Fairbanks Alaska, anyone there?

Kicking around the idea of taking a job in Fairbanks. Pay seems pretty good, what I've seen of rent online it doesn't look out of line. Is there any sort of a car scene up there? They are willing to pay moving expenses, wonder if they will include moving myself and 3 cars or will I have to stash my toys away for a while.

I'm a new graduate in my field, and they will pay VERY well and take me as a new grad, figure maybe do that for a year or two and the come back down south...

 

Good Idea when your young I doubt they pay to move the cars though that will be on you and I don't think you would want to bring them up there really

 

All depends on the contract your company has with the van line who is going to move you. We haul plenty of cars for our customers, and most of the time their company does pay for them, running or not.

Good luck up there in Fairbanks. May want to bring an ATV instead of your cars though.

 

I am in Fairbanks, there are a lot of old cars up here since winter is so long (8 months) and people need something to do. The biggest club is http://local.aaca.org/fairbanks/ which used to be elitist and looked down on anyone not running a completely stock vehicle but now accepts customs and mods into the club.

There are tons of early 50's trucks up here, seems the old timers bought more trucks than cars.

One thing to remember, it gets friggin cold up here and any car you bring will need to be winterized. We had -40 below zero weather for almost four weeks straight this winter and it dipped into the -50's for a few days of that. That eats up a ton of car fuel and heating oil. Utilities are way high as well, my electric bill easily runs $300 plus a month and heating oil averages out to about $300-400 a month. It is a beautiful place to live but at the moment is getting very expensive. Gas is around $3.75 to $3.99 a gallon depending on which part of town you buy it in.

If you have any questions, just PM me and I can answer what I know. I have lived here for 34 of my 38 years. Pretty familiar with the area

 

I always felt Fairbanks was pretty desolate. But, for a young guy you should be able to handle it while you gain some OJT. It IS kind of in the middle so you can find adventure in any direction. I agree with the ATV comment. You'll prolly get more use with that than a hot rod. Up there you'll want an ugly big 4X4 that can get you into and out of remote places.

Have fun and work hard, you'll do OK!

 

One more thing, I just looked at your Facebook page. You could probably make some decent money pinstriping here, I only know of one other person that advertises and he is 340 miles south. There are probably a few in Fairbanks but most likely they are busy enough just helping friends that they do not advertise.

 

AK-coe, thanks for your input. PM sent. I applied for the job, will see what pans out I guess. Would be fun to have new rides to sling paint on!

 

Man I was stationed there in 64-65 and it was fkn cold!! it got down to 65 below, but the worst part was the 90+ in the summer and bugs so big they could lift you off the ground...............but the most beautiful place I was ever in, we were at a radar site and the views were fantastic........

 

I think this is one of the best car collections in the country. http://www.fountainheadmuseum.com/the-automobiles/

 

The museum just flew a guy from Seattle to do some striping.So,they would be more than happy to pay someone here that does great work instead of paying for airfare and housing.

Some guys feeel they need a big club scene to survive in the auto world.In Fairbanks you just need to be you.

The weather can be tough in the winter.Just have to dress for it.Sometimes you get contained inside because it is just too cold to be out in it.

Bob

 

My sister and her daughter live there.They love it and say they will never move back here.I personally think Denver has plenty of cold and snow.I don't get how they can stand the - 40 below cold but hay some people don't mind it. Good luck with your new adventure in life.

 

I'm not a club guy, so thats not an issue. I guess I'll know more in the next week or so how things pan out and if im in the running further. Heck, so far the recruiter hasn't even told me the name of the place.
If it goes down, it will be an adventure for sure!

 

If they haven't told you what's up yet...maybe you'll end up the subject of soembody's research project at the U!

 

Valley Cruzers CC is up in the Man****ka Sustina Valley. We were up there working two summers ago. Good bunch of guys. Check out their web site.

 

Must be something going on up there, Autozone just offered me a job up there.

If there is nothing going on car wise how long will it take you to get something started?

 

My 37 Chevy delivery ended up somewhere in Alaska. His handle is Alaska Fisherman, not sure if he is on here though. After he bought it, he drove it back to Alaska. That's a looong ride in a hot rod.

 

WE need more hot rodders up here!!!

(hey Fairbanks guys I'd love to come up if yall have any shows.... )

levi

 

I hate to tell you this P&B, but that might be the equivalent of being "sent to Siberia" as in the former USSR.

