Juneau, Alaska Retirement

The City and Borough of Juneau, is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel on the Alexander Archipelago in the state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-Alaska Territory was moved from Sitka.

Population: As of the 2000 census, there were 30,700 people.

Things to see and do: Juneau is home to Perseverance Theatre, Alaska's only professional theater. The area hosts the annual Alaska Folk Festival and Juneau Jazz & Classics music festivals, and the Juneau Symphony performs regularly. Downtown Juneau boasts dozens of art galleries, which participate in the monthly First Friday Gallery Walk and the enormously popular December Gallery Walk held in the first week of December. The Juneau Arts & Humanities Council coordinates events while fund-raising, distributing some grant money, and operating a gallery at its office near 2nd Street and Franklin Street. On summer Friday evenings open-air music and dance performances are held at Marine Park. The University of Alaska Southeast Campus also offers lectures, concerts, and theater performances.

Universities: University of Alaska Southeast

Climate: Remember your rain jacket. The Juneau and Inside Passage climate is wet. It rains, on average, between 3 inches (April) and 7 inches (September) a month. Average summer high temperatures are in the 50s, with lows in the 40s. The average high temperature in July is 65 °F (18 °C), and the average low temperature in January is 20 °F (-7 °C).

Transportation: Air North services Juneau year-round from Whitehorse, Canada three times a week via a 50-minute flight. The Alaska Marine Highway ferry system offers auto and passenger connections to Juneau. From the north, board the ferry in Skagway or Haines. From the south, board the ferry from Bellingham or Prince Rupert. Ferry service is available all year, but during the summer, the frequency of service increases.

Health Care: Bartlett Regional Hospital - Northern Southeast Alaska's premier healthcare provider. 3260 Hospital Drive.

Housing Costs: Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $225,000 (it was $195,100 in 2000)

Retire in Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage, Alaska is affectionately known as the City of Lights and Flowers. As a major seaport and trading center, Anchorage is Alaska's largest city. It has a simply stunning location, resting on both the shores of the Cook Inlet and the base of the Chugach Mountains. Anchorage benefits from being the long held urban epicenter of Alaska, while being surrounded by the massive beauty of one of the last great areas of unspoiled wilderness.

Population: Nearly 260,000 residents

Housing Costs: Median house value: $270,000

Health Care: ALASKA NATIVE MEDICAL CENTER, PHS (4315 DIPLOMACY DR)
ALASKA PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTE (2900 PROVIDENCE DRIVE)
COLUMBIA ALASKA REGIONAL HOSPITAL (2801 DEBARR ROAD)
NORTH STAR HOSPITAL (2530 DEBARR RD)
PROVIDENCE ALASKA MEDICAL CENTER (3200 PROVIDENCE DRIVE,BOX 196604


Colleges and Universities: UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE (Full-time enrollment: 9,453; Location: 3211 PROVIDENCE DR; Public; Website: www.uaa.alaska.edu; Offers Master's degree)
ALASKA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY (FT enrollment: 504; Location: 4101 UNIVERSITY DR; Private, not-for-profit; Offers Master's degree

Climate: Anchorage has a subarctic climate due to its short, cool summers. Average daytime summer temperatures range from approximately 55 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 26 degrees Celsius); average daytime winter temperatures are about 5 to 30 degrees (-15 to -1 degrees Celsius). Anchorage has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 100 days

Transportation: The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, six miles (10 km) from downtown Anchorage, is the airline hub for the state, served by many national and international airlines, including Seattle-based Alaska Airlines as well as a many intrastate airlines and charter air services
The Alaska Railroad offers year-round freight and passenger service along the length of its rail system from Seward (the southern terminus of the system) to Fairbanks (the northern terminus of the system), although passenger service is less frequent in winter than in summer, and some passenger terminals are not serviced in winter

Anchorage also has a bus system called People Mover, with a central hub in downtown Anchorage and satellite hubs at Dimond Center and Muldoon Mall. The People Mover provides carpool organization services. The public paratransit service known as AnchorRides provides point-to-point accessible transportation services to seniors and those who experience disabilities

Things To Do and See:
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
Anchorage Concert Association
Anchorage Municipal Libraries
Anchorage Museum
Anchorage Opera
Anchorage Symphony Orchestra

Retirement Communities: Alaska retirement homes guide from RetirementHomes.com, a comprehensive directory of retirement homes and retirement communities, senior communities, elder care and long term care facilities.