TOP 10 Reasons why ANCHORAGE, ALASKA is the WORST city in the US!

Don’t move to Anchorage, Alaska. Seriously. Let us tell you why.. In this series we tell you the WORST places to live in the United States. Our TOP 10 Lists tell you where NOT to move and why we think you should avoid it.

Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, is in the south-central part of the state on the Cook Inlet. It's known for its cultural sites, including the Alaska Native Heritage Center, which displays traditional crafts, stages dances, and presents replicas of dwellings from the area’s indigenous groups. The city is also a gateway to nearby wilderness areas and mountains including the Chugach, Kenai and Talkeetna. ― Google

#ANCHORAGE #ALASKA #TOP10 I don’t know if you need to hear this, but:

These lists are not intended to be used for making life changing decisions. They are just another look at the city. I present both good and bad points of view on this channel. I don’t just make videos that are negative. There are positive videos on the channel too, check them out. They are made from statistical sources made available by government agencies as well as first hand resident experiences. If you are happy living here, I am happy for you. No need to send me death threats.

Thank you to the following people who made the images of the city available under CC licensing. They in no way endorse or promote my videos in any way.

[tspot]

I had the absolute #1 bucket list opportunity to move to and live in Anchorage (1997-1998). I loved everything about it, and everything about Alaska. Sure there are challenges. But the beauty and the people are worth it. Thank you

[Project_Algiz]

I'm convinced that the creator of this video does in fact live in Alaska and is just running controlled opposition to keep outsiders from wanting to come here. Good work! 👍🏻

[WSHIWASHI-_-JEDI]

Do you know what Anchorage has that many cities don't? Clean air and clean water lmao.

[Ialreadyhaveaname]

I came here because I have lived in Anchorage most of my life and I have a lot of issues with things here, but your video is off on every point. Even the ones I would agree with, like the entertainment, your reasoning is still wrong.
I googled some of the things you said and found that you are using statewide statistics not ANCHORAGE statistics. You seem to just pick a random city and then google a little bit about it and then tell everyone what you think. The problem with this one is that Anchorage and Alaska's population is so small the information you find online blends together.

I was hoping to see someone's first hand experience on a channel called "601 TRAVELS", you should change your account name to "601 GOOGLE SEARCHES".

[andrewp.]

Lived in Anchorage my whole life at this point and some of these points are either dishonest or bogus. For example everything here is generally MORE expensive but milk is not $10+ a gallon, that's only found in some of the villages far outside of Anchorage. Another thing is the danger of wildlife in the city is played up; there are moose in the city and far less common bears (never seen one in town personally).

[Asatheace]

Also, living in Alaska during Covid was a plus because we are isolated from stupidity, going on down in the lower, 48.

[mikehikes]

I've lived in Anchorage since Oct 2017
-I drove from Del Rio, Texas to Anchorage Alaska in 6 days. Over 4000 miles. A trip to Seattle would be like 3 days. A flight to New York is like 18-19 hours.
-She lists no entertainment...Kevin Hart did a show in Anchorage the night before the 7.1 earthquake in Nov 2018 lol.
-Everything is seasonal in Alaska. People don't want to visit much in the winter, unless they are doing a Northern Lights bucket list kind of thing. Most tourism and entertainment comes in the summer (fishing, hiking, glacier tours, kayaking, Denali etc.)
-The substance abuse is a combo of hard working blue collar men and women (think oil fields, fishing, linemen, road crew etc) then couple that with the fact that many native villages don't allow any alcohol, so many people will travel to Anchorage to go on a bender, and that's part of the homeless problem and tent cities you see in downtown to midtown Anchorage.
-The reason there is so little outward expansion from Anchorage, so little infrastructure, so few amenities when leaving Southcentral Alaska, is because of the Native corporations owning the land, and the shareholders (the natives belonging to the native corporation) They largely decide what does and doesn't happen in Alaska by voting, and are vary wary and liberal when it comes to exploiting the land for resources that would better the state and stature of the corporations and their respective people. They would rather retain the natural land they own and the wildlife therein (which is understandable) but Alaska could thrive and easily be THE state to live in if the corporations sold a lot more rights and land for other lower 48 corporations or for small businesses to expand and establish themselves and neighborhoods or communities. There would be a lot of growth and development, exponentially more tourism cash flow, the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) would grow along with oil expansion...more infrastructure means more of Alaska could be seen and enjoyed, and Alaskans could make enough money off of just international tourism to run their economy. There would be more housing opportunities and cheaper ones overall.
-Anchorage is great to work in if you have a nice job, but living in the city is not why a lot of people come to Alaska.. they want their own land to develop and homestead to go off grid and stuff...but to do that, you need a bush plane, a snowmachine, a snowplow, and buy land in the bush about 2+ hours away with no road to get there IF it is even available.

