Frequently Asked Questions
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| Anchorage is a city with 235 parks |
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About Anchorage Quick facts about Alaska's largest city. |
Alaskan Market Things to consider, when deciding on when to buy or sell. |
About Anchorage
Q. How big is Anchorage?
A. From Portage to Eklutna, Anchorage covers 1,956 square miles. That's over 4 acres for every resident!
Q. Can you give some quick facts about the Anchorage housing market?
A. From the 2000 Census:
Total Units - 100,368
Occupied Units - 94,822
Owner occupied - 56,953
Vacancy rate - 1.4%
Renter occupied 37,869
Vacancy rate - 5.3%
Average Household Size:
Owner occupied - 2.81%
Renter occupied - 2.46%
Q. What about recreation in Anchorage?
A. Parks - 235
Baseball Fields - 48
Softball Fields - 27
Soccer Fields - 36
Rugby/Football - 2
Horseshoe Pits - 2
Archery / Biathlon Range - 1
Public Swimming Pools - 6
Sport Fishing Lakes - 9
Picnic Shelter Areas - 36
XCountry Ski - 6 parks (140 miles total / 30 miles lighted)
Skijoring Areas - 6 (total of 42 miles)
Jogging Routes - 22 miles
Sledding Hills - 22
Maintained Winter Ice:
Outdoor Skating Areas - 11
Indoor Ice Rinks - 6
Hiking Trails - 90 miles
Bike Trails - 132 miles
Golf Courses:
Full size - 3
Executive length - 2
Tennis courts - 48
Ultimate Frisbee Courses - 4
Q. What's the weather like?
A. Average Temperatures: (F)
January - 20 degrees
July - 65 degrees
Record High - 85 degrees
Record Low - 34 below
Avg. Precip. - 15.9 in.
Avg. Snow - 69.3 in.
Avg. Hours of Daylight: Summer - 19.3 hrs.
Winter - 5.8 hrs.
Average number of days sunshine in a year 154 (42%)
Alaskan Market
Q. How is our Alaskan market?
A. One of the most frequent questions I hear these days is, "How is our Alaskan market?" Even though the housing market has slowed down, it is still very much alive and kicking. Housing prices have come down from the high peak they had, but when you take in to account the how fast and high values went up, today's prices are still good for sellers. The inventory has increased, which gives buyers a lot to choose from and with interest rates are still low dancing around 6-7% as of 11/06/07, that leaves a great market for buyers. What has been making the news lately, is the foreclosures, most of them were due to "cleaver" loans that presumed too much on tomorrow, and left those consumers with too much debt. A good rule to follow is to have 5-20% down of what you are financing, with 20% being the more operative; anything less, and you will pay more in the end. If you are not sure where you stand, go to your banker or your mortgage loan officer and ask him/her to see if you prequalify for what you wish to purchase, whether it be a home or a business. They will also be able to give you advice on how to get your financial situation ready for a purchase. You can also visit the financial links on this site for forms, and calculators that will help you budget for your next purchase.
None of us can tell the future, but what we can do is look at some of the economic triggers for Anchorage.
" The price of North Slope oil is on a high. Future exploration is possibility.
" There is a strong military presence in Anchorage.
" Transportation - Alaska is the Gateway to the world.
" Convention & Tourism - Tourism continues to grow and the Dena'ina Civic Convention Center is schedule to open in the fall of 2008, which will continue to provide more jobs to Anchorage.
The Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, AEDC, states that Anchorage is experiencing it's 19th straight year in economic growth. Some of the industries that are growing are oil, healthcare, professional & business, and leisure & hospitality!
If you have lived any amount of time in Anchorage, one thing you should know is that we are strong individuals that enjoy life. We are blessed to live here and enjoy this Big Wild Life in Anchorage, Alaska USA. We need to live for today, and plan for tomorrow.