17 reasons why we should all be moving to Alaska right now

Alaska has an overwhelming sense of remoteness, coupled with a powerful proximity to wildlife. This world is shared with a vibrant ecosystem, headlined by some of the largest, most majestic mammals on earth. Here are a few more reasons why we should all be moving to Alaska right now.

1

Year round barbeque grilling.

A lot of Alaskans refuse to relegate their BBQ grills to the shed over the winter months. Instead, we park them in places of honor on our back porches and grill away. Why? Because every Alaskan knows, the best way to cook is over an open flame.
Photo: John Salzarulo

2

Stargazing

When Fodor’s puts you on their 10 Best Stargazing Sites in the US list, you've got sky. From late summer to spring, Alaska stargazing is out of this world. Mix dark star filled nights with a dash of The Northern Lights' and Alaska can mesmerize both pro and amateur astronomers.

Photo: Noel Bauza

3

We have a great lifestyle.

Healthy living, clean eating, eco-friendly, back to nature and re-wilding ourselves, that's us. Alaskans may even go so far as to say, “Alaska is the lifestyle. Everything else is merely the knock off.”

Photo: Spring Fed Images

Intermission

Pop Culture

You can now visit an entire museum dedicated to weiner dogs

Katie Scott Aiton

Apr 5, 2018

Trip Planning

Travelers to Alaska: Do yourself a favor, don’t skip the town of Palmer

Maria Geary

Dec 22, 2017

Sponsored

Photo guide to Nevada’s incredible wildlife

Jacqueline Kehoe

Apr 3, 2018

4

As far as rockhounding goes, Alaska is hard to beat.

Alaska is a geologists’ dream. You can hunt for gold, jade, garnets and fossils - AND enjoy mind-bending scenic views.

Photo: Skeeze

5

The largest bears on earth are found in Alaska.

One simply does not get any closer to walking on the wild side than living in a place where bear sightings are a regular occurrence.

Photo: Skeeze

6

The Endless Summer Nights

And, ‘the midnight sun.’ Alaska is the one place in the US that gets twice as much summer as anyone else simply because our days are that much longer.

Photo: Asaf R

7

The sports are legitimately “extreme."

Take for example the Iron Dog Snowmachine race and the Iditarod Dog Sledding race. Our heli-skiing/snowboarding in powdery rich and avalanche-prone backcountry tests ones ability to out-race tons of fast moving snow. Mountain climbing includes North America’s most imposing and tallest peak, Denali. Our surf spots are remote and wild.

Photo: Jan Erik Waider

8

It’s practically a foreign country.

We belonged to Russia before America bought us, and we’re next-door to Canada, so many North Americans don’t realize we’re part of the United States. If you ever considered living abroad but weren’t quite ready for the enormous life changes, Alaska is different enough and far away enough to be the easiest ‘foreign country’ to access.

Photo: Azer Koçulu

9

There’s plenty of space.

With 1.3 people per square mile, Alaska comes in dead last in terms of population density among all fifty US states. And we're more than willing to hold space for those brave enough to take on Alaska toe-to-toe and find out what they're made of.

Photo: Alejandro Gonzalez

Intermission

Language Learning

10 untranslatable Italian phrases we need in English

Giorgio Velardita Nardini

Mar 15, 2018

Trip Planning

25 places we’re dying to explore right now

Matador Team

Jul 28, 2016

Galleries

Road tripping South Africa’s incredible West Coast

Andrew Thompson

Mar 5, 2018

10

Water.

In terms of natural resources, Alaska is extremely water rich. It might be the biggest "100% nature made" water park in the US with lakes, rivers and streams of all shapes, sizes and altitudes. We’ve got hot springs, bays, harbours, fjords, marshes, and some hardcore Alaskan style surf spots.

Photo: Elijah Hiett

11

The fishing is larger than life.

The largest halibut caught was in Alaska and weighed 482 pounds. The largest salmon shark ever caught weighed 461 pounds. The largest king salmon ever caught weighed in at 126 pounds, and the Kenai River has produced more large king salmon than any other place on the planet.

Photo: Love to take photos

12

Quirky is our middle name.

There’s a saying Alaskans are well acquainted with, “We’ve got the goods but the goods are odd.” While referring specifically to our intensely skewed ratio of men (more) to women (fewer), it can easily apply to Alaska across the board. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking back-country small towns, annual festivals, eateries or Alaska-centric activities, our ‘goods’ are sincerely ‘odd’.

Photo: Skeeze

13

We’re full of beans.

Coffee beans, that is. There’s just something about being the northernmost corner of the United States that makes for a perfect java drinking environment. While we’re not all wearing Master Barista badges, we do genuinely appreciate an anytime, anywhere a cuppa joe. Alaska is truly a brew lovers utopia.

Photo: Andrew Welch

14

It’s an aviator’s dream.

Since only about 10% of the state has passable roads, travel by air is a logistical necessity. We have 600 airports with nearly 50% of those operated by the state and over 3,000 air strips.

Photo: Unsplash

15

The berry picking.

We have roughly fifty varieties of berries. Blueberries, salmonberries and raspberries are essentials. Picking is, however, one of our ‘wilder’ summertime harvesting activities, so a can of bear spray is a must. On the other hand, bears can be a sign of good berry-picking.

Photo: Farsai C

16

Road trips.

Millions of acres of unspoilt nature. Wild animal crossings. Endless roads. No traffic. Road trip lovers welcome to bliss.

Photo: Snehal Shah

17

Homesteading.

People up here still do the mountain-man-living-alone-in-the-wilderness thing. The advantage these days though are wireless hot spots, solar panels for electricity and warehouse shopping outlets that allow one to stock up on staples designed to last months. If roughing it in the bush with a log cabin dwelling, chopping your own firewood, and taking up a life as a hermit was on your list of life goals, Alaska is absolutely the place to make that dream come true.

Photo: Jonas Ogrefoin