[valeriyamakhonina]

Lived in Anchorage, Alaska for 10 years and I love it! Moved when I was 14, I am 25 Now and still love it! This video sucks! Anchorage is quiet, beautiful, if you need to get out, we have cheap flights to Hawaii, Seattle and other "lower 48" states. We love camping, fishing, berry picking, we travel A Lot! We dont have traffic! We have many jobs! Great place to live, this video does not justify!

[cecilhaverty]

Born and raised in anchorage, Iive in Wasilla now. If you want to talk trash about my state.
Who invited you? My house and 2 acres 240
Summer in July is often 80* I call bullshit.

[OrionHunter]

10$ for a gallon of milk? Where did you get that from I live there and pay about 4 bucks for a gallon of milk

[Shane_Incorporated]

I have lived here my whole life, and I must say that none of these things have bothered me. Additionally, Anchorage offers a decent amount of entertainment options. There are concerts throughout the year, a yearly parade in February, a zoo, and the Saturday Market, which is a festival with many activities. These are just a few examples, and there are actually many more things to do and enjoy here!

[RexMorane]

This sounds like every GOOD reason why I live here in Anchorage. Anchorage also has no sales tax, PFD (free money), is cheaper than most towns, cities, and villages in the state, excellent subsistence rules, a wonderful road system, excellent recreational opportunities, best airline in the USA (Alaska Airlines), wonderful people, multicultural events, Fur Rondy & Iditarod activities, exceptional New Year's fire works display, the whole damn state has excellent drinking water, clean air, wonderful wildlife, and beauty all over. Alaska is the best state in the union.

[tombirkland]

If it takes you ten days to drive from Anchorage to Seattle, you may want to try driving the speed limit instead. It can easily be done in five days. And the flight to Seattle is three hours. It's not that far.

[waver]

As an Alaskan I must say a lot of the points listed here are true, but some are just downright way over exaggerated and inaccurate, especially the extreme weather part. Indeed anchorage does get very cold during the winter, but there are many places in the lower 48 that get much colder, and in anchorage you don’t really have to worry about any wind factor to make it worse. And the “$6.19 for a gallon of water” part was just absolutely ridiculous…. that was so dramatized I died a bit inside 💀💀

[rdrfirstqueen]

I grew up in Alaska. It is for people who are mentally and emotionally strong, outdoorsy, and not bothered by the Alaska State bird: The Mosquito. Here’s some of my experiences with the things mentioned here.

Substances: It is bad to the point where they do not have any type of alcohol (yes, even beer) on the shelves at convenience stores. My first time at other states I was actually shock to see alcohol on the shelves of local convenience stores. It gets so bad to the point that some people will steal and drink Listerine instead because they can’t get their hands on alcohol.

Isolation: Actually very diverse. Although, It’s a small world in Anchorage. If you want to meet new people at different places without running into the same people, Anchorage might not be for you. You can drive for 10 hours straight and still be stuck in Alaska. You can guarantee that tickets will always cost hundreds to over a thousand dollars traveling to other states. I’ve travelled from one state to another in the lower 48s and it cost as little as $50. Or I’ve driven from one state to another and it took 1-2 hours.

