Suggestion: Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska
I didn’t really expect anyone here to be interested in living in Alaska, but as a result of the below post, a forumite bought land directly behind me. I’ll present a broad case for Alaska and the Goldstream Valley below and will finish with information about some other lots nearby.
theanimal wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 1:28 pm
There are multiple 2 acre parcels of land available for sale by us in Fairbanks, including one next door. Going rate is usually $35-40k. There is no building code, so you could build whatever you want. There are some new houses nearby with plumbing that go for $200k. Electricity available from the local utility company. There’s a small general store and restaurant within walking distance and it’s about a 15 minute drive to town. Winter trails less than 1/4 mi away connect to hundreds of miles of trails locally and thousands of miles of trails throughout the state. The northern lights (aurora borealis) occurs directly above us on nearly every clear night. We are above the lowlands, and it’s generally 10 degrees warmer (Fahrenheit) at our house than in town, or even compared to our neighbors across the street.
Climate and Place
Alaska is a land of extremes and the Interior is emblematic of that. It is a continental climate, with extreme temperatures and hardly any wind. On the shortest day of the year there is 3 hrs 42 minutes of daylight and winter temperatures can reach -50 F. Winter temperature is highly variable though do to the hills and inversions. Some places near the top of the hills can be up to 25 degrees warmer than in town.
On the summer solstice there is 21 hrs 50 minutes of daylight and summer temperatures can get into the upper 80s. The growing season is short (but lengthening ) and is around 100 days. First snow often comes sometime in September and there is often snow on the ground starting mid October until late April/early May. Precipitation wise, the area receives about 14 in per year (a couple inches more than Tuscon, AZ) and is very dry with lots of sunny days. Normal humidity levels are around 30%.
Goldstream Valley Culture
The Goldstream Valley (where I live) is a small community on the western outskirts of Fairbanks. This community (and Alaska in general) is the type of place where you will get multiple people stopping to ask if you are ok if you seem like you’re having trouble with a vehicle on the side of the road. Alaska has a strong DIY ethos and people here have a much broader skillset than other places in the lower 48.
Most people are here because they want to be in Alaska, not because of a particular job or career. Working for only part of the year is very normal. It’s anecdotal and likely self selecting, but our friend group alone probably 2/3 of our friends do not work the entire year. While that is likely higher than the norm in the community, it lends to the idea that people here work to live, instead of living to work. When people here ask “what do you do?” They are often not interested in hearing what you do for work, but rather what you like to do with your free time. Many ERE adjacent individuals.
This is more of a rural community, with smaller lots around 1 acre in size, but more commonly around 2 acres. There are no building codes, so the quality of homes and home prices tend to resemble a barbell. There are a lot of poorly crafted small, dry cabins for sub- $100k or high quality, large homes for over $300k, with very little in between.
Crime is negligible in this part of town and it is the type of place where you can leave things out and your doors unlocked without worry.
Land is typically more desirable the higher you go on the hills due to the winter inversions. Higher land is usually drier as well and not as prone to permafrost. Permafrost is discontinuous in the Fairbanks area and can be avoided/mitigated with good site selection. There are very few city services outside of town center. For example, 1/3 of Fairbanks lives without running water.
Employment
This is close to the end of the road, and as such, there is a lack of skilled labor across all sectors. If you are reliable and willing to learn, you should have no trouble finding work if need be. If you are skilled, you will often be enormously rewarded for your services. As an example, the hospital is offering an $80k signing bonus for nurses.
University of Alaska Fairbanks’ campus is on the west edge of town, about 10-15 minutes from the Goldstream Valley. They have many of your usual university type jobs, but also some more exotic ones that people may find of interest, like work with the geophysical institute/on their rocket range (for NASA) or wildlife research.
There are also two military bases on the east end of town.
If you are interested in starting a business, Alaska is a business friendly state without much regulation.
Seasonal work is abundant throughout the summer.
PFD. Microgrants
Each Alaskan resident is eligible to receive the Permanent Fund Dividend each year. The payout varies by year, but the past three year payouts have been $1,114; $3,284; $1,312. This year is supposedly going to be $1,600. The state also has an annual food resiliency program that offers micro grants for up to $10k for funding for things like greenhouses, seeds, animals, freezers, bows/arrows, fishing nets, material for chicken houses, gardening equipment, and much more.
There is no state income tax and there is no sales tax. Property tax rates are high (2.5%) but there is a residential credit of $50,000, which brings the actual amount paid to under 1% (Mine is 0.8%).
