They Pay People to Live Here

Yes they do. It's the oil money. Any person over the age of 1 who lives in Alaska from January to January receives a monetary award. 2008 was a banner year with each resident receiving $3K. They expect considerably less for 2009 because of the dismal state of the economy. I do understand the reward for living in Alaska. It's an extreme environment not particularly friendly to 2-legged creatures. Let's take Fairbanks, the interesting place only 150 miles from the Arctic Circle. That really made me want to hire the airplane to fly there. Wouldn't that have been so cool? Perhaps if I ever go back, it will be to and from Fairbanks so that I could go to the Arctic Circle and drive to Denali, maybe staying there until the peak reveales itself and certainly driving the full length of the park's single road. This would obviously have to be done during the summer months so that car travel is possible and to have all of that lovely daylight. Then there's the near 24 hours of daylight as the summer solstice approaches. And you know what happens in dark December. The flip side results in basically no light for many weeks. That would be the very hardest. You won't be surprised to learn that the state is always looking for teachers for the small towns in the northern parts of the state. Who could do it, I ask you? It's often in the 80's in Fairbanks in the summer. That would be fairly okay (the humidity is high) but with the warm weather, you get mosquitos that are truly the largest I've ever seen. They literally appeared on the scene overnight but, luckily, not until the last day we were in Alaska. I killed several in our room that night and came home with a few bites. In winter, it can plunge to 60 below zero. A local explained that the kids cannot make snowballs because there is no moisture in the air AT ALL so the snow never sticks together. So, rough to live there but it is a place that everyone should see. So wild, so beautiful, such magnificant animals, the mountains, the snow, the ocean. You've got it all. Just sure sure you travel between May and September.