EXPENSIVE HOUSING - 2/14/2016
I was born & raised on a tiny island several miles from the town of Kodiak, AK. When I returned (for 7 years), I raised my 3 kids there by myself. I had to work 3 jobs/7 days & nites a week in order for us to survive. Lost my home on the ocean as I couldn't afford the monthly payments after my EX left town. Moved into a tiny 2 bdrm home and paid very high rent for a number of years before I realized that I was missing time with my children by working non-stop in order to live there. Moved out of State to a place more affordable. As much as I love that island, I certainly wouldn't suggest a single Mother move there if she is planning on living alone without another income in the household. It's simply not worth what your children have to go thru without their Mother at Read More

Word of warning, cost of living deceptive - 2/24/2014
A word of warning to people researching places before taking a job or moving. The published cost of living estimates for Kodiak can drastically understate the true cost of living, especially for single people looking for a one or two bedroom, studio, or room for rent. The lowest priced rental I could find that met a very basic level of habitability for a studio/one bedroom was $850/month, but most will be in the $950-1200 range. The place quoted was with month to month lease, no kitchen (just a microwave and one sink in the bathroom), shower no tub, no closet, furnished, no ability to receive US mail or get landline/internet, but free cable TV and utilities included. I also found a small furnished room in a decent house with a nice but noisy owner for the same price. For a 2 bedroom you are looking at least $1200/month. Land is at a premium here as the town is trapped between the hills and the ocean. Food is expensive but maybe just 50% above national average overall. The town has Read More

Arts and outdoor opportunities in Kodiak - 11/16/2011
Kodiak has excellent access to outdoor recreation like hiking, fishing, hunting, berry-picking, mountain biking, four-wheeling, and kayaking. Also a golf course and a ski chalet. The scenery is incomparable with lush plants and TONS of wildflowers in summer, rocky fjords and beaches, and tall spruce forests. It is an island too, so most places have an ocean view.

Also the community is quite active civically and there are a good amount of arts offerings for a small community: Arts Council productions (with many of the same shows who come to Anchorage), local choirs, orchestra, bell choir, school music programs, local theater, dance companies, art classes and studios for many different mediums--fiber, photography, glass, jewelery, quilting and crafts guilds. And there are lots of arts shows of different themes--both seasonal and arranged by medium. A pretty friendly town and quite good schools and excellent critical-access hospital as well.

I love Kodiak and Read More

Cost of living. - 8/26/2010
Astronomical. Read More

Kodiak Climate - 9/28/2008
Maritime climate, high humidity. If your house is shaded, it will grow moss. Best months for being rain free are generally August and September. Winters are relatively mild, sometimes alternating rain and snow, resulting in a fairly good ice pack until it warms Read More

The Emerald Isle - 11/28/2007
I lived on and in Kodiak more than twenty years ago and have been there since. First of all, as to the town.....it's not as scenic as one might expect, as a good part of the downtown area was swept away by the tsunami of 1964 and the replacement was erected haphazardly and has deteriorated badly since then. There is a large area of tacky, boxy homes called Aleutian Homes which looks to have been at one time some kind of military housing which converted to civilian use and is not exactly scenic. Very few trees in Aleutian Homes giving the area a kind of post apocalyptic feel. Much of the town has been overrun by a huge influx of Filipinos who came in originally to work the canneries, many still do, but many now seem to be devoted to less savory activities and have formed into gangs. Which is not to say that some of the town is not in fact quite scenic, and the immediate setting is spectacular with smaller islands offshore from Kodiak City in beautiful blue green seas. There is a Read More