Living In A Small Remote Town In Alaska
Living In A Small Remote Town In Alaska. Join Me From Fairbanks To Whittier To Valdez! I moved to Alaska and am driving from Fairbanks to Valdez, showing you over 50 towns, communities and landmarks along they way. Then grab a hot chocolate and some munchies as we settle down together for our first winter in the snowiest city in the USA, Valdez Alaska.
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• Driving From Palmer To Valdez Alaska - • Driving From Palmer To...
• Driving From Anchorage To Whittier, Alaska - • Driving From Anchorage...
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Things were a lot different there in the 80’s when I lived there. One bar for every church. I used umbrellas on rainy and even some heavy snow days-because it was the practical thing to do. There were a lot of maladjusted kids I went to school with. It got really icy after huge snow falls followed by sudden temperature warmth and all the snow would rapidly begin to melt, turn to slush and then freeze which created a chunky texture to bang up your knees on after falling. But we didn’t wear boots or crampons, we wore high top tennis shoes , determination and nerves of steel! My favorite memories are of riding my bicycle everywhere in Valdez during the summer months, dining at the Pizza Palace, the smell of the salty air down around the harbor and the view from the city dock. ☃️😎
I had someone reply to my Nenana video and he was also here in the 1980s and said how much things have changed. There are still quite a few bars down by the docks, but in the entire 7 months I've been here during the rain and the snow, my umbrella was the only one I ever saw 🤣 the other tenants in the motel all tease me saying things like I drove past some guy with an umbrella and I knew it was you haha it's still the same how you described the snow and then getting a little warmer and then turning into chunks of ice, I usually walk once a week on the ice about five blocks to the post office and every time I saw one or two people fall in the street in December through February. My favorite pizza place in town is the stampmill, I'm not sure if that was there in the 1980s though but it's really really good.
I so wish someone out there can arrange for me (from South Africa) to come and live there
@@gideongouvs5559 it's not easy moving across the globe. I would recommend applying at seasonal jobs, therefore you don't have to depend on someone else and you can earn decent money and get to know more about Alaska and find out if you actually want to live here. There are a lot more inexpensive places to live and easier places to get to than Alaska. But if you're set on Alaska, seasonal workers are always needed, and that would be the best start for a foreigner moving here 👍
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- thank you for the honest reply --- i am from South Africa and admire that quiet life --- it looks serene and peaceful
@@gideongouvs5559 since Alaska is so large it really depends on where you live in Alaska and what you plan on doing how's the weather you would have peace and quiet. Most people choose Anchorage, which is the biggest city in Alaska and 40% of the Alaskan population lives there. It's a far cry from peace and quiet haha but that's where all of the year round jobs.... To get peace and quiet you can live on one of the many islands, which is extremely expensive, or you can live in a smaller community in the interior, which is extremely cold, or you can live in a place like Valdez. Most of the smaller communities are very inconvenient to live in, and the winters can be very difficult especially if you're new here (you can also live off grid but that's not as cheap as many of the KZhead videos say).... In short I think even though Alaska does have a lot more quiet here where you can live, it also has a lot more inconvenience which can make life more difficult, depending on what you do for a living.... But if you come here for work I wouldn't come to Valdez unless you're familiar with or okay with dock work or working on fishing boats, which most people are not. It's much more easier working in the seasonal work for tourism, weather as a receptionist in a large or cleaning rooms in a large or working in one of the parks. I'm going to make a video in the summer about jobs in Alaska, for Americans who want to move here as well as for foreigners who want to get seasonal jobs 😉
Worked on the pipeline terminal construction for Morris Kuntson in 1975-76. While living in Alaska from 1974 till 1979. When the sun came out it had to be one of the most beautiful places on earth God created! Nice to see the pictures from today.
So true about the sun, I think I mentioned in a previous video on the ugly days it can be really ugly but on the pretty days it is gorgeous when the sun is shining.
Pro tip from someone who has lived it in these small towns growing up. If you are in Valdez or Whittier, get your vehicle on the ferry and travel to Cordova. It's not very far. Cordova is like the Valdez that you want. Valdez and Whittier are packed with RV's and businesses hawking to tourists in the summer. Cordova is one ferry ride away and you will have none of that.
Thanks, I've heard a lot of good about Cordova. If I was staying in Valdez I would definitely do what you're saying, but I'm heading to another part of Alaska now. I will get the Cordova one day though 👍
Stunning narration, and a really good video. Thank you.
Thanks so much, appreciate the kind words from everyone.
For you Old Timers, what ever happened to Sea Hawk Seafood? Worked there during the 85 salmon/herring season. Fall of that year, did a Halibut opener on the FV Myra. Met up with her captain, Dennis Rafferty in Valdez and went on a Halibut opener. Sailed around Prince Williams Sound for about three weeks. Spent about four days fishing and the rest of the time... sailing to Cordova, Whittier, a place called Snug Harbor, and towed a house boat across PWS to a place called Drake Island. Another, GREAT Alaskan experience!
I asked my neighbor who's a long time resident of Valdez and he said after the Exxon oil spill, Sea hawk seafood sued the city of Valdez later in 2001 claiming the amount of money they received in compensation in the 1980s was too low. In 2010 they win bankrupt and the property was taken over by Silver Bay seafood.... Sounds like you had a blast when you were there, I love hearing stories from people like you back in the days in Alaska.
I am 70 years old and worked for Koch Alaska Pipeline in summer of 75 till the summer of 76. It was nothing to make 1k to 1.5k a week with overtime. I could live oñ per diem and bank most of my salary. Bought first house in Texas for cash.
That's cool that I'm getting so many comments from people who used to work in Valdez back in the seventies and eighties... It seems like that's something that hasn't changed, the summer workers are still making really good money and working a lot of overtime. Most of them are from the lower States but there's even people from other parts of Alaska who come here just for the work during the summer.
Droll humor kept me chuckling for much of this video.
I have an odd sense of humor, I never thought about it but you're right it can be droll humor.
