# Why would anyone voluntarily live in Alaska? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 22, 2008, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358 "2008-12-22T20:17:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/21 "2008-12-24T01:11:03Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > As for the shortage of women, let me just say that when I was there, there was indeed a lopsided ratio, but the ladies were doing their best to make up for it in sheer kinkiness. The quantity is no longer a problem. Quality, however, has continued to decline. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/22 "2008-12-24T05:06:17Z")
To get away from those who wouldn’t, I assume. I’m very nearly there. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/23 "2008-12-24T06:02:19Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I loved my 7 years in Alaska. I really hated moving Outside again. Midnight Frisbee is a lot harder when it’s dark. > > As for the shortage of women, let me just say that when I was there, there was indeed a lopsided ratio, but the ladies were doing their best to make up for it in sheer kinkiness. I’ve always heard that if you’re looking for a man, the odds are good in Alaska, but the goods are odd. 😃 Re. polar bears - Churchill, Manitoba offers [polar bear tours.](http://www.greatcanadiantravel.com/churchill_polarbear_tours.htm) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/24 "2008-12-24T11:18:06Z")
yep, that is where i saw the bears and i think i would do very well there as a book seller. if ever a place needed a book store churchill is it. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/25 "2008-12-24T11:40:59Z")
My wife considered going to college there just for the high male-to-female ratio. (This was before we were married, of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/26 "2008-12-24T11:45:46Z")
“We moved here? Deliberately?” — Goldie Hawn’s character, _Overboard_ ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/27 "2008-12-24T12:29:16Z")
I’d like to live in Alaska. I like cold weather, I like hunting, and I’d be close to both Russia _and_ Canada. Ah yes, my happy little daydream where I have a small flying boat and go hunting for Moose and Deer and Polar Bear and whatever else I can legally hunt, and fly tourists around in my spare time to make money. Oh, and I’d have my own salmon-smoking hut. Mmmm, smoked salmon. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/28 "2008-12-24T12:40:57Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > …about half a million people some of which must have moved up there voluntarily (or are descended from people who moved there voluntarily) I don’t think we ever forced anyone to live there:eek: It’s not my particular cup of tea, but I could see why people would like the beauty and outdoorsey rusticness. ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Linsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Jenny\_Linsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Linsky)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/29 "2008-12-25T20:12:13Z")
It helps that we’re not stuck indoors at the first sign of snow and ice. I have studded tires on my car, and when DOT feels particularly ambitious they plow and gravel the roads. I’ll be going out skiing today in the 6" of freshly fallen snow. On the other hand, if you want to leave the state, you pretty much have to fly Alaska Air through Sea-Tac. Which unlike us, can’t handle snow. Oi. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2008, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/30 "2008-12-25T20:35:17Z")
[Industry](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5374845.ece). ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/31 "2008-12-26T19:29:33Z")
> [@](#): > > Why would anyone voluntarily live in Alaska? God only knows. Masochists. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/32 "2008-12-26T19:54:22Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > Over the past few days, I’ve been stuck indoors because it’s so damned cold outside and the streets and covered with snow and ice. It’s driving me batshit crazy! > > Then I got to thinking, there’s an entire state up north bigger than Texas with about half a million people some of which must have moved up there voluntarily (or are descended from people who moved there voluntarily), and where it’s pretty cold most of the time. Any Alaskaners here care to explain how you survive living in this state without dying of boredom? Living in a place that regularly gets winter is not the same as living through an unusual blizzard in a place that doesn’t typically get them. I’m not in Alaska, but I live in a place that gets a lot of snow. I can’t remember ever being stuck indoors because of snow more than a few hours, and that’s only very rarely when we get a big storm. Day-to-day snow is not a problem, because the city clears the roads, puts down salt & sand, and aside from being a little more defensive in your driving it’s not an issue. Similarly, if you live in this climate, you have warm clothes so it’s not an issue to go outside for a walk (or a snowshoe or ski, if you’re so inclined.) Being caught in the cold with the wrong clothes is miserable. But unlike too-warm weather, there’s clothes that will keep you toasty for all but the very worst of storms. For me, I like the seasons. I like my big winter. It breaks up the year, and you get to do different things. I look forward to summer and the start of mountain bike season, but I also look forward to putting up my bike in October and dusting off the skis. I don’t know how people live in areas where it’s the same all the time; weather is fun! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/33 "2008-12-26T20:40:36Z")
