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Notwithstanding the image, left, which depicts Alaska as a small appendage to the lower 48 (usually foreshortened for practical purposes) Alaska is by far the biggest state in the Union and twice the size of Texas.

Like Texas, main industries include its famous oil pipeline, as well as an equally booming tourist trade offering visitors still pristine wilderness and outdoor adventure.

And, despite enduring notions that Alaska is expensive, cold and rural, (or that everyone lives i igloos) the bigger cities continue to offer incenstives for major companies to relocate here. The result is a growing job market, a well maintained transportation infrastructure, as well as vastly improved high speed Internet connections.

The 570,380 square miles of land area that became Alaska was purchased from Russia on October 18, 1867 for $7,200,000 and became an organized territory in 1912. The state became the 49th to join the U.S. on January 3, 1959.

• Demographics : (Alaska Census Data)
  Major cities: Juneau (capital), Anchorage, Nome, Kodiak, Valdez
  Population : 670,053
  White : 70.5%
  American Indian & Native Alaskan : 16%:
  Black, African American : 3.7%
  Hispanic : 5.1%
  High school graduates : 88.3%
  Bachelor's degree or higher : 24.7%
  
  
• Crime : see Alaska Crime Rates 1960 - 2005
  
  
• Cost of Living: With its cool climate, its distance from the lower 48 states and limited transportation infrastructure, Alaska has historically been one of the most expensive states in which to live. However, this is now changing around major cities, like Fairbanks and Anchorage, where major store chains like Wal-Mart, Costco and Barnes & Noble have helped bring prices down. However, rural Alaskans continue to pay inordinately high prices for food and consumer goods.
  
  As Alaska's economy is mainly fueled by oil production, prospective workers in that industry as well as government employees and others, are generally lured to the state with high pay rates and generous cost of living allowances.
  
  
• Property Taxes : The Tax Foundation - Alaska's Tax Climate - Alaska is one of the 37 states that collect property taxes at both the state and local levels. As in most states, local governments collect far more. Alaska's overall share of property taxation is generally higher compared to the contiguous 48 states.
  
  
• Housing & Real Estate Overview : also see Zillow - Alaska Real Estate
  Home ownership rate : 62.5%
  Average home price: $301,380
  Average travel time to work : 19.6 minutes
  
  
• Schools : see Alaska Department of Education & Early Development
  
  
• Weather : Alaska usually evokes images of the Arctic, but the climate is quite variable and changes dramatically by location, from warm & rainy in the southeast (with temps reaching into the 90's during the summer) to generally cool & mild in the south central region. The weather only becomes truly polar in the extreme north, with its infamously long, cold winters and cool, short summers.

More about moving to Alaska around the Web:

Relocating to Alaska - Comprehensive portal from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development with information on cost of living, housing & apartment rentals, city comparisons & salary calculators, weather facts, and links to classifieds on jobs in various industries throughout the state.

Moving to Alaska - Feature story from Alaska.com with a good overview of what to expect and how to prepare for relocation with links to job classifieds, facts on housing, real estate and cost of living, schools, weather and related information.

FAQ About Living in or Moving to Alaska - Resident artist Elise Tomlinson answers visitors' questions on various topics including the dating scene, shopping, cost of living, things to do in urban and rural Alaska, plus a complete illustrated essay on "100 Things I Love About Living in Alaska."

Alaska Schools - Search more than 500 schools in a database featuring interactive comparisons of top rated schools by grade level and location.

Welcome to Alaska Churches - Browse & locate churches by location & denomination.

Alaska Apartments - Insider tips from Rent.com on what to expect, where to explore in the three main cities, plus an interactive tool to search for apartments by city, number of bedrooms and price range.

Alaska Real Estate, Apartments & Job Classifieds:

• Anchorage : Daily News
• Fairbanks : Daily News Miner
• Juneau : Empire

Arkansas Real Estate Map:

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also see -> Alaska Eviction Laws | Alaska Surfing & Beaches

Alaska Taxes | Alaska Tourist Attractions | Alaska Wine Tours

Christmas in Alaska | Alaska Kids Party Locations

also see in House & Home -> Apartment Renting

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