The first time I visited Valdez was about 9 months after the 1965 tsunami/earthquake. Almost all of the town was still under water. It was completely devastated. The only building intact and not under water was a gas station at the top of town before you descended in. Anyway, man did you hit the nail on the head with your commentary! You did a fantastic job of really portraying an unvarnished Alaska and Valdez. Congratulations on your effort! And, I hope you have mega views with your presentation here; few people really describe living here in such a real life way.
Thanks a lot 😊 that must have been incredible yet sad visiting Valdez right after the tsunami. That's a memory that's never going to go away and you're lucky to have it. That makes me jealous lol
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- But you pay the price. I am an old man. You are not! haha.
Haha time goes by fast, I'm getting there lol
Fascinating remote villages. Nice infrastructures roads houses. No crowd no noise no pollution. So peaceful place
Yes. In my opinion it's really a great place to live if I didn't want to visit so many places by car across Alaska. Who knows maybe one day in the future I end up making Valdez my permanent hometown.
this was a good video. i think it will Blow up
Thank you, appreciate it.
Thank you sir!
Happy you enjoyed it 😊
Very nice video & very informative ❤!
@@marshawargo7238 Thanks :)
My time in Valdez was in the late 1970's when I was a sailor on the FOSS tug that brought the floating container docks there from Seattle. Of course it was summer so it was a beautiful place to see. I am familiar with small Alaskan towns from my time with FOSS and before that with NOAA. I have fond memories of many towns that have changed for the worse since cruise ships have arrived.
I guess alaskans and tourists have a love-hate relationship. They know that they need the tourists for the town to make money and the local businesses to survive, but they hate losing their home to swarms of gawking people every summer. But since it's only 3 months of tourists for the most part, it could be much worse haha
I can relate to your lifestyle there I'm living in a small Town in Finland with similar daily experiences but I enjoy it that's the best part the enjoyment.
Exactly. It's definitely not for everybody but at the same time those who enjoy it and get to live in it are really lucky.
I was at Ft Rich,74-76…rode trail bikes in the summer, hit many small towns and trading posts…Looking at the footage and I can still feel the difference in the air❤️
That's cool, I really enjoy visiting the small towns and the trading posts, I can never get enough of that.
We lived in Cooper Center in 75/76. My husband worked on the pipeline. Loved the experience.
Some people I met the first month I was here have lived in Copper Center at the past three or four years and they love it there. And Willow Creek was probably my second favorite community I saw when I drove through Alaska last fall.
I enjoyed this very much. Reminds me of a couple of isolated towns we lived in on British Columbia's coast in Canada.
Thanks... One of my future plans is to visit some of those places in Canada in the future. I look forward to doing this.
Small towns like this are quaint and cozy but it seems like they all have their hands in your pocket for something. Every thing is so expensive!
I never thought about it that way but in a way you're right. I guess you have to pay for peace. If that's true then I would say it's worth it, and I don't have a lot.
Thanks very much for sharing. Very informative.
Thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed 😊
Great video! Very thorough and thoughtful descriptions, and lots of great footage. I think I'd at least enjoy a full year here very much.
Thank you. It's really a nice place, great people and just minutes from the Thompson pass.
Just looking at the footage, I would have guessed your population would be much smaller than here in my NH town. You beat us!
Haha how many people live in your town? Anywhere from 2 to 4 months I will be living in another place and I'm pretty confident this one is going to beat you even more lol
Nice video and educational, thanks 😊
Thanks, I tried to be as accurate as I could be 😊
Excellent video - Thanks!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it 😊
great video with honest advice. thanks.
Thank you 😊
Thank you. Just scratched Valdez, AK, from my bucket list. Nice video.
Definitely a place to visit one time 👍
Thanks for sharing
I hope you enjoyed it and have a nice weekend.
Nice video, thanks!
Thanks 😊
Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing 😊
Thank you 😊
I really enjoyed this video it was quite relaxing to hear how much you loved your tiny town!
Thanks. I actually left one week ago and I'm taking a break and Anchorage now while I look for a new place and a new small remote town for this summer and winter 😊
Well good luck on your travels! I hope you pick a good one!
Thanks 😊
Really enjoying this ..... subed and 👍
Thank you 😊
Hoping to come again next year, making it our 5th trip. We love Valdez!
Nice, do you always do a cruise or do you drive through?
Thanks for sharing ❤
Welcome, thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed it.
Enjoyed this to the point reality of living in Valdez and surrounding Alaska areas.
Thanks 😊
Great vid, Alaska is intriguing for an Aussie. The algorithm has decided I must watch your videos.
Haha the algorithm hated me for 8 months, for some reason it picked up on this video. But I'm glad you enjoyed it, I'd love to make it to Australia one day.
Hi from France, thank you for your videos. Very interesting. Take care.
Thank you 😊
Thank you for sharing! :-) Your description of the weather in Valdez must match how most of my fellow Dutchmen (and definitely of the Americans living here) perceive the rain in the Netherlands and how the older ones among us remember "real" winters. Your description of the isolation of Valdez reminds me of when I was to become a sailer with the merchant navy. A Dutch saying translates to "we are all in the same boat", meaning that whatever fate will occur to all of us - no escaping. No wonder that the people of Valdez will readily accept (or even welcome) newcomers: you'll want to know those that may require or provide help when Valdez is on its own. I have "recently" discovered that I can handle just a certain amount of variation in daylight hours, implying that I shouldn't try living much more to the North than the Netherlands, or correspondingly to the South. I don't mind the dark, I don't mind the light, but I need a certain amount of both each day. - I wonder if you people from Valdez consider yourselves good at handling that. (Yes, I'm aware that winter days may be surprisingly bright due to the snow reflecting whatever light there is.)