Extreme weather: Summers are beautiful when it’s not raining or gloomy 90% of the time. When you do get a small window of beautiful weather, there are nice places to view and hike. There, you will find the state bird also enjoying you. And when it does reach 90 degrees, a lot of homes and places don’t have air conditioning because they’re not built for the heat. It is cool to witness the sun at 2am. But that messes up your circadian rhythm. Winters are for people who love winter activities and don’t mind living in the darkness for most hours of the day. But I did witness the aurora borealis once! It was pretty cool!

Earthquakes: I thought they were exciting because nothing else really happens in Alaska lol

Darkness: For all that sun you get during the summer, winter compensates for with darkness. It is depressing for a lot of people. If you work indoors and have the hours of 9-5, you may never see daylight in the wintertime. Except on your days off. Yikes!

Housing: Imagine California but without the good weather and diverse biomes. Homes and apartments are EXPENSIVE!

Expensive: Lol my parents in Anchorage always brag about no taxes there, but I laugh because of how expensive everything. My mom will buy groceries for dinner and spend a $100 and I’d buy the same stuff for $30 at a different state. Residents also get dividends. But for a lot of people, that doesn’t last long because of bills and they go on shopping sprees because of all that pent up depression. I’ve spent over $100/night at a hotel there that had stains on the walls, sheets, pillows, and carpet peeling. Their decent hotels can cost up to $300/night. I’ve stayed at luxurious hotels for $100/night.

Wildlife: Animals are the least of your problems living there. They’re actually fascinating to look at.

Entertainment: If you’re looking for city life, Anchorage is not it. Anchorage is like living in a retirement area. There’s a little bit of everything like movie theaters, 2 mediocre malls, 2 clubs, restaurants, bars, small museums, etc… the thing is, you’ve got pretty limited options. So if you have a bad experience at their one and only Raising Canes (just an example), you won’t find the restaurant anywhere else in the State. You’ve got the State Fair that happens once a year and H2Oasis which has gotten disgusting and unsanitary over the years.

Legalities: I don’t know anything about starting a business there. All I have to say is, I’ve seen a lot of businesses shut down there because they weren’t doing too good. Which is sad considering they don’t have a lot of competition like bigger cities do.

All in all, I wouldn’t recommend living there to anyone. Like I said, it’s for people who are mentally and emotionally strong. Over the years of living in Anchorage, some people I’ve known and grown up with have succumbed to drugs and alcohol, have been or are in jail, died or ended up in the hospital due to crimes, moved to a different State, and sadly, attempted/committed suicide due to high stress and depression of just living there. It is a beautiful place to visit but not to live in.

[marieinak]

I have never posted something negative before but I couldn't hold back on this one. Although a few were correct, there are some stated here that are SO incorrect and SO far off that hearing them is downright comical. I do suggest to anyone, if your going to make a video specific about an area, please do your homework first. The cost of food in Anchorage still has me laughing but I 100% about the lack of entertainment as far as shows/concerts go. In the end, thank you for some Friday humor.

[agslegend]

I've lived in Anchorage Alaska all my life and it is a very enjoyable city I love my city why don't you get educated a little bit Before you say those things if I were to take any city I could probably say the same about it. If you're judging my town on how much you drink and a sandwich that's pretty pathetic And by the way we have really good Subway sandwiches up here I mean just the cost but anyways why don't you do a little bit more research before you start bashing cities I can probably say the same things wherever you came from

[scottballin]

well___ pretty lame " non-facts " the maker of this video quotes prices for goods that are complete B.S. ___$6.00 for a gallon of water in Anch. = fake info however, if you are off the road system in Barrow___ the price would be accurate__ I AM a local and this video is pretty weak

[commodoretaco]

Yea, it’s actually a really awesome place, and strategically it is the most powerful city in the world

[dechambe]

I lived in Anchorage from 1989 - 2001 and loved every minute of it. As soon as I left to live in Minnesota, I felt I had mad a mistake leaving Alaska. Alaska is a vast and beautiful land and outdoor adventure is everywhere. Anchorage itself is not the most beautiful of cities but it was good to me. As I always said the best thing about Anchorage is that it's close to Alaska.