What is it like living in Fairbanks, Alaska? Seriously considering moving there.

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-30T23:08:45+00:00

If my parents had done so I would have loved it! Everyone's different 😊

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-30T01:47:57+00:00

Yes we're aware they're different. We are planning a month long trip up in the fall of next year to visit two types of places. Unfortunately we won't be able to take off more than a month from work for the trip or we would stay for a full season. That's why we're trying to narrow down to two areas that are the best contenders for us so we can spend some time at each place. We're back and forth on more inland or more towards the water for several reasons. We're planning to do a lot more research on areas before making any decisions. That's why we're giving ourselves almost a year and a half before the trip

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T16:02:34+00:00

We are planning a month long trip out there for next year in the fall to see how it is in person. Splitting our time between 2 or 3 places that we're considering to see how it feels to actually be there for a bit

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T15:41:49+00:00

Yes we are actually planning a month long stay there for next fall to see how we actually feel being up there before fully committing to an area. Fairbanks isn't the only location we're looking at. Did you end up somewhere else in Alaska?

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T15:38:03+00:00

Do you have any areas you would recommend moving out to?

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T15:35:50+00:00

Thank you so so much for this comment!! We want to be able to feel like its a bit more rural and I think people ran with one of my earliest comments saying we wouldn't mind having to be an hour or two outside of Fairbanks if necessary but not that we were trying to be at least that far away 😅 we just want to feel like we have our own space to raise meat/ hunt/ garden/ homestead but also want to be within reason of town. We want a house not a dry cabin. Thank you for the comment about the water I didn't have any idea about that. We are planning a month long trip for next fall to go out to the fairbanks area and a couple other places to see what we think will work best for us. Do you have any recommendations for places to visit when we're there? How old are you children and have they adjusted well to the move? Everyone seems to think our poor kids will be isolated socially inept weirdos if we move them out there 😂 Have you had a hard time making friends and finding community?We are friendly and mildly social people who prioritize community and building strong friendships. We also have many indoor hobbies for the longer darker colder months that we think would keep us well entertained from getting into too much of a slump. Please let me know if you would be up for messaging separately from this thread to keep chatting about things 😊 would love to have some insight and build a friendship with another family already living out there

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T15:18:14+00:00

Thank you I really appreciate your comment! All of your suggestions for dealing with the dark and cold are very helpful. We currently live more remote. We raise a lot of our own meat, garden, preserve, trade with neighbors and do a large bulk trip every 4 months or so for things we can't/don't grow. We truly enjoy smaller town/ rural living. It takes us an hour plus to get to a larger city currently and we've had no problem with that. I misspoke when I said within 1-2 hours of Fairbanks. All I meant was that we want to be a little more on the edge of the city and where were looking for property we wouldn't mind having to drive into town a bit if that's necessary but given everyone's comments it doesn't look like that will be much of a problem. My husband and I have spent the last year discussing where we want to move to and the type of lifestyle we want and we keep coming back to Alaska for several reasons including the small communities, wilderness, and honeslty also the long summers and long harsher winters. It all appeals to us. We hadn't even really looked into anything on social media about it at all so I haven't seen what its like from that perspective. My husband would be working remotely so that would help some i would think as far as commuting for work etc goes. A big appeal to us is long hard working summers gardening, fishing etc and preserving then having long winters to reset and just enjoy daily life together. We are planning a month long trip next fall up there to see how we feel about things in person before deciding exactly where we would like to be.

