Anchorage vs Reno

[loop101]

I'm planning to move somewhere permanently, and am leaning towards Alaska or Nevada, specifically within about 30 miles of either Anchorage or Reno. I don't like cold weather (hah), so Alaska is an odd option, but there is a lot of space and freedom there, and houses are cheap. I like Nevada, and Reno seems like the biggest city that does not get insanely hot. I would be doing remote self-employment work, so I mostly need good internet and realistic healthcare options. Alaska and Nevada seem to be business-friendly (fewer laws and taxes), and have legal marijuana. Any major disadvantages to either of those places related to being self-employed?

 

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[Move the chains]

I'm planning to move somewhere permanently, and am leaning towards Alaska or Nevada, specifically within about 30 miles of either Anchorage or Reno. I don't like cold weather (hah), so Alaska is an odd option, but there is a lot of space and freedom there, and houses are cheap. I like Nevada, and Reno seems like the biggest city that does not get insanely hot. I would be doing remote self-employment work, so I mostly need good internet and realistic healthcare options. Alaska and Nevada seem to be business-friendly (fewer laws and taxes), and have legal marijuana. Any major disadvantages to either of those places related to being self-employed?

Not been to either but Reno has been of interest. Not sure about the wildfires though - they seem pretty bad the last couple of years.

Have you looked into TX or FL? Seems a lot of businesses are moving to those states.

Maybe think about what you want to be doing when you're not working too and factor that into the area you decide on.

 

[WestCoast]

Anchorage beats Reno... but, neither would be a first pick....

 

[loop101]

Not been to either but Reno has been of interest. Not sure about the wildfires though - they seem pretty bad the last couple of years.

Have you looked into TX or FL? Seems a lot of businesses are moving to those states.

Maybe think about what you want to be doing when you're not working too and factor that into the area you decide on.

TX and FL do not have legal marijuana. I had not thought about wildfires, I will have to look in to that.

 

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[Bekit]

I'm planning to move somewhere permanently, and am leaning towards Alaska or Nevada, specifically within about 30 miles of either Anchorage or Reno. I don't like cold weather (hah), so Alaska is an odd option, but there is a lot of space and freedom there, and houses are cheap. I like Nevada, and Reno seems like the biggest city that does not get insanely hot. I would be doing remote self-employment work, so I mostly need good internet and realistic healthcare options. Alaska and Nevada seem to be business-friendly (fewer laws and taxes), and have legal marijuana. Any major disadvantages to either of those places related to being self-employed?

In a grid-down scenario, people in Reno will die from lack of water. People in Anchorage will die from cold. Pick which "worst-case" scenario you'd prefer to deal with, if it came to that.

In a remote work, self-employment situation, good internet is probably going to be localized to fewer regions in the Anchorage area. Maybe @WJK could give insight on this and the available health care options.

Also take into account the extra amount of winter darkness in Anchorage if seasonal affective disorder affects you.

 

[Private Witt]

Look into Oklahoma, Tulsa is booming. I love it, been here a year. The cannabis is strong and inexpensive due to massive over supply. I get my Ozs of top shelf for 50 bucks now. The weather is not as cold as thought and get a lot of 70 degree days in winter, way better than when I was in Seattle. The summer heat is pretty depressing hot as heck though.

 

[WJK]

I'm planning to move somewhere permanently, and am leaning towards Alaska or Nevada, specifically within about 30 miles of either Anchorage or Reno. I don't like cold weather (hah), so Alaska is an odd option, but there is a lot of space and freedom there, and houses are cheap. I like Nevada, and Reno seems like the biggest city that does not get insanely hot. I would be doing remote self-employment work, so I mostly need good internet and realistic healthcare options. Alaska and Nevada seem to be business-friendly (fewer laws and taxes), and have legal marijuana. Any major disadvantages to either of those places related to being self-employed?

I live in Alaska. I moved here permanently 19 years ago. I've been coming back and forth from the Lower 48 since 1975. I've owned property here for around half of those years.
I don't know who told you that houses are "cheap" within 30 miles of Anchorage. I think you might wanna revisit that issue.
Health care here is expensive compared to the Lower 48. I pay about $1,200 per month for my husband's major medical policy that has a very stiff deductible. And I have almost no other policies available. I am older than he is and we have about a year until he too will be on Medicare.
The strength of our internet depends on the provider and where you are accessing it. I must have a booster here at home for cell phone service. I have DSL for my internet. We live in the woods, and that can be a problem.
If you don't like cold weather, we only have 7 month winters each year. Right now, looking out my window, we have 5' of snow on the ground. Our piles of snow are about 10' tall. Anchorage hasn't gotten as much snow as we have.
So, why do I live here? I know that Alaska is a very unforgiving place. But, we are very happy here. We hunt and fish. We hike. We snowshoe. We cross-country ski. We take our snow machines, trackster, and Argo out on fun rides. We live in the woods surrounded by acres of my land. We cut wood for our winter fires. We harvest logs for our sawmill. We berry pick, forage, and hunt mushrooms each year. My husband goes gold panning almost every Saturday during our summers. I'm a big frog in a small pond here. We know the people in our community and I'm a leader here. The summers are glorious. The summers are so green in my woods that it almost hurts my eyes. The mountains, the Pacific, and the woods are SO beautiful. It's a lifestyle that we can't find elsewhere.

FYI -- I don't care about the legal marijuana issue. My most valuable asset is my brain. Why would I do anything that messes with that asset?