I think you're probably 110% correct about how Americans and others living in the Netherlands feel about the rain, and also about real Winters haha .... You're also extremely accurate talking about we are all in the same boat. I think that's the way it is in most of the Alaskan communities that are smaller as well as any of the villages and communities around the world that are remote, people have to stick together.... I feel like whether it's the darkness in the winter or the cold, it's all in your mind. If you go outside and talk to people about how cold it is, you feel cold. If you go outside and just say it is what it is, the cold doesn't bother you. It's all a mind game in my opinion, you just have to accept it for what it is and you wind up not even thinking about it. The darkness is tough I think for people who drive to work and then come back home because you're leaving in the dark and you're coming back home in the dark, and the little daylight in the winter you're inside a building. But if you have a job that keeps you outdoors or if you work from home, then you get to enjoy the light a little bit more. There's actually very little sun in the winter time in Valdez, maybe two or three days every 10 days get sunny for a couple of hours, the other days are mostly overcast or snowing, and low clouds and lots of clouds. I mentioned in a previous video ugly days are really ugly in Valdez, but when the sun shines the pretty days are incredibly beautiful.
Wonderful detailed told like a storybook with heart. I would live there for a bit. After spending 21 hot summers in south florida that could be a perfect vacation
I would melt in Florida. After 2 weeks there you would just see a puddle in the street and say "hey that's John"
I enjoyed this, thanks for sharing. Peace from Philadelphia
Thanks, I appreciate it 😊
You did a great video. It was honest and objective. Very interesting.
Thank you ❤️
well done. Like the narrated videos you´ve been doing lately 👍
Thanks, glad you liked it.
Great video!
Thank you 😊
Great video my friend 👍🏼 love the north. I lived in Inuvik NWT for over 5 years, absolutely loved it. ♥️ Cheers from 2 Canadians 🇨🇦 living in Mexico. 🇲🇽✌🏼🥰
Oh, I bet that was a lot of fun! Glad you enjoyed the video 😊
We visit your town during the summer with the RV that we rented in Anchorage. I just want to let your readers know that we really enjoyed your town and you’re right and people are extremely friendly and helpful. I was really surprised to see how much snow Valdez gets. I knew about the rain but I never thought about the snow. I come from a place called Lake Tahoe Nevada and we get all a lot of snow. So I probably should’ve thought About that.
I'm sure you had a fun trip driving through Alaska. If you were in Safeway in Valdez we might have even walked past each other haha
fascinating!
It's a cool little town. I won't be here much longer but I'm looking forward to the next town I try out.
Very nice thank you so much❤❤
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
This seems like a nice place for introverts😊.. watching from Nepal ..
Hi, Nepal is a beautiful country 👍 I always thought small towns were really bad for introverts because those people are forced to go into the grocery store where everybody in town goes into any other places where everyone goes. It's hard to get away from people unless you just sit behind your house or apartment building. I think most introverts are going to live off grid alone where a plane brings them food and mail and they only see people three or four times a year if they choose to fly in a small plane or drive their boat into town to get supplies. At the end of the summer or in the middle of the summer I'll be going to a much smaller place and I will look for the introverts 🤣
well done, thanks
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
Beautiful I think I’m going to try the willow area for My land thanks great video good luck
Willow was a nice town and fairly conveniently located. Make sure you visit before you buy land and look at the land closely (I assume you know this already but some people buy the land before they get here and they wind up getting swampland lol).
I spent a week in Valdez about twenty years ago. I loved it. You did a very good overall narrative on the city but didn't mention, if any, medical services.
Thanks. I'm sure quite a bit has changed in those 20 years haha there is a very nice hospital right in the center of town. It's not a huge building but it's pretty big. If you break a leg or don't have severe health issues, they can work on you there. They actually have about 20 patients living in the hospital who need to be taken care of on a daily basis, some of them have been there for a few years. But if you have something serious like a stroke or your arm gets cut off, they would fly you with the helicopter to Anchorage. But it's a much nicer hospital that was capable of doing much more than I had thought before I arrived there. Btw even if you're in Anchorage or Fairbanks, you would be flown to Washington State for most major surgeries.
Great video:)
Thanks 😊
Hi there. For me as an European it is a very interesting informative video about a part of Alaska. Thank you very much for all your work! For me it would be impossible to live there with so much rain and snow. I lived in several countries in Europe and also in Asia. I enjoy warmth, sun and a lot of greenery around me. Sending you love and appreciation from Italy ❤🎉
Thanks, appreciate it. I completely understand, I don't know a single person personally before I came to Alaska who wanted to live in snow and cold. That's probably why there's less than 800k people living here and 30k of those are forced to live here because they're in the military.
Great video! I've always wanted to go to Alaska. I live on a tiny island in the Caribbean, about the opposite of where you live. I'm going on an Alaskan Cruise to Glacier Bay this July. Really looking forward to it!
Thank you. Enjoy your cruise I'm sure you're going to have a blast. And the Caribbeans is a pretty nice place to live also haha have fun when you visit Alaska 😊
It’s a neat place
It was nice, I'm happy I tried it out for one winter 😊
Great video
Thank you 😀
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- you are welcome
I just found this and subscribed instantly. My dream is to retire and move to Kodiak. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks. Kodiak would be really nice. The only reason that's not for me is the cost if I want to go to the mainland more often.
Alaska! Love it. Spent about five years through every season! Will admit I was in Fairbanks and Delta Junction. Would have spent more time there but could not manage to convince the wife to move or the customer he needed me and my buds there all the time!
