The FAA in its infinite wisdom set forced working conditions on us about 2 years ago when contract negotiations broke down with our union. Now experienced controllers are jumping ship at incredible rates and the Administration is caught with its pants down and its proverbial nuts in a ringer.

Fairbanks Tower is apparently very understaffed so the FAA is offering a $75,000 relocation bonus for a 4 year hitch with return rights to my service unit. Fairbanks also has a 24% COLA (tax free) and I could get up to a 7% raise on my current base.

I have lived on Maui so I know all about the "Paradise Tax" of living outside of the CONUS but I am wondering how bad is the cost of living there?

My wife is in school to finish her nursing degree with plans for med school BUT it looks like UAF doesnt offer nursing so that could be a hitch in the plans that are currently laid. Any other options close by?

I dont really care for cold weather but I can take a lot of stuff for the right amount of cash and there are flights leaving everyday that visit nice warm places.

We both like the outdoors and have often talked of visiting Alaska and the talk of a short job stint there has come up in the past.

Anchorage is offering the same financial package so that is another option.

Thanks in advance.

JD

UAF has a nursing degree program. No pre-med.

Anchorage is just another big city and is a lot warmer than Fairbanks. From Anchorage you can almost see Alaska.
Fairbanks has the most beautiful weather in the world in the summer and winter is cold as hell. www.arcticcam.com If you see it as an adventure and try to adapt you'll do well. You might turn right around, get back on the plane, and leave. The cost of housing is high but there are some nice places to live. There is no high end shopping in Fairbanks and nobody here gives a damn what you wear anyhow. The big attraction to Fairbanks is the people. If you like people you'll love Fairbanks. People either love it or hate it. Many, many people who spend all their time bitching and complaining, leave, and find themselves back in a couple of years and they can't explain why. You'll just have to see for yourself. Nearly everybody here came from somewhere else.

Thanks. Im getting the impression from the wife that she isnt to keen on the idea. We both want to get back to Maui, Im just thinking htis would be a good change of pace for awhile but we shall see.

MauiIV, I spoke with my sister last evening: She lives west of Juneau and is a grad/post grad of UAF, Sciences/Anthropology/Icthyology. She and her husband, both "fish scientists", have lived in Auke Bay for 30+ years, and they return to UAF frequently for seminars, so she has a decent idea of what Alaska is.

I told her your story and your present home, and her reply was "Fairbanks is quite different from Bardstown, Kentucky."

Money be damned, why would anyone want to leave the Bourbon distilling capitol of the world ?? Matter of fact, Karen and I are seriously thinking of getting out of Maryland and moving to Kentucky or Tennessee. Plenty of relatives there.......

MauiIV, I spoke with my sister last evening: She lives west of Juneau and is a grad/post grad of UAF, Sciences/Anthropology/Icthyology. She and her husband, both "fish scientists", have lived in Auke Bay for 30+ years, and they return to UAF frequently for seminars, so she has a decent idea of what Alaska is.

I told her your story and your present home, and her reply was "Fairbanks is quite different from Bardstown, Kentucky."

Money be damned, why would anyone want to leave the Bourbon distilling capitol of the world ?? Matter of fact, Karen and I are seriously thinking of getting out of Maryland and moving to Kentucky or Tennessee. Plenty of relatives there.......
And there's only four different last names to remember.

MauiIV, I spoke with my sister last evening: She lives west of Juneau and is a grad/post grad of UAF, Sciences/Anthropology/Icthyology. She and her husband, both "fish scientists", have lived in Auke Bay for 30+ years, and they return to UAF frequently for seminars, so she has a decent idea of what Alaska is.

I told her your story and your present home, and her reply was "Fairbanks is quite different from Bardstown, Kentucky."

Money be damned, why would anyone want to leave the Bourbon distilling capitol of the world ?? Matter of fact, Karen and I are seriously thinking of getting out of Maryland and moving to Kentucky or Tennessee. Plenty of relatives there.......


I have lived "away" since I was 18 and moved back closer to home (Lexington is my hometown) when the opportunity arose. I was gone about 14 years between Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas and Hawaii. I have been here for about 3 years now and the itch is presenting itself again. I already make pretty good money so that isnt really the reason, it just is a helping matter. If the wife was finished with at least her Masters this would be a no brianer since we both love to travel and be around different cultures. South Louisiana and Hawaii are immersions into different cultures and I loved the experiences.

As far as Bardstown, its OK. Its clean, its close enough to Lex, Louisville, Cinci or Nashville that you can get anything you want or need whenever but it just isnt me. I do love great Bourbon but I probably pay more for it here than most others because the sin tax is higher. A bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old that costs $100 and up here can be bought in West By God Virginia for $75. The thing I do enjoy is that I can see my family more frequently and watch my nephews and soon to arrive niece grow up. My wife has 2 elderly grandmothers and moving here is her 1st time being away from family an Alaska and Hawaii are both much further than the 4 hour drive from here so that is also a factor.

Seems to be quite a few folks retiring this way these days.

dkoz, There are advantages to having a shallow gene pool..........think of all the kissin' cousins........An uncle in Fairfield, KY once mused "Some o' them boys is bred pretty close...........".

Deliverance?

MauiV, have your wife spend about half a day in the walk-in beer cooler at the local beverage store. If she doesn't think it's fun, you'd better forget all about Fairbanks. Make sure that the experience includes peeing in a bucket. If she can kill an elk, skin it out, and load it in the truck for you she'll probably do fine.

My wife owned a flower shop and used to sit in the walk in cooler to work. She is a West Virginia girl so "rural" doesnt scare her off. She can hike 5 miles into a trout stream, catch em, clean em and cook em. She makes some mean venison and can fire a Desert Eagle .50 so I dont think I really have to worry about her.

The biggest concern with her is school and how long it takes to finish. We will most likely hold off and let her get her Masters as a Nurse Anesthetist if we want to go the quick route, then move but then the extra money wont be available for me then but she will be employable then so its actually much more. Either way we want to move somewhere else in the not to distant future.

Getting her "Nurse Aesthicist" certification is the most important consideration. With that qualifucation under her belt she can pretty much choose her location and save the "Northern Lights" for vacation. I lived for two years ob the Japanese island of Hokkaido, near Sapporo, the climate was very much like Anchorage (which in Arctic terms is much milder than Fairbanks) and in the late '60's probably about comfortable. I also garduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison back in the days when temperatures of -35F were not uncommon in February. Let me tell you that kind of cold is in an entirely different league than the lows of +10F experienced in most of the cold parts of the Lower 48. Check out Wikipedia for Fairbanks ........ it is really small and isolated! Given a choice I think I'd pass; expenses are bound to be much higher, not mention plane trips to the lower 48 which would more than likely offset highest civil service pay.