Happy in Alaska

What's not to love about Alaska?  Breathtaking scenery, welcoming communities, adventures around every corner - and currently, less snow than the East Coast.  But did you know there's more to love?  Alaska now leads the United States in well-being.  That's right - the Last Frontier is the happiest state in America! 

According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, in 2014 Alaska residents had the highest well-being in the nation, surpassing other awesome states like Hawaii, Utah, and Montana.  States were ranked on each of the five essential elements of well-being:

• Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals
• Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life
• Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security
• Community: liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community
• Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily

I've got to admit - I'm not too surprised my home state of Alabama didn't place higher on the list.  Though you'd think copious amounts of Chick-Fil-A and Krispy Kreme would make folks happier, the Heart of Dixie still ranked 45th out of 50 states.

To me, Alaska leads the pack because we Alaskans feel a strong connection to our communities and natural surroundings, plus our outdoor pursuits are exceptional and world-class (like skiing, hiking, hunting, fishing).  And even though the cost of living here is substantially higher than in the Lower 48, families in general make more money and have a bit more disposable income, oil royalties from the Permanent Fund Dividend. 

All in all, Alaska is a wonderful place to live.  Wanna get happy?  Try Alaska.

Battleground State

It's election night in Alaska, and many eyes are on the Last Frontier.  Folks in D.C. and beyond are calling this a "battleground state."  And what are Alaskans calling it?  The costliest election in state history. 

It's been a beyond busy, incredibly draining campaign season.  Come November 5, it will hopefully all be over.  Alaskans' mailboxes have been stuffed to the brim daily with glossy materials, robocalls have become increasingly obnoxious, and my usual Portishead station on Pandora Internet Radio has been infiltrated by a barrage of ads proclaiming "Don't like this thirty second intrusion? Imagine six years of intrusion if XX is elected to the Senate."

In our endearing "Only in Alaska" way, the hunt for votes has coincided with the hunt for whales.  I, for one, am excited to get back to normalcy, where all this campaign mumbo jumbo fades as quickly as the evening alpenglow.  Until then...

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Best Capital City Ever

With low unemployment (4.8%) and high disposable income ($22,329), Juneau was recently ranked as the best state capital to live in (Smart Asset).  Data was collected on all 50 state capitals to determine the cities with the highest and lowest quality of life.  Frankly, I'm not surprised ranked number one - this city is pretty awesome.  As for the other end of the spectrum, lo and behold you can find the capital of my home state, Montgomery, Alabama, (and a slew of other states) ranked at the bottom.

According to the report (couldn't have said it better myself):

Located in the Alaskan panhandle, Juneau is unique in a number of ways. Along with being the Northernmost state capital, it is the only capital city that is not connected to the rest of its state by direct roads—surrounded by glaciered mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, Juneau is reachable only by ferry or plane. That inconvenience has played a role in a decades-long debate over the possibility of moving the Alaskan capitol to a different city. The numbers indicate that the capitol is fine where it is, however; Juneau ranks first out of state capitals for dining and entertainment establishments, and second for disposable income. It also has the sixth lowest unemployment rate.

C'mon already and move here!

A Safe Place

Great news!  Juneau was recently announced as number six on Movoto's list of the Top 10 Safest Places in Alaska.  To create the ranking, data was pulled from the FBI 2012 crime statistics for the 20 places with crime reported in Alaska, and statistics were generated from there.  (Yes, only 20 locations in Alaska had reports of crime - wild, huh?)  Cordova placed first as the safest community in the Last Frontier, and Juneau wasn't far behind.  According to the article:

With a population of over 32,000, it may come as a surprise to some people that Juneau, a relatively large city for Alaska, made our top 10.

But as the numbers show, larger doesn’t always mean more dangerous. After all, Kotzebue has less than 4,000 residents and it came in among the worst-ranking.

Back to Juneau, though. In 2012, the capital city had the eighth lowest number of violent crimes in the state (353 per 100,000 people), the 10th lowest number of property crimes (3,376 per 100,000) and the 9th lowest number of crimes overall (3,729). None of these included murder.

Movoto is an online real estate brokerage site, complete with an informative blog and eye-candy property photos.  Their blog, recognized by Forbes and CBS News, is known for its unique approach to city-based research.  Check out Movoto online or through the Apple App Store.

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Aerial view of downtown Juneau, September 24, 2014.