I was supposed to be heading to Fairbanks for 4 or 5 months before I settle in another small remote town for the second half of this year, was really looking forward to it but the place I was renting pulled out of the contract just weeks before I was supposed to get there (they made some excuses but in truth they realized they would make more money off of tourists than a long-term tenant). But my backup plan is Anchorage so I will be heading there unfortunately instead for a few months. I expect I will be about 2 hours away from Fairbanks though when I settle in after July in the new community, so I'll visit Fairbanks after July quite often..... I can understand your wife in a way, as you know since you lived here you do give up a few conveniences (although not as many in the big cities here) and what most people are used to. And it is true I've spoken to a few people who watched KZhead videos where it glamorized living in Alaska and traveling all the time and how everything is great and wonderful etc, and quite a few of those people spend all their money cuz it's not as easy as KZheadrs make get seem, and they are heading back home. And all of them also mentioned they came to Alaska a bit naive after watching KZhead videos thinking they're going to have all this free time because apparently everyone in Alaska does and what wound up happening is they were working even more than they were from where they came from because they were trying to leave the same lifestyle they were back in Oregon or California, and that's just not going to work out. I do plan on making videos about those kind of things once I get settled after the summer.... But I hope at least you can convince your wife to come back and visit Alaska, maybe take a road trip for a couple of weeks.
Looks beautiful with the snow. Probably make it easier then mud
Lol the snow is better than the ice also.
We don’t use umbrellas in Oregon/Washington either. I guess anywhere where it’s always rainy people just adapt/become one with the environment.
True, I mean I can understand it, who wants to carry an umbrella every day everywhere they go. At the same time Mary Poppins always carried an umbrella so I guess if she lived in Oregon or Valdez she would disagree 😆
Lovely video. Thanks. I live in Western Washington, where it rains a lot in the winter and its the same with the umbrellas.Locals dont use them
Thanks 😊 it's funny for an outsider to see but it's also understandable who wants to carry around an umbrella everyday with them.
Fascinating to say the least. I'd love to visit it but that's all. Definitely not my lifestyle but thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's definitely worth a visit, and with Thompson pass only minutes away whether you snowboard or ski or go hiking it has everything for you. They'll take you up in a helicopter to the top of the mountain so you can ski down. Or you can take a ferry over to Whittier or Anchorage if you wanted.
Your narration was excellent.
Thanks so much
Excellent Presentation 💐 Hearty Greetings from Hyderabad , India 🇮🇳
Thank you 😊
This was very interesting. Thank you for this glimpse into life in a more remote area of Alaska, and the information. I was wondering what people do regarding medical needs? Is there a hospital? (I am assuming that there are doctors).
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. There's a pretty nice Hospital in the center of town. For any major surgeries or serious accidents the patients would be flown by helicopter to Anchorage, but this Hospital can handle more than I had thought before I got here.
Your observations on mental health are on the money. I remember a saying, when looking for a boyfriend in Alaska the pickings are good but picking is odd. Or something like that . Traveled to alaska in 99, the young people with the least were having the time of there lives.
Haha that saying definitely still holds true... I really hate saying things like this because I don't mean to speak poorly of anyone, and I'm not near perfect myself, and the people were really really nice, but I'm guessing the alcohol and drug addictions in Alaska play a big part in the depression and other mental health issues.
Wow, winters in Valdez aren't much colder than winters in Moreland, Arkansas! Actually, it's been colder the last few winters here, just not as much snow. That's crazy...
Valdez definitely has mild winter temperatures compared to most other parts of Alaska. Anchorage is going to get down to about -10 or -15 in the winter and Fairbanks in the minus 30s - 40(same with the interior part near Denali all the way across down to the Thompson pass). I guess spring and summer is going to be much more different than Arkansas haha today when I left Valdez coming to Anchorage it was in the 30's and when I arrived in Anchorage at about 10:00 a.m. it was 38 and the high will be about 48 today. And then most times in the summer in most parts it's in the 70s during the day and in the 60s at night....
Sounds like paradise
What's tough about this place is it would be a nice place to live if it was located maybe 2-3 hours closer to everything else. There's so many places to go to and to camp at and to visit in Alaska, at least for someone who is new here who wants to see many places, even with the car it would be tough unless you were retired. I have two days off a week, if it takes me 7 or 8 hours to get to Paxson lake, for example, if I went there on my days off and let's say I get there at 1:00 a.m. the next day I have to leave to come back home for work. But if you live more in the center of Alaska, it takes you one or two hours to get where you want to go and you have two full days to camp. That's really the only thing I had against staying in Valdez.
..and you missed notation of slightly larger shaker back in March 1964, that displaced old Valdez completely; so the newer location could meet similar fate when circumstances finally might repeat.. "wash, rinse, repeat" like the seasons, if you are around long enough. And "Safeway" has been Albertson's sub-brand; working on becoming part of Kroger/FredMeyer. Much change is still ongoing, too! ~ small town AK-USA survivor since 1960 🇺🇸💮☃ PS: Ice cleats are better than umbrellas, since they might fit in your pocket.
Yeah, the chance of an earthquake forcing the town to move again is probably more likely than a tsunami destroying the town..... I'm actually preparing to move to another part of Alaska but correct me if I'm wrong he's in Safeway owned by Carrs grocery store now (or is Carrs owned by Safeway)? ... Haha now I'm going to go and get an ice pick lol what part of Alaska are you in? I'm pretty much set on where I'm going this summer/winter, although I'm a bit torn between healy and Willow Creek. I thought they were both really interesting.
Cool video 👍 . I'm thinking about a move to Alaska . I love winter and snow ❄️, cross country skiing and snowmobiling ❤❤. I would live in Valdez too rainy 🌧. I'm not a depressed person or one that has issues. Only time I get sad I'd when winter ends 💔. I live in northern Midwest. Either I move to Minnesota, northern Wisconsin or Alaska. I usually take off to New Hampshire around March to extend my winter 👍, just wouldn't live east-coast.
On the Thompson pass right outside of Valdez is well known for a lot of great snowmobiling and skiing, so maybe you could live on the other side of the pass to be close to that. But if you like winter and snow then you will definitely enjoy it here 👍
Valdez, a wonderful place to live..
It is, yeah 😊
U got a new subscriber here. Love watching Alaska from miles n miles away. My son n daughters live in Valdez and have visited them twice already. Good for retirees, cannot wait to go back.
