Alaska ~ The Good - The Bad

A synopsis of what I judged to be the good & the bad from a baby boomer who grew up in Oklahoma and East Texas (i.e. from the perspective [socialization/biology] of an older southern woman):

The great things about Anchorage: the beauty of the mountains and water surrounding the city, the moose who wandered through the neighborhoods, how beautifully green Anchorage was in the summers, the well-paying positions that were plentiful, the light in the summer, a totally different culture with its own language, being able to fly to Hawaii in the winter, the Nordstrom cafe, the great restaurants, the skiing in the city limits, loved my job with the Army, looking out in the Inlet and seeing the beluga whales, working with great people, interesting state politics, the geese that would fly around in V formations in September, .

The things about Anchorage that I didn't like: as a person acculturated in the deep south, I found it challenging to relate to the mostly Scandinavian people who were attracted to Alaska. As a culture, Scandinavians from the northern U.S. tend to be very reserved and stoic; I got tired of going to the same old Alaska vacation places again and again; up there when it's winter, it's winter all over the state; when I started to look older, I had a difficult time finding a job; the non-productive 12 step meetings (OA); I could feel the sun going away in November; the dark winter months of Nov., Dec., Jan., Feb. d e p r e s s i n g; .