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Just read a lot of BS being posted to you, and thought I would chime in.

I lived in Alaska for 25 years, 10 in Anchorage and 15 in Fairbanks. It is a place that just drives you mad, or it gets into your blood and you can't live without it. You will know after your 1st winter whether you will be staying or leaving.

Anchorage is the major staging point for most people starting out. It ain't such a bad town, but they say the nicest thing about it is that it is just 1/2 hour away from Alaska. I found the constant freeze/thaw cycle in the winter was a real pain in the rear. It is nice in the fact that you are closer to the water and major fishing then in Fairbanks.

Fairbanks has changed over the last couple of years. Once Home Depot decided to open a store, what some would call a flood of other followed. So there is now a line of "major" stores in one small section of town, along with the other stores in scattered areas around town. Rest assured, it does not come close to being Seattle.

My wife just visited family and friends there, and when she came back she wondered just how we had lived there for so long. She described it as a "town that barely survives winter". However, we met and befriended some of the best people I would ever hope to know there.

The major problem for visitors is the extremely limited road system in the state. The things you see from the road may be in Alaska, but that doesn't mean that is all of Alaska. It's all beautiful, but it is impossible to describe how incredible it is to step out of a plane on to one of the glaciers around Denali. Or to watch the thousands of caribou wander across the barren arctic slope.

If you are going north, take the Alaska Ferry and plan on stopping in some of the towns along the way for a day or two. The southeast is a completely different world than the cities and villages of south central and the north. The only problem you are going to have is that you almost have to drive through Canada once you get up north. I think there is a once a week ferry that goes across the flats to Valdez, but it may not fit in your schedule.

Alaska is something every one should see at least part of. Go with the thought of making life long friends, and I think you will find what you are looking for.

BTW, read the poem on my page here; it may give you an idea of why so many people love it. I know I would still be there if not for family concerns here in Florida.

I wish you well, and a safe journey into the Great Land!

Fairbanks is torn between two factions now. One wants the city classified as more then 50,000 population so it can get more Fed dollars for roads and other public projects. The other wants it classified as under 50,000 so it isn't listed as the fourth most dangerous city in America. One thing for sure, it is in the top ten marketing areas and there is considerable money sloshing around. MONEY by the trainload. There is so much money sloshing around that people wander up and down the road looking for any piece of permafrost they can buy for three times what it is worth so they can put a couple rental cabins on it. Everybody has a new truck or two. Everybody is bringing in truckloads of gravel to upgrade their driveway at $200 a load so they have a place to park their snowmachine and 4-wheeler and SUV. At the same time some places can't find workers, McDonalds for one. Who wants an $8.50 job?

I lived in Alaska twice for a total of ten years. The first time, I lived (and graduated from high school) in the Southeast. It's a beautiful place. Don't take a car and then travel on the Alaska Marine Highway. That's the ferry system that goes up the southeast panhandle. Stop in as many of the towns in the Southeast as you have time to. Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau, are all wonderful destinations. To me, they're more like the "real" Alaska. The isolation contributes to that feeling.

If you go up through the Alaska Highway (I've done that four times), be prepared for damage to your car. Cracked windshields are common, holes in gas tanks, suspension, etc. It is a wilderness road for much of the distance. The scenery is absolutely spectacular. Nothing can describe it. Photographs don't do it justice.

The Kenai Peninsula is beautiful-well worth visiting. Fairbanks is less scenic, more rustic. Anchorage is fairly large and has all the modern conveniences. It makes a good place to stay for sightseeing, but you'll want to get out of there to experience the outlying areas. There's good fishing, hiking, camping, etc. near Palmer, Wasilla, Willow, and Talkeetna.

Alaska is one of the few places you can go nowadays and actually find solitude. To me that's the most valuable thing about it. You'll be surprised by the numbers of people who go to visit there and end up selling their house and almost everything they own to move to Alaska and be a part of it.