Hunting/Fishing/Berries/Mushrooms
While almost all the food that is consumed in Alaska originates elsewhere, there are many opportunities to gather food locally. Hunting options abound in the fall, with many places nearby to look for moose. There is also a roadkill list you can sign up for with the troopers. In my experience, you are almost assured of a moose that way about 9 months after signing up. Hunting opportunities for caribou and sheep are also available within a two hour drive. Morel mushrooms can be abundant following wildfires and berries (mostly blueberries and cranberries) can be picked in large quantities come fall. The interior is one of the poorer fishing regions within the state, but there are still large lake trout, pike, burbot, and smaller grayling that can be caught locally. A few hour drive will take you to A+ salmon fishing.
Outdoor recreation
In the Goldstream Valley itself, there are plenty of places for outdoor recreation. Come winter, there are trails ½ mi from my doorstep that connect to hundreds of miles of ski/fatbike/dog mushing/snow machine trails in the area. Five miles from here is the local ski hill, with south facing slopes and ~1,500 ft vertical runs. That is also a very pleasant spot to walk in the spring/summer/fall. On Ester Dome, also ~5 miles away, are single track trails maintained by the local mountain bike association. Within an hour’s drive are another dozen plus trails and two hours takes you to the Alaska Range/Denali NP or the White Mountains.
Social and Cultural opportunities
Music wise, there is often live music throughout the summer at bars, community events, and music festivals. Throughout the winter, there is a concert series that brings in larger acts . The town is bbig enough that you can likely find a group for whatever activity you’re interested in. There are recreational sport leagues, regular pickup ultimate frisbee and soccer during the summer. Ham radio club, dance groups, theater groups, and then more lifestyle groups related to hunting/fishing/gardening. There isn’t much of a public nightlife scene here, bonfires and potlucks are more of the norm.
The local library system is excellent and is part of the Alaska interlibrary network, which includes the university system and most libraries within the state. The library has been under renovation for the past year and is set to open in the next month with a new makerspace and business center. There is a communal tool library that is active and has a wide selection of tools. '
Downsides?
Darkness-Lack of light midwinter can be really difficult and tends to be what drives people away (not the cold)
Urban design- Fairbanks is winning no awards for design and architecture and in many ways serves as the perfect example of what not to do.
Bugs- Mosquitoes are the unofficial state bird and are most active for about 6 weeks each summer. There's about 3 weeks where they are intense (variable throughout each day). This changes year to year depending on snowmelt and rain totals. Drier years (like this year) there aren't that many mosquitoes (knock on wood) whereas wet years, they are present for longer. Either way, they are usually gone by August.
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So, if you’re still reading and any of that sounded appealing to you, there are lots in my immediate neighborhood that are for sale. None of them are publicly listed so unfortunately I can’t share a listing, but I can add photos. Some of them are raw land. However, if you’re not interested in building, I’d be happy to refer you to others nearby who can build for you (I have 0 financial ties). Estimates for buying a raw 2 acre parcel and building a ~1000 sq ft house is probably around $125k.
-The lot next door to us is for sale. Nearly raw land, no buildings. Building pad and driveway are already in place. The lot is completely south facing and elevated for maximal sun exposure. One corner of the lot is a low point and tends to be more swampy than other areas. The current owner is asking an arm and a leg for the property ($60k) but I think it could be had (and more accurately worth) at $40k.
-Further up the hill behind me are two additional lots for sale. Roughly two acres in size apiece, They are about 75 feet higher than my house and I figure an additional 5 degrees warmer in the winter, or 15 degrees warmer than in town. They also get more sun than my lot (which gets about 85% of available sunlight). The ground is drier and there is not likely to be any issues with permafrost. The developer is going to start these at $35k.
Lot 1
Lot 2
- The guy I bought land from is also building some spec cabins on two of the lots here. Same size lots as the others ~2 acres. One of them is very nice and has ample amount of large spruce trees for firewood, building or other uses. He usually builds the same style cabin, 2 story 1 br/1 ba 900 sq ft with an outdoor deck. Water, washer/drier, toilet, the whole works. They are very nice. Unfortunately, he sells all of his properties via Craigslist or word of mouth so I don’t have any pictures to share. You'll have to take my word for it at the moment that they are of quality. There will likely be one available this fall. He sold the last two for $200-215k
Spec home will be here
If you're interested in looking around on your own on Zillow, I recommend looking at the west side of town.