 

Hey, there is a NHRA sanctioned drag strip in Fairbanks so you can use even more fuel. Guy I know from Reno tours up there every year with his fuel altered. (in the truck)
Jay

 

One more thing to consider is the State of Alaska pays oil dividends to it's residents every year. Not a whole bunch of money. But something. I am not 100% sure but I think there is no state income tax?

 

No income tax but the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend barely covers two months of heating oil during the winter. I have a 1300 sq ft house and heating oil runs $4 plus a gallon, can burn a lot of oil when it is 40 below zero. I think I used over $2400 this winter and we are still at 10 below right now. Might want to hit gvea.com and read some of their blogs as well about electricity. We have the highest rates in Alaska right now. I know people that have over $600 a month electric bills. It is still a pretty place to live but it really is quickly becoming to expensive for most

We have not been hit by the housing downfall so prices up here are still through the roof. A 3 bedroom will run between $150k and $250k for a decent one that isnt falling apart.

The local Army base lets the Racing Lions use the runway for drag races each year. Large turnout at them, there are a ton of car shows each summer since summer is short. We cram them in, at the Vernon Nash Car Club site (http://local.aaca.org/fairbanks/) they list them in the calendar. I went to a meeting a few weeks ago and they were planning out the summer and there is literally a cruise every Wednesday, Friday and an event every weekend. Car shows were scheduled about every other weekend if my memory is working.

I was born here, it is a nice place to live for the scenery but like I said, it is getting VERY expensive to live. This survey says it is the 7th most expensive city in the nation (http://www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/cities-with-most-expensive-cost-of-living-2011/8.html) but they kind of over-priced the housing market. People list for insanely stupid prices but never get them. A good example is a local 3 bedroom house that has a 1500 sq ft garage and they want $250k for it but the house is sinking into permafrost. Not really a good thing

Anyways my rambling needs to stop. I am really just trying to keep people from moving up here and stealing all the good deals on old iron

 

DON'T GO!!!!
Alaska is for single guys who like to hunt and fish....but if you dig cars and/or *****...it ****s.....

 

Had to fly over to Fairbanks one day (Maule M5/235) from Kodiak. Took my g/friend (now wife). Landed at the airport, did my business in town, and then we went to dinner. I had the finest filet mignon I've ever eaten. Wish I could recall the name of the restaurant. I think it was just a bit outside the airport.

While you're dreaming about those high wages....find out how much your basics are - bread/milk/liquor. Everything is about 150% of what you pay stateside. Takes a good bite out of AK wages. Ask someone how much fuel is...everything in Fairbanks is either flown in, brought by rail, or trucked up there from Anchorage. And most of that has already been freighted up from the lower 48. Kodiak (an island) was fairly pricey, Fairbanks likely the same. And yes, it gets very cold for long periods of time. In Anchorage, the parking meters have electrical outlets/cords to plug in your headbolt heaters.

Best of luck - experiencing Alaska (by actually living there) is something everybody should get to enjoy. Learn to fly...learn to fish...learn to swat the largest carnivorous mosquitos in the land.

dj

 

-No, they don't.

Yes, lots of places have outlets in or near parking areas for block heaters, but those are typically only for employees of the building, or for tenants of the apartment block.

And even then, lots of apartments will only turn the outlets on between 6:00 and 9:00 am.

For the OP: if you're not sure about a long-term move up here, store all but one of your nice/project cars. Bring it up, and buy a cheap AWD for day-to-day grocery getting. A 4X truck, an Explorer, an old Blazer, whatever.

Look for a place with a shop- virtually every house has at least a one-car garage, and you might be surprised how many people have 2 and 3 car, if not a good sized detached shop.

Having an indoor hobby and a place to do it (IE, a car to work on and a shop to do it in) makes a huge difference in how you tolerate, if not actually enjoy, the winters. Put together a man cave, cultivate some good like-minded friends, and you'll be surprised how fast the car gets done and the winter flies by.

Parts are, unfortunately, hard to come by. There was never much to begin with, and the weather has destroyed a lot of it. Recent spikes in s**** prices have cleared out even more (I saw most of a fastback Cadillac at the bottom of the pile at the s****per this past summer) so if you have a project that needs heavy stuff (axles, engines) budget some extra for shipping.

Doc.