A very harsh winter for its inhabitants
Winter lasts from six to eight months. And when we talk about winter, it is synonymous with night. In fact, at the height of this season, the city of Barrow is plunged into darkness for more than two months, while Anchorage only sees daylight for a few hours. Moreover, the cold and the snow are omnipresent. So to face this atmosphere, festivities are organized in each community in order to bring a little distraction to the inhabitants recluse in their house.
Everyone in Alaska owns at least one chainsaw and stores it carefully during the winter, except those who participate in the World Ice Carving Championships held in March in Fairbanks. Cold weather loggers come from all over the world. Of course the Americans are the most numerous, but Japanese, Koreans, Russians, Poles and Germans are also present.
Spectacular and hypnotic, the Northern Lights are part of the attractions that drive people to Alaska during the winter and to face polar temperatures. This magnificent phenomenon adorns the sky with green, yellow and blue colors that literally dance in the sky like a flag in the wind. This breathtaking spectacle can, on rare occasions, be seen at the end of the summer, but it is undoubtedly in winter that they are the most beautiful. The sled races and especially the big annual race in February, enliven this long monotonous season by crossing the country. This is how life is during the long winter months and every Alaskan is involved in one or the other of these disciplines. Getting around is nevertheless problematic. Even if the main roads are maintained, only a good command of driving in these conditions allows to take the wheel. From then on, air transport becomes almost compulsory.
A lively, festive summer in the heart of nature
In Anchorage soccer games are played at 2 am, some supermarkets are open 24 hours a day, the seaplane base on Lake Hood has its traffic reduced for only 5 hours a day, even vegetables seem to be happy by growing extraordinarily large. So much so that the tourists seem to be caught up in the madness and are looking for sleep for a long time. And then, it is also the time when nature is more beautiful than ever and it is possible to go hiking, fishing, mushrooming or making jam. And even if the distances are great, nothing stops the Alaskan. Spending his two days off per week 500 km away from his home does not scare him or his family at all.
Complicated rural education
Alaska has several high schools and universities located in the main cities: Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks. There is also a campus in Seward for more internship and practical training. The state, with the presence of innovative and expert universities in certain fields such as the Arctic environment in Fairbanks, is trying to combat the brain drain of young people leaving the state after high school without returning after their studies. In sparsely populated areas, however, getting an education is difficult and all students are often grouped in one class with one teacher who teaches all subjects and caters to all grades.
Suicide and alcoholism: the two scourges
In Alaska, suicide rates are three times higher than the U.S. average (about 180 per 100,000). The same is true for its Arctic neighbors (Nunavut, Greenland, Scandinavia), where adolescents and young adults from indigenous peoples are the most affected. It has recently been proven that there is a link between modernization (involving a sedentary lifestyle) and this high rate of suicides. Alcoholism and addictions are also major issues for the Alaskan government, which is trying to address them through awareness campaigns. In 2015, Alaska became the3rd U.S. state to legalize cannabis for recreational use, like its closest "neighbors." This decision was the result of a referendum won by 53%. However, its use in public remains outlawed, but addictions are being created.
Endemic unemployment and poverty
Alaska's unemployment rate was 4.4 percent in September 2022, one point higher than the U.S. national average. And yet, per capita income is US$65.8 in 2021, making Alaska one of the wealthiest states thanks mostly to oil. But this is not true for the whole population. We see a lot of homeless people in the streets (as in many cities on the West Coast of the United States), more than elsewhere because of the very high prices for everything: housing, food, clothing, etc. In order not to waste the booming oil revenues of the 1970s, in 1976 the state created the "Alaska Permanent Fund", in which at least 25% of oil revenues must be deposited. Thanks to this fund, since 1982, every year residents receive the "dividends" of this investment fund, about 2,000 euros per year per person, regardless of age or income. A basic poor population on social assistance.
Most cities have law enforcement officials, but again in some sparsely populated areas they are not present and must be contacted in case of an incident. The Alaska State Troopers intervene mostly for traffic accidents (with the famous "moose") and the control of hunting and fishing permits. Because of certain problems, often related to alcohol, the number of assaults, especially sexual assaults, is one of the highest in the United States. However, this is of little concern to tourists. Crime is relatively high in Anchorage, the largest city in the country, victim of gang wars. In the rest of the country, the situation is quieter and few people lock their doors, especially in the countryside in the middle of the forest.
