to one-sixth of the city’s total population. It is also the sit of major shopping areas, an extensive retail network and a light industrial area. More than 2,225 acres of parks can be found primarily around the perimeter of Southwest Anchorage, while Campbell Creek greenbelt runs right through the middle of the area. On the outskirts are some rural areas such as Klatt Road, Dearmoun and Kincaid Park areas.
Southeast Anchorage
Currently the fastest growing region in the Anchorage Bowl. One reason for the growth is increased access to the city’s business districts via the New Seward Highway Also, large parcels of wooded, vacant land have made the area a prime spot for residential development. The very small percentage of non-residential development here is comprised of mostly a residential service structures such as schools, churches and recreational facilities. Southeast Anchorage is home to only one-tenth of the city’s population. This sparseness of people living along with the family orientation of the area creates a peaceful, suburban character with rural undertones. There are six bus routes. It also features a planned unit development community and is bordered on two sides by natural wildlife areas and other improved roadways.
East of Anchorage
Nestled in the mountain eleven miles northeast of Anchorage lies Eagle River, and just a few miles beyond are the communities of Chugiak, Birchwood and Peters Creek. Though still a part of the Anchorage municipality, these communities are well removed from the fast-paced lifestyles and heavier population of the Anchorage Bowl. The area is home to slightly under one-tenth of the municipal population, with 40% of the residents being children. It is surrounded by the great outdoors and natural recreation areas including Mirror Lake, Beach LakePark, Edmonds Lake Park and Thunderbird Falls. In addition, The Harry McDonald Memorial Recreation Center with its Olympic-sized ice rink is located here. Five bus routes provide service to and from Anchorage. House in all of these communities is generally found on large tree-filled lots.
Learn to Speak Alaskan
Oh sure, we speak English up here. You'll also find we speak a number of other languages, including "Alaskan". Here are a few fun words to help you understand us a little easier:
- Breakup: It marks the end of winter and beginning of spring. It's usually messy. The basis of the word comes from when meling snow raises the level of ice-covered rivers and streams, causing the ice to break apart and float downstream. Most commonly refers to melting ice and snow in roadways and yards.
- Bush: The bush is anywhere in Alaska without a direct route via roadway.
- Cheechako: Describes a newcoming, generally someone who hasn't spent a winter in Alaska.
- Denali: Meaning 'the Great One' in Alaska Native Language, this is what most Alaskans call Mount McKinley.
- Fireweed: the state flower whose bloom we watch in late summer and fall. As the bloom reaches the top of the perenials flower, the countdown to winter begins!
- Outside: Any state other than Alaska. You might hear, "I'm going outside next week."
- Sleeping Lady: The local name for Mount Susitna, a gentle looking mountain visible from Anchorage across Cook Inlet.
- Southcentral: the area of Alaska between the Gulf of Alaska and the Alaska Range. Included in Southcentral are Anchorage, the Mat-Su valley, Kodiak, Valdez and all of the Kenai Peninsula.
- Southeast: Also called the "panhandle", it stretches from Icy Bay near Yakutat to Dixon Entrance at the U.S.-Canada border. JUndeau, Haines, Sitka, Skagway and Ketchican are in Southeast.
- Termination dust: The first light snow on the mountains signaling summer is ending.
- The Valley: part of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The area includes Palmer, Wasilla, Big Lake and Willow. Also frequently call Mat-Su or Mat Valley.
