Reviews & Comments
Fairbanks, AK
Climate is harsh, but worth it! -
8/6/2006I grew up in Fairbanks, lived there for 25 years. The climate is very harsh, it is not for everyone. Becasue it is so far inland it doesnt hav ethe ocean to temperate the weather. So in hte winter it gets very cold, sometimes as low as 60 below (winter of 89) and in the summer it can reach the high 90's. Area on the coast dont have the temperature fluctuations. Also Fbks is in a valley so when its very cold it has "temperature inversion" meaning all the col dair gets trapped in the valley and turns into ice fog, which is fog so thick with frozen particles that you cant even drive because you cant see anything!
Because of the long winter darkness, people who are sensitive to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) should not move there. I had that and would get very depressed during the winter. Tanning salons make big bucks there.
You can survive the winters only if you plan a trip every winter around Jan/Feb for several weeks to somewhere sunny & warm. Most people know this & there are tons of packages to Hawaii. Alaskans LOVE hawaii.
All that being said I am very homesick & would back in a heartbeat if I could convince my husband. There is a great small town feel, you live surrounded by natural beauty, and lots of outdoor recreation. The people are down to earth in a way that only northerners are, hard working , open and friendly. And you will never find a Philly cheesesteak as good as "Jay Birds" wherever you travel!
Menno, SD
Very safe area! -
8/6/2006This is a great little town to raise kids in! We spent a couple months living there last summer and really loved it. The weather was great, nice little town. The people werent as friendly as I had hoped. The local plumber, next door neighbor and implement dealer were fantastic, but the regular every-day ladies around town would not say hello to me on the street and basically ignored me. My husband was an over-the-road truck driver so this hit me really hard and I didnt have anyone to talk to! I was very surprised how unfriendly the women were to me and we ended up moving which was too bad.
I think the families have been there for so long (some since the 1800s) that they consider you an "outsider" until you have lived there 20 years. That was my only complaint about this town and I hope the women change their attitudes or it will fall off the map!
Broomfield, CO
Economy stinks!!! -
8/6/2006Hi I have lived here for 7 years now from Alaska originally, moved here for family. The cost of living is too high compared to the income! The home prices are astronomical and so is everything else, sales taxes, property taxes, clothes, food. You can move to about a gazillion other midwestern cities and make the same amount of money and live for half the price. Plus theres no water here! Water shortages all around so if you like to go to the local pond to fish, good luck! They charge you up the wazoo and theres always crazies wandering around, not safe! People move here for the mountains, and they ARE gorgeous to look at as you are driving through endless suburbia, but you have to keep in mind that to get anwhere thats not absolutely crawling with people will take several hours (one way). Fun times! Im going back to Alaska or South Dakota!