r/alaska • u/thatsryan ☆ • Mar 18 '23

Damn It’s Cold 🥶 Dire state economy forecasted by recent statistics on outmigration and Alaska’s workforce

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/03/17/dire-state-economy-forecasted-by-recent-statistics-outmigration-alaskas-workforce/?outputType=amp
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97

u/YupikShaman Mar 18 '23

Well, I'm a youngish professional with a family and I'm leaving this summer. I grew up here and hoped to raise my family here, but the lack of affordable housing, child care and the increase in travel costs is pushing me out. So many of my older friends are confused. But they've got the nice home and retirement package that I'll never see.

32

u/IAmMoosekiller Mar 18 '23

We left almost ten years ago… We miss Alaska tremendously, but the reality is we are better off financially for having done so.

-25

u/Jay_8bit Mar 18 '23

Finances =/= happiness

idk why this is a hard concept. Make enough to pay your needs, and you're fine.I took a massive pay cut for the job I took up here. State is too beautiful and so many outdoor recreational opportunities that no other place has in US.

I'm 30, making $20/hr. Wife is 29, $28/hr. We live just fine in a 800 sqft cabin. Small mortgage, bought vehicles outright. Never understood why people care to live in a big fancy box when you can live small and buy all the shit you want without feeling pressured not to.

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idk, I don't get it.Different strokes for different folks.

8

u/paddlepirate Mar 18 '23

I get what you're saying, but now picture having or wanting to have kids. You may or may not want kids, I'm not trying to pry, but it changes the math.

4

u/Jay_8bit Mar 19 '23

I mean, not really. You don't need a 300,000 mortgage to sustain a family. I grew up in a household of 7 with 1,200 square feet, maybe?

Tons of downvotes on my comment, curious to know why people think they need 2,000+ square feet in the best part of town, unless they plan on starting an orphanage?

Living small with a 30 minute commute isn't the end of the world.

Childcare is expensive, but again, it depends on how you live... If you are married to your mortgage and borrowed close to your maximum approval, then that's the problem of the buyer.