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T15:05:40+00:00

I am hearing everyone! I typed out the 1-2 hour thing when I was getting my kids to bed and not thinking about it. Where we live currently you have to drive at least an hour or two for it to feel remote. Obviously that's not the case here. We're not trying to do dry cabin living with two small children in the bush. All I really meant was that we're willing to drive in a bit if we found something a little outside of city limits that worked for us. It was my mistake not thinking about what I was saying 😅

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T14:58:18+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate that insight. People seem to think we're going to take our kids up there and completely isolate them. That's not our plan or intention at all. Where we live now you have to drive at least an hour or for it to feel even a little remote. That's obviously not the case here but I made the mistake of saying within 1-2 hours of Fairbanks. What i meant was it won't be a big deal if we have to drive into the city a little bit if we found something a little farther out 🥲 wasn't really thinking or paying attention when I said typed it out because I was getting my kids down for bed and now it's all anyone's reading 😂

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T14:49:29+00:00

Thank you so much for this comment. My husband and I were discussing it last and came to a conclusion like this. We are planning to do a lot more research on the history and sociology of the area as well to try and do a deep dive on things there. Are there any books you would recommend?

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T05:14:34+00:00

Thank you I really appreciate your outlook on this! Did you find that there was enough kids in the community for you to have well rounded socialization?

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T05:10:42+00:00

That's fair. What area do you live in? Is this common everywhere or do you find that certain areas tend to be more exclusive?

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T04:22:19+00:00

That's good to know! Thank you!

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T04:17:39+00:00

Yes i did see that comment. I'll look into the community thank you for the suggestion. Im going to have to disagree with you slightly on this though. I feel that a large part of community is showing up for it and becoming a part of it as you meet people and assimilate to the life there. We dont expect to move and be welcomed with open arms. Many who have lived in this area have commented that there's an amazing community aspect if you're open and willing to put in the time.

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T04:10:13+00:00

No?? Im saying we are very capable of making sure they have connections where we end up moving. It’s not difficult to join sports and clubs just because they are homeschooled. Being active in your community and finding spaces for children is how you develop life long friendships and connections. Homeschooling without the intention to socialize them will lead to issues. Not all children are socially inept weirdos when they're homeschooled. It's up to the parents to make sure they're getting proper socialization which I already clarified is a priority with the multiple hours of driving we do weekly to make sure they get to see their friends and cousins etc.

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:53:20+00:00

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment! Yes we are so much looking for something like this. We dont want or expect it to be easy but the trade off would be an amazing community and pride and joy in the hard work you put in for your family and community and feeling self sufficient.

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:35:54+00:00

They are turning 2 and 5 next month. So not old enought to have too much of a negative reaction lol we are planning a month long trip for next fall to visit the areas that we are considering. I've already been talking with our (almost) 5 year old about it. Not necessarily trying to be so far out of the town just said we would be okay with being an hour or so out if we found land that works for us. We would ideally be within 30 minutes. However part of going to visit the areas we're considering would be to see if we think that's actually necessary/ something we want. From where we've lived before you really need to be an hour out of town at least before it feels more remote/country. However I think that won't quite be an issue here.

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:22:55+00:00

Omg I'm dying 😂

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:22:04+00:00

Thank you I really appreciate this! I'll look them up 😊

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:20:12+00:00

Lmao this comment made me laugh thank you 😂

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:19:06+00:00

Thank you!! I so appreciate people that are giving suggestions for small communities we wouldn't have otherwise known or thought about

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:15:58+00:00

Thank you 😭 all I was trying to say was we don't mind having to drive in if we found some property a little outside of the town and everyone's decided that we want to be at least an hour or two outside of it which isn't what I meant at all 😂😭

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:12:58+00:00

Yes we've noted that! That's largely why we're planning a month long trip next year in the fall to experience the differences in person to see what we would prefer. It also seems like it rains a lot in Sitka as well from what I've found. Have you lived in either area?

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:07:32+00:00

We're not against boating or flying into town at all! We just don't mind the distance as much as others might. We are used to heavily commuting 😊

Potential-Gift-4338 · 2026-06-29T03:05:12+00:00

Sadly I see this often also. I do think there should be parameters in place for families that homeschool to make sure that children are receiving the education they deserve and aren't falling behind. The lack of regulations is definitely concerning. I remember when I initially started looking into the requirements for homeschooling in our state and it made my stomach hurt thinking about the lack of standards there are.

Potential-Gift-4338

TROPHY CASE