I think one of the reasons the VA is so good in Alaska is the large number of bases in that state.
kAbout 15 years ago, I was in Fairbanks for a bit. I had never seen so much military in my (sheltered, away from large population centers) life! It was awesome. Everywhere I went there was American flags and military. Got some sweet deals on Army winter long johns and uniform pants at Value Village even.
It seemed that everywhere we went was either an Army base or an Air Force base.
It seems that a lot of retired military decide to stay in Alaska. Is that your ken, Chuck?
You may be right. This is not the case where I live however. I am on an island with a population of around 3K. There is a USCG cutter based here but no large base or mil facility of any kind. My PCP is at the local clinic.