Alaska

[Nomad]

Oh they do.

Besides, I'm on a mission from God to make liberals miserable so He will always ensure I have the means to do that.

You've got me laughing to hard to be miserable!!!!

 

[Nomad]

I am retired but not because of my ex's money, I've made my own money and I also still take the occasional contract.

Your castle in the sky sounds like such a happy place to live in....

 

[Into the Night]

So I just accepted a contract job in Kotzebue Alaska to reform one of their schools there.

I hear it get's cold up there.

It will probably be about 9-12 months worth of work.

Does anyone have any experience in Alaska and might know what I'm in for?

I live in Phoenix currently.

Kotzebue is 513 northwest of Anchorage and 30 miles above the Arctic Circle and also one of the closest parts to Russia outside of their islands.

Any advice would be appreciated.

This is going to be quite a change for you.

First, it's a fairly small town. Nothing like the Phoenix you are used to. It does have a decent airport, but nothing like Sky Harbor. The community in the town is closer and stronger than in Phoenix, simply because it's easier for people to get to know each other.

The daylight is going to be very strange for you. During summer, daylight is a bit like twilight and lasts all year long. The sun stays near the horizon and just goes around and around. You can almost feel the Earth turning under your feet. During winter, the Sun stays below the horizon, producing anything from a dim twilight to darkness, again lasting the entire day. This change alone is going to be one of the biggest things you'll have to get used to. I recommend getting yourself some full spectrum lamps to sit in front of during the long dark winter. It will help overcome the sleepiness and possible depression from lack of sunlight. You will find the weather to have a lot of drizzle and light or snow in it, with overcast skies being quite common (it's exposed to the Pacific ocean). These lights should help you with that as well.

Temperatures don't get very warm in the summer (the asphalt doesn't melt!) typically reaching a high of around 70 degF in summer, and it doesn't get particularly cold in winter. You might say this town is in a marine environment, with colder temperatures prevailing. Winter lows can get quite cold (the record there is -22 deg F), but are generally hovering around 0 deg F for a low. Coming from Phoenix, that's warmer than the deserts around Las Vegas get in winter, but colder in the summer. The dampness is what will really get to you.

The town itself sits out on a spit. The mainland is mostly grassland tundra. During summer, the surface of the tundra melts and turns into a swampy mess with lots of little lakes (perfect for mosquitoes!). Winter is considered the best time there as it keeps the mosquitoes at bay and it's easier to traverse the tundra. (It has been said that the mosquito is Alaska's State bird, though it's actually a ptarmigan).

Roads are minimal. There are no roads to Kotzebue, just a few that are around the town. Air travel is the preferred method of getting around. Although it isn't an island, you kinda treat it as one because of that. Get to know a few good bush pilots and you can see some amazing scenery of the nearby areas. The town itself is small enough you can walk across it.

You will find the indians in the area generally pretty friendly but set in their ways. They can speak English. They tend to live on the outskirts, but near enough to town to make use of it's supplies. You will find seafood is popular there.

You will find living there a very new and eye opening experience! Enjoy what it has to offer! It does taking getting some used to, but it does contain a beauty all it's own. Oh...and you will also get to see the Auroras, a unique experience in it's own right!

 

[Stone]

Keeping an EYE on message board posters. Imagine being so deranged to make such a silly post.

 

[serendipity]

yea only a few hundred students in 2 schools one elementary and one middle

There were 889 households, out of which 50.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.1% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 3.93.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 39.8% under the age of 18

Lazy cunt couldn't look any further than Wiki and then compounded the crime by not posting a link.