@JuliaDLA thanks Julia. It really was a nice place and a fun time I had there. I'm going to do my best to go back and visit later in the summer but shortly after the video I actually left Valdez and settle down in Anchorage while I look for a small community in the interior to move to. If you saw my new video I published today about my first impression of Anchorage, you can imagine how much I miss Valdez already.
I like your bluntness and candidness ! ☺️😊 Wish people in the L.A. suburbs wilould be nice-friendly as there ! To visit for sure ! Will not be able to survive ! 🧊🌨️⛄🥶🥶😁/👏🇺🇸💪
Thanks. A few of my friends have said I couldn't survive in Alaska but what I found that really quickly is it's all a mind game. I'm not a tough person but the cold weather is only cold if you let it get to your head, the darkness is only too much if you think about it, and the boredom only arrives if you don't keep yourself busy. Just like I told my friends I'm sure you could survive up here, if you just accept the cold and the remoteness and the darkness in the winter as part of life, and the wildlife and things you can do here outweigh what you don't like, you'd be fine 👍
Being from Petersburg AK, I find you describing Valdez as a "small town" hilarious.
I guess no matter where one lives, there's always someone who lives in a smaller town.....Petersburg is really pretty. Although it only has about 900 less residents than Valdez, you're on an island so that's a whole different story haha
Valdez is not worse than Saint Paul Island, Alaska, I worked there for 15 seasons from 2000 to 20015 during the winter processing either opilio or king crab, it was so cold the ocean around the island got frozen solid sometimes for several days, it was impossible for the boats to deliver their catch to the where we were working, I was working for Icicle seafoods.
There's definitely a lot of places worse than Valdez. In fact I would recommend anyone coming to Alaska to spend one winter in Valdez because it's pretty fun.... I'm sure though even though you may not have enjoyed Saint Paul Island, you probably still don't regret doing it?
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- I must admit I did have lots of fun and make a lot a money while working in Saint Paul Island, we were working 16 hours every day no days off for almost 4 months straight during the crab season every winter the coldest months in Alaska, there's always a beginning and for everything in life so because of family situations I stopped going to Alaska back in 2015.
Even the construction workers here and the dock workers are working crazy amount of hours but like you said they also get really good money and some of them come back every season, and some of them just had enough or like you family kept them from coming back. But it's good that you enjoyed it because some of the people here don't really like it.
sounds like a good place for works. Retirerees can works a few months and makes end meet or increase living.
It actually is a good place for retirees because a lot of the places there are desperate for workers. If someone wants to work a couple of hours in Safeway year-round or if they just want to work a few months a year and take one of the diner jobs for extra money, Valdez would be ideal.
I like Valdez fine. Being from Gakona, you could go down there in the winter for some nice warm weather, LOL
Lol before I read the end of your sentence I was going to say I think Valdez in my opinion is a good place for people just coming to Alaska to move to because the winters are much more mild than in other parts of Alaska. Even if they only stay there for 6 months or 10 months, it's a comfortable first winter for them. But I personally could not see living in valdese permanently, only because there's not places in every direction that you can get to, I want to say it's a bit more out of the way than places like even nelchina or ferry. But that's just my opinion or the way I look at Alaska, which is definitely different than people who have been here their whole lives.... I'm heading towards the interior right after the summer, but I still want to visit a few more places before I decide what town or community I'm going to settle down in. I wish I could try a bunch of them but I visited about 50 towns in communities so far and I have Willow Creek, Healy, salcha, as three of my top five. I'll know the answer to which one it will be probably in July.... So if you come back and read this message how do you like living in gakona, and what's the good and the bad in that area?
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- I was born in Glennallen, raised in Gakona. Lived in ANC, Seward, Moose Pass, Sitka, Cordova, Homer, etc. Now i just spend my summers in AK. Snowbird. So I can't really answer that question. I do like the coastal communities better than the interior. But for the rain. Warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, and generally less mosquitos. Spent a lot more time around Valdez when the Chenega was still running to Cordova though. I think you need to spend a winter in the interior before you decide, if you haven't yet.
Homer seems like one of the better places to live there. ...? I would consider Anchorage also, for its ease of living. 🙂
I've only heard good things about Homer. I also heard a lot of good things about Palmer. I had time last year to visit Palmer, and this year I will visit Homer. I arrived in Anchorage more than a week ago and I'll be here for a couple of months while I look for something to rent in the interior. I'm actually putting out my first impression video on Anchorage today.
Good video, is there any pubs/taverns there?
There is a really good Pizzeria that's open year-round, two diners that are really nice open during the winter and I like, a Chinese restaurant that's open but it was closed for a little more than a month in November because they went on vacation, and a few drinking places opposite docks that also serve food.
Awesome narration! I definitely could enjoy Valdez. Until the vampires from 30 Days of Night show up....
Lol yeah, those vampires kind of ruin things 🤣
Hi i like Alaska and also like small town..
There's a lot of those in Alaska 😉
i was in valdez when i was in alaska its a beutiful place
It's a fun place to live and it is really nice. What year were you there?
2022 @@Life_Is_A_Highway-
We just missed crossing each other's path.
We where in valdez for only 1 night of the bus tour @Life_Is_A_Highway-
Hope you enjoyed the cruise. My parents went on one and they loved it. The next time though you have to rent a car and drive for 7 to 14 days through Alaska, that's your next vacation haha
I also watch Sarasota Tim, Joe and Nicole road trilp and outdoor boys in Alaska, Good morning from Valley of the Sun, Phoenix Arizona, 97 today Southwest desert... .,in winter been as far as Matanuska Valley by the river ....been in earthquakes Seattle Tacoma......my ex sis worked for Juneau a buyer , and Red dog saloon..... Florida now....
Hello Arizona.... I know those channels but I don't know those guys personally. I'm good friends with Follow Alaska. They were the only ones willing to make friends with a small KZheadr.... how did your ex's enjoy juneau?
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- are you talking about Luke and his family, I don't know them but love his family trips 😄
Lynn and darryl. They've been really nice to me since I've been here.