Alaska is much like North Korea. They kidnap people from the south, and brainwash them into believing they came voluntarily. 😛 And notice how you’ve never seen Sarah Palin and Kim Jong Il in the same room? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/34 "2008-12-26T21:31:25Z")
> [@Jenny\_Linsky](#): > > It helps that we’re not stuck indoors at the first sign of snow and ice. I have studded tires on my car, and when DOT feels particularly ambitious they plow and gravel the roads. I’ll be going out skiing today in the 6" of freshly fallen snow. > > On the other hand, if you want to leave the state, you pretty much have to fly Alaska Air through Sea-Tac. Which unlike us, can’t handle snow. Oi. I never use studded tires and still went across town to work out this morning. One is only limited in this sort of environment by one’s willingness to interact with it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/35 "2008-12-27T07:09:45Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I never use studded tires and still went across town to work out this morning. One is only limited in this sort of environment by one’s willingness to interact with it. So very true; I know any number of people who have a heated garage at home and at work and at the mall and will never, ever venture outside in winter for any longer than it takes them to get from car to door. Surprisingly enough, they are the ones that never get used to the cold and never stop bitching about it. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/36 "2008-12-27T14:31:05Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I’m not in Alaska, but I live in a place that gets a lot of snow. I can’t remember ever being stuck indoors because of snow more than a few hours, and that’s only very rarely when we get a big storm. Day-to-day snow is not a problem, because the city clears the roads, puts down salt & sand, and aside from being a little more defensive in your driving it’s not an issue. > > Similarly, if you live in this climate, you have warm clothes so it’s not an issue to go outside for a walk (or a snowshoe or ski, if you’re so inclined.) Being caught in the cold with the wrong clothes is miserable. But unlike too-warm weather, there’s clothes that will keep you toasty for all but the very worst of storms. > > For me, I like the seasons. I like my big winter. It breaks up the year, and you get to do different things. I look forward to summer and the start of mountain bike season, but I also look forward to putting up my bike in October and dusting off the skis. I don’t know how people live in areas where it’s the same all the time; weather is fun! Same for my Wife and I. Heck, we got 30 feet of snow at our house last year. We took one day off from work. Well, work shut down (first time in the 17 years I’ve been there). I was already at my desk when my boss told me to go home. Getting stuck at home when you have the proper vehicles and clothing is just not an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/37 "2008-12-27T15:00:57Z")
I’d move up there in a heartbeat if I were single and had an opportunity. God, why the Hell do I live in Georgia? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/38 "2008-12-28T14:58:30Z")
That’s the key point. I’m living on Vashon Island nowadays, just outside of Seattle. The current blizzards shut everything down. School canceled, daughter’s ballet performances canceled, streets impassable, the whole works. When I lived in Fairbanks that never happened. You just go about your business as usual. You’re never stuck inside by the weather. When it gets to 40 below and colder, people start taking extra precautions, but the idea of being stuck inside because it’s cold is nonsensical. You can’t wait out the cold. It’s gonna be cold for 6 months. Of course, Fairbanks hardly ever gets large amounts of snow, and in the middle of winter it practically never snows. Almost all of the snow is deposited early on, in October and November, and then it stays on the ground until April. So the streets don’t get clogged by snow and if there happens to be a heavy snowfall they just plow the streets. There’s no panic or confusion when it snows or gets cold. Honestly, it blows my mind that the slightest dusting of snow seems to send Seattlites into a pants-pissing orgy of panic. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/39 "2008-12-28T15:25:21Z")
Skiing and paddling. What else could one want? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358/40 "2008-12-28T19:33:53Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > When it gets to 40 below and colder… [This coming week’s forcast for Fairbanks](http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/tenday/USAK0083?from=36hr_topnav_outdoors). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-anyone-voluntarily-live-in-alaska/478358.md?page=3)