Moving to Palmer Alaska

Not Convinced Moving to Palmer Alaska is for You?

10 Reasons You Should Consider Moving to Palmer Alaska

1) Alaska is the Land of the FREE and the Home of the Brave

There is nothing that says FREEDOM like living the wild and wonderful state of Alaska. Whether you choose to live in a riverfront or mountain view luxury home in Wasilla, move off the grid in a modest cabin in Chickaloon or, move to Palmer Alaska into a 1 bedroom apartment, the Mat-Su Valley of Alaska has the home for you! Whether you choose to rent or buy, there is a home out there just waiting to be discovered.

Just know before you relocate to Alaska, although there are modern conveniences, such as heated homes with running water, it can get as wild as you want it to, depending on where you choose to move to. When moving to Palmer Alaska in even the most populated areas, you may have wild Moose and an occasional brown or black bear come through the neighborhood. Although there is not a bear around every corner, they do share some of the same spaces that Alaskans live and play in, especially once you wonder off of the paved roads. Just like in some cities in the lower 48 that have deer crossing the road, when moving to Palmer Alaska, it is not uncommon to see a Moose crossing sign along stretches of the highway. Twice now, I have been just a few cars behind someone who hit a Brown Bear crossing the highway between Palmer and Fort Richardson, just outside of Anchorage.  Some stretches of the highway show how many moose have been hit by vehicles in the past year. The numbers go well above 100 each year. Vehicle collisions with large framed furry critters happens more than you’d think.

Our country is FREE because of the brave Men and Women who have sacrificed so much for us. As a retired military family with over 30 years of Service to our Military, we respect and appreciate those who have and still serve. Other Veterans also appear to appreciate Alaska. With the Veteran population in Alaska approaching 12% (highest in the Nation), military vets find comfort in living in a State that does not come after your income, via taxes, provides constitutional concealed carry laws and is very pro second amendment in general. The general rule of thumb here is respect other, leave them alone and you won’t have any problems. There are not dirty crotchety old timers hanging out on the street corners, but Alaskans live their privacy and their firearms, if you know what I mean. It is best to tread lightly and treat everyone as if they are well armed, because they probably are. Alaska also provides the highest Veteran Employment rates (@ 6.5%) and gives disabled veterans a significant break on property taxes; Property Tax Exemption for Senior Citizens & Disabled Veterans Mat-Su receive a property tax exemption on the first $218,000 in value on a primary residence.

Aside from Vets, Alaska is among the most diverse States