Cold cold 🥶😉😉😉👍
Haha I can't disagree with that. But there's always a but... Valdez is like Hawaii compared to where I will be spending the winter of 2024 😉
I love you're manner of narration. You've got a new subscriber.
Thank you, appreciate it 😊
Your video has a 70s vibe 👍
I love hearing that, rockin it old school haha
We’re off grid near Ninilchik 👋🏼
Nice, are you guys originally from here or did you move from the lower States? How do you like it there?
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- Grew up in California but Alaska was always calling. Spent time in all 50 states and most of Canada before deciding to set up roots in Ninilchik.
Whittier is a deep water cruise ship port, Holland America makes dock there in the summer
I also heard one or two of the locals let some of the cruise ship workers stay in their home when they have breaks sometimes. I'm pretty sure the people living there are very friendly but I only spoke to a couple of kids who came out to show me their dog do some tricks when they saw me.
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- I learned a lot more then I wanted to when I worked for the Princess and Holland America cruise lines. I guess I can talk about it now, but there was one year where we had a wife beater passenger.
@@forexed8948 but I'm sure if you push the wife beater overboard, the rest of your work on the ship was fun? Did you get to spend much time in Whittier?
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- even if one of my ship board coworkers did I wouldn’t turn them in. IDK what happened to the guy, and I don’t care, I enjoyed the time I got to have in Whittier, “It’s always shittier in Whittier” goes the joke we had around the airport.
@forexed8948 it's good you enjoyed your time, and someone else in the comments left that joke here about 10 days ago haha
I would love to live in Alaska. Currently living in WNY.
I lived in Albany and Rochester way back in the late '80s.
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- nice. I'm currently in Buffalo been here my whole life. 44yrs. It's depressing to say the least...
@@juancarlosnegron2358 it's definitely easier to move around when you're 20 then when you're 50. I don't know your situation, life and job, but if you're like me and you're single and don't really have a good paying job, move to wherever makes you happy. The job is usually what keeps people from moving, along with having a family with kids. And it's also hard for people to step out of where they are comfortable at. It's even hard for me sometimes despite how many times I have moved.
Hello fellow Valdezan! I enjoyed your video, thank you. My only note is that I have pretty good luck with Amazon, I guess better luck than you!
Hey, thanks for the comment. I really have no complaints with Amazon, I never had any packages left and sometimes they came quicker then I expected and sometimes they took a little bit longer but I'm pretty patient. Do you feel that my video was accurate? It's nice to hear how I did from someone who's currently living there 😊
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- Yes, definitely accurate. I enjoyed your comment about Alaska attracting a certain type of person, but it also probably being terrible for those types. Hermity misanthropes think they'll enjoy Alaska but then get depressed. I think the only thing you missed is the huge importance of the pipeline. I feel like 80% of people I meet either work for the pipeline or a pipeline contractor. Its much more of driver of this town than tourism, I think. And I say that even with my wife being employed by the tourism sector.
Thanks for the information, appreciate it. Did you ever see me around town, in Safeway or anywhere walking down the street? I usually walk to the post office every Monday. I was staying at Mountain View across from that huge building they're putting up that I heard was for workers on the docks( not sure if that is accurate),
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- I saw your picture on a different video of yours and you did look familiar. I lived across the street from Safeway and walked a black german shepherd.
I'm sure we walked right past each other at least once on the street. Most of the time after 2:00 p.m. I was outside walking around.
sounds great to me
I said this in a previous comment, but this was the most fun winter I've had since I've been a little kid. It really was enjoyable there.
One interesting fact about Valdez is how all the streets are arranged in a perfect grid. North/South. East/West. I believe the town was designed as a military base because of the importance of ice free ports during WWII. I also think that the main industry in Valdez was commercial fishing but you say that it is tourism. Interesting how time changes. In the late 70's the pipeline terminus employed a lot of people. I do agree that the climate can be a little harsh but that adds to how unique this gem is. A fishing town with a drinking problem. LOL
That's true about the streets, I never looked at it that way...... Commercial fishing and construction it's definitely very important to Valdez, I think about 2,000 workers come there from May until September. They spend money on hotels and groceries. The reason I consider it a town that survives on tourism is because thousands of tourists arrive on boats and cars everyday, and also many of them stay in campgrounds or get back on the boat, a lot of the cruises put up their customers in the hotels there, and those tourists spend money. I think the town can survive without the fisherman, today it can survive without the tourists..... You probably know already but the Coast Guard is still active in Valdez.
It was planned that way after the 64 earthquake tsunami wiped out most of the town in its original location. Old Town was located at the very end of the bay which is what put in harms way. The current townsite is less of a direct tidal target and they made the streets wider because it facilitates easier snow removal, as you know VALDEZ gets record snow fall. Old Town Valdez was put together during the gold rush and buildings and homes were closure together and the streets were narrower, added snow created a lot of congested mobility. Modern day Valdez is spacious but lacks the intimate quality of old time western town.
@@juliadplume3097 thanks, Julia, that's interesting to know why the town is built like it is. I always imagined Old Town Valdez was much more cool. But they did a good job with the new Valdez.
A great video, I would love to spend a year there to experience both the summer and the winter.
I would say anyone who comes to Alaska should try there because not only is it a really neat little town but it's also a bit more mild than the rest of Alaska. And arrive between September and November so that you find a room. I'm going to make a video in a month or two talking about stuff like this for those who want to try out Alaska.
Excellent video. I couldn’t turn it off. As being in healthcare for 29 years. Is there any access to medical or especially psychiatric health?
Thanks. There's a hospital in the center of town, they can deal with most injuries but if anything is serious/ life-threatening then they would fly You by helicopter to Anchorage. But it's a good-sized hospital and it's in great condition like brand new looking. They are often looking for nurses, in fact nurses are highly in demand all throughout Alaska.
I like Valdez, Alaska. I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for years; it's nothing like Valdez.