 

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[loop101]

I live in Alaska. I moved here permanently 19 years ago. I've been coming back and forth from the Lower 48 since 1975. I've owned property here for around half of those years.
I don't know who told you that houses are "cheap" within 30 miles of Anchorage. I think you might wanna revisit that issue.
Health care here is expensive compared to the Lower 48. I pay about $1,200 per month for my husband's major medical policy that has a very stiff deductible. And I have almost no other policies available. I am older than he is and we have about a year until he too will be on Medicare.
The strength of our internet depends on the provider and where you are accessing it. I must have a booster here at home for cell phone service. I have DSL for my internet. We live in the woods, and that can be a problem.
If you don't like cold weather, we only have 7 month winters each year. Right now, looking out my window, we have 5' of snow on the ground. Our piles of snow are about 10' tall. Anchorage hasn't gotten as much snow as we have.
So, why do I live here? I know that Alaska is a very unforgiving place. But, we are very happy here. We hunt and fish. We hike. We snowshoe. We cross-country ski. We take our snow machines, trackster, and Argo out on fun rides. We live in the woods surrounded by acres of my land. We cut wood for our winter fires. We harvest logs for our sawmill. We berry pick, forage, and hunt mushrooms each year. My husband goes gold panning almost every Saturday during our summers. I'm a big frog in a small pond here. We know the people in our community and I'm a leader here. The summers are glorious. The summers are so green in my woods that it almost hurts my eyes. The mountains, the Pacific, and the woods are SO beautiful. It's a lifestyle that we can't find elsewhere.

FYI -- I don't care about the legal marijuana issue. My most valuable asset is my brain. Why would I do anything that messes with that asset?

I saw several new houses under $350k that seem to sell in a few days, such as this one:

3451 S Valley View Dr, Wasilla, AK 99623 | realtor.com®

View detailed information about property 3451 S Valley View Dr, Wasilla, AK 99623 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more.

www.realtor.com

There are some smaller houses under $250k:

5730 W Trinity Ave, Wasilla, AK 99623 | realtor.com®

View detailed information about property 5730 W Trinity Ave, Wasilla, AK 99623 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more.

www.realtor.com

And really small under $150k:

1189 Sinclair Ave, North Pole, AK 99705 | realtor.com®

View detailed information about property 1189 Sinclair Ave, North Pole, AK 99705 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more.

www.realtor.com

Other places I've been looking, the houses are $400k+, that's why I thought the ones in AK were "cheap". Half of what I read says there will soon be total real estate crash, and the other half says prices will go up. I have no idea what to believe, but I am I going to move to state with legal marijuana, so I am thinking of buying this time instead of renting. The marijuana thing is a medicinal experiment I want to do, but can't because it is illegal in my current location. I'm not trying to harm my brain, I'm trying to fix it.

 

[WJK]

I saw several new houses under $350k that seem to sell in a few days, such as this one:

3451 S Valley View Dr, Wasilla, AK 99623 | realtor.com®

View detailed information about property 3451 S Valley View Dr, Wasilla, AK 99623 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more.

www.realtor.com

There are some smaller houses under $250k:

5730 W Trinity Ave, Wasilla, AK 99623 | realtor.com®

View detailed information about property 5730 W Trinity Ave, Wasilla, AK 99623 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more.

www.realtor.com

And really small under $150k:

1189 Sinclair Ave, North Pole, AK 99705 | realtor.com®

View detailed information about property 1189 Sinclair Ave, North Pole, AK 99705 including listing details, property photos, school and neighborhood data, and much more.

www.realtor.com

Other places I've been looking, the houses are $400k+, that's why I thought the ones in AK were "cheap". Half of what I read says there will soon be total real estate crash, and the other half says prices will go up. I have no idea what to believe, but I am I going to move to state with legal marijuana, so I am thinking of buying this time instead of renting. The marijuana thing is a medicinal experiment I want to do, but can't because it is illegal in my current location. I'm not trying to harm my brain, I'm trying to fix it.

May I suggest that you make a long visit before you make a big decision? In my area, many of the businesses don't hire newcomers until they make it through their first winter here. People come and then quickly go -- all the time.

Wasilla is about an hour north of Anchorage. It's a cute little town. Many people commute to Anchorage each day for work. North Pole is about 12 hours north of Anchorage in the interior. The biggest city close to it is Fairbanks. It gets -60 F degrees there during the winter. That's too cold for me.

The thing you must watch out for is how those houses are heated. We have natural gas where I am that helping with the heating bills.

Texas is small compared to Alaska. It will challenge your idea of big and far away.

Yes, you can get less expensive housing -- but generally not in Anchorage. I think that the average prices are similar to that $400,000 mark you have been looking at.

If you make this decision to come, you need a good 4 wheel drive vehicle. And cold-weather clothes.

There are medical uses for marijuana. My disabled friend uses it because otherwise, she stutters terribly. She is deaf in one ear and half deaf in the other. She has several health issues.

For me, I don't take anything from the pharmacy or other sources. I always have terrible side effects. It's not worth it. Also, using marijuana gives people the munchies. I'm on a program to control my blood pressure and metabolism. I sure don't want to do anything that would hinder all that effort I am making.

 

[loop101]

I may go to Montana. Not as far as Alaska, and not as hot as Nevada. Has a good business climate, and legal marijuana.

 

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[MTF]

May I suggest moving to another country?

If medical marijuana is super important to you, here's a good list of countries where it's legal:

Legality of cannabis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[loop101]

May I suggest moving to another country?

If medical marijuana is super important to you, here's a good list of countries where it's legal:

Legality of cannabis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I want to be able to use it recreationally, so I don't have to get some documented brain malfunction.

 

[WJK]

I may go to Montana. Not as far as Alaska, and not as hot as Nevada. Has a good business climate, and legal marijuana.

I think that may be a better decision for you. The winters are shorter but still very cold.

 

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