“I couldn’t live anywheres else and really be happy.”
I lived in AK from ‘71 - ‘89. I’ve never been happier than there. There was true tolerance and honesty. Polical correctness didn’t exist. People were independent. The mindset was liberating. It spoiled me when it comes to living free and speaking freely. When coming to the Lower 48, I learned that every word and thought had to be processed and calculated to determine who might be offended, what was politically correct, etc. When in Alaska, that wasn’t an issue. Sure, people had their toes stepped on now and then, including myself, but nobody took it personally. You accepted the opinions of others and they accepted yours. No righteous indignation or recriminations. Of course, that was then and this is now; I suppose a lot of that has changed, but it was wonderful then.
My left wing niece and her progressive husband moved from Oregon to Anchorage and insist on both intolerance and political correctness. It might not be the same now
It has changed a small bit in Anchorage and some places out here in the Valley, such as a lot of rowdy bars closing and a slew that are now non-smoking. A lot more people live here than when I first arrived in 1992, traffic is a nightmare at times in Wasilla, never really had that problem before.
I could never ever leave Alaska for the lower 48, I could and may indeed leave Alaska for another country, but thats because I am a seasonal worker, where I live I do not have many other job options during the winter.