I'll be in Anchorage in 1 week as I'm using it as a base camp while I look for a place to rent in the interior to try out my next town/community. I'll probably put out a video in about 1 month with my opinion on Anchorage and if you happen to come back and watch it, remind me it's you and let me know if you think I was accurate 👍
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- That would be awesome. Subscribed to your channel now. Thank you 😊🙏 Hello from Thailand 🇹🇭 btw 🤗
Thanks 😉 what brought you to Anchorage from Thailand?
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- My parents; dad in the US Air Force (stationed at Elmendorf AFB), mom in AAFES n my brother in the US national guard. I used to work at Teds Stevens Anchorage International Airport. 😁
@@AlaskaAli ah, cool. I was just an Anchorage for one day previously and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have many good things to say about it 🤣 but I shall see..
🙏
❤❤❤
Thanks 😊
I would love to visit your town, especially in the winter. How welcoming are the local folks to people of color?
I know of one family that lives in Valdez in one of the neighborhoods and they seem to be very happy living there. But there are definitely tourist of many different skin colors and many different nationalities coming to Valdez every summer, so I would assume they are going to treat you just like they treat each other. And like I mentioned in the video, I think if you take part in the community activities, I'm very sure they are going to be great neighbors to anyone. You have to remember this is a town that also has to deal with let's say vagabonds that they all know are heavy drinkers or use some drugs, but I've only seen the residents treat those people with a lot more decency than I've seen those people treated in other states.... the one thing I like about Alaska is that regardless how you look, you can have a long beard down to your stomach or Long messy hair or just dress cheap and sloppy, people here seem to avoid judging other people by appearance, probably because there's a lot of different types of people here and the wealthy upper class looking fancy is definitely the minority. I think people here tend to mind their own business and not be so concerned with someone else as long as you don't cause problems. I mentioned something of one of my previous videos but I don't remember which one which is I've heard several times in Alaska people say " we don't care what someone else thinks or does as long as he doesn't push his opinions and beliefs in our face. That is what bothers us the most and we won't be friendly."...... for example alaskans would not put up with people tearing down monuments and they won't put up with protesters standing in the road because to them that is someone pushing their opinions and beliefs and causing inconvenience for everyone. You don't see many protests in Alaska but even if there is one for example at the Iditarod races the animal cruelty group will stand on the side out of the way from everyone and won't get into people's faces or even get near the other people because even the protesters know that's not how things are dealt with in Alaska. In a way there's a bit more respect for other people...... I'm sorry this is long but I also want to mention that in Alaska politics is not really discussed and argued about like it is in the lower States, again people are going to keep those opinions and beliefs to themselves. And something that's very important for people who are political or who don't want to live in a liberal city or a conservative city is this in Alaska: in the lower States small towns are typically conservative towns and big cities are typically liberal, but in Alaska it is completely backwards. In cities like Fairbanks and Anchorage those people tend to lean more towards conservatives while people in small towns and communities typically lean towards being more liberal.
Thank you for taking the time to reply and for providing such good information. I look forward to planning a trip there.
Shoot me a message in the future if you ever come through alaska. I just left Valdez and I'm moving to the interior to a smaller community. Now I just put up a video of Anchorage and compared it to Valdez a little bit.
Given that there aren’t many stores in or close to town, for anyone considering moving to Valdez, what would you recommend one buys in advance and brings with in order to make life easier, especially in the winter months? TIA 😊
I arrived with two duffel bags filled with a few t-shirts and jeans. I then bought several hoodies and dishes and mugs/glasses from the thrift store and a hot plate and microwave from Safeway. Some seasonal workers gave me their winter boots when they were leaving but if they had not I would have bought them in the thrift store or in the outdoor shop . I just moved back from overseas and didn't want to carry too much in the planes. So I would say bring as little as you can so the trip itself is nice and easy. If you happen to need something that Safeway or the thrift shop doesn't have then just order from Amazon or Ebay. Just make sure one of the first things to do when you get there is get a PO box at the post office because no packages and no mail is delivered to apartments or homes in Valdez..... if you're going to stay in one of the motels then you don't need any furniture and if you rent an apartment chances are the apartment is already furnished but if it is not instead of renting a trailer or U-Haul and dragon furniture up there it would be cheaper if you just took one trip to Anchorage and bought furniture, but of course you would need a car. If you don't have a car you can rent a car at the Valdez Airport. If there's any items you know you're going to need I can tell you if you can find them there or not.
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- Thank you for the response! Would you be able to give an estimate of apartment prices? Thanks for the info on getting a PO box!
The cheapest apartment I found inside the center of the city was about $1,250 plus utilities for a one bedroom. Occasionally I saw people looking for roommates so depending on your age you may or may not want to do that as that saves quite a bit of money. And if you have a car while you are here there are some people who would have rented me a bedroom in their home and they live roughly 5 to 10 minutes outside of Valdez in nice neighborhoods. I didn't have a car when I got there so I didn't ask anybody how much they were charging for their rooms but I'm going to guess anywhere between $600 to $900 per month everything included.... another tip is it's going to be difficult to get a room if you're not already in Valdez because they do go quickly and because they go quickly the people who are renting them there are not going to waste their time talking to someone who's not already in the city because a lot of people bother them about renting rooms and apartments and then those people never show up. In one of my future videos I'm going to talk about exactly what I did before I arrived in Valdez including having a back-up plan in case things don't work out the way you're hoping they do. I'm expect to get this video up in June.
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- Thanks for the advice and feedback! I appreciate your time. Hope you’re acclimating to Anchorage 😊
Happy to help. I don't want to say I dislike anchorage, but I'm looking forward to getting out 😉
Outside of food, I bet that the hardware store thrives.
Lol I love the radio shack that has a giant sign on the top that says "we sell guns".... Even the thrift store makes good money in Valdez.
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- Is it still a Radio Shack store because I was under the impression that they went under a few years back.
Such a depressing location to live in, but I admire your determination to make the best of it, sir.
Don't feel too bad for me. This was probably the most fun winter I've ever had since I've been 7 years old haha
That's the spirit,@@Life_Is_A_Highway-! Proud of you :)
Serious question… Most of us have traveled the 48 lower states, if you wanted to live anywhere, why wouldn’t you choose one of the lower 48 states? Why would you travel up to Alaska knowing that it’s on the other side of Canada and closer to Russia than it is to us? if the mountains are that amazing, the people traveling there actually seen all of the contiguous Rocky Mountains from New Mexico to Colorado to Wyoming to Montana? There’s some amazing mountains in this stretch. My question is unless you’re from there why would you move to Alaska? It is so far!
Thanks, I really enjoy answering questions and you've got really good questions and good points. But I'll try my best to make sense out of my answers..... I drove cross country for 60 days in 1997 and saw some really cool places, one of my favorites was Truth or consequences in New Mexico. I'm originally from New Jersey but I lived in Austria from 1991 until 2023, so I'm used to not being close to home already. Before I came here I was considering living in northern Minnesota as well as Northern Wisconsin. But probably one of the bigger attractions for me living in Alaska was that even though you may be able to boondock in certain places in certain States, I liked in Alaska you can pretty much boondock anywhere anytime. I also chose Alaska because it's so large I can stay home but it would still take me over 10 years to see everything here. I also liked the slower pace of lifestyle here simply because things are further away, and even though I would get that in a small Northern Minnesota town, if I want to go anywhere outside of town I'm going to have to drive through a lot of traffic and a lot of big cities and I like in Alaska that 98% of it is very little traffic and small remote towns so you have a much more peaceful journey and you don't have to go through big cities or lots of cars just to get to someplace else. What I also realizes that every single state has beautiful mountains and awesome places to visit, but I like Alaska because no matter where you are in the entire state you get a lot more of all of the good things. What I mean by that is no matter where you go or drive you're going to see mountains and glaciers, no matter where you go you're going to see wildlife, unlike in most States you only see those things in certain parts of the state I'd like that in Alaska everything is everywhere, you can't escape any of it. I don't know if that makes any sense. It's not that I think Alaska is better than anywhere else, I think it depends on what you want, but Alaska suites my desires much better than other states. It is a really difficult question to answer because it's always hard to tell what somebody else is thinking, and it's often hard to describe what exactly you're feeling. But I just see that Alaska has more of what I want in life and other places do 😊 I don't know if you've seen on KZhead people say Alaska is different but it's hard to explain? Now I know what people mean and I do plan on making a future video talking about why exactly Alaska is different in my opinion. I hope I at least made some sense out of what I said.
If I went to Alaska, I'd probably spend time in Bethel, and Whittier.
I was disappointed with Whittier, I made a video a few months ago on it and what bothered me there. But it would definitely be a nice experience. I'm going to go back to Whittier this summer to visit... I've never been to Bethel but I will get there one day. What I would really recommend is drive through Alaska for 5 to 7 days, you can easily visit 50 communities, and you might find some places you didn't hear about and like them. This happened to me and it was fun... Just make sure you have a backup plan for a second and third community you want to stay in in case you can't find anything where you want to stay because some of the places have limited housing.
My aim is to retire to a very remote area and live very simply. With no family and no connections, I would love be happy in a quiet peaceful area. I would not even want a car at that time. However, to live here with these extreme weather conditions, I do not know. I would stay in my home almost 100 percent of the time anyway. I do not know if I could deal with the weather.
Everybody's definition of remote is different. If you mean remote like in Valdez, you wouldn't need a car. But if you mean remote like in parts of the interior of Alaska, a car would be necessary. If you mean remote like on an island or in a place only reachable by plane or boat, you be pretty far from any medical centers....But if you're just going to be inside most of the time I wouldn't recommend coming to Alaska, especially if you're older. You would be better off moving to a remote town in the lower States because it's cheaper, safer, and you don't have to deal with the ice and snow when you're 70 years old, and the only benefits you will get out of living in Alaska at any age will be if you're interested in wildlife, outdoor activities like hiking or camping or fishing etc, and you also have to really enjoy winters because that's part of everyone's life here for most of the year.
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- Well I absolutely LOVE outdoors and nature - but on a calm level. I love huge green trees. I would love to hike. But I would need more sunshine in my year. I also have been thinking of living waay in the northwest woods of Montana. That would be fabulous. Get some acreage. I do love remote as in very remote. I have some time to think about it. Even considered moving abroad. I am happy you are happy living there. It does indeed look so beautiful. Blessings.
It is very nice here, I'll say that much. It's definitely worth giving up conveniences to live in some of the small remote towns.... You should also check out Northern Minnesota, there's some really pretty fairly remote places up there. Although Montana would also be really nice.... If you look back at some of my videos you will see 30 or 40 small towns that I visited in Alaska, one thing to consider here is there's a video titled Ester, Alaska for example. I think it was roughly 8 miles outside of Fairbanks, there's nothing out there and it feels as remote as some of the places that are really remote. That's also something you can consider. I mean there's a lot of options I'm pretty sure in every state for you. If you have a chance to visit a few of them before selecting one so that you can compare them would be great. I wish you the best in whatever you decide at that time 👍
@@Life_Is_A_Highway- Well thank you, kindly. I will check out some of your videos. I just found you this afternoon and loved this video! Yes, I will travel to different places to see if I love them before deciding. Going to Priest Lake, Idaho next year as that is at the top of my list. Taking my Dad on a fishing trip as fishing is his first love. Great lodge cabins up there and we can rent a boat. I am so looking forward. Lots of great little areas you pointed out in Alaska. Blessings.
Sounds like you'll have a lot of fun in Idaho. I'm trying to convince my dad to visit me here but he said nope lol he's 82 so it's not easy for him to make longer trips, it's a shame I wish I could show him some of Alaska. I started making these videos in particular for my parents and friends who can't visit. This one caught on a little bit so after 8 months this is my first semi-success haha okay enjoy your trip and if you're ever in Alaska send me a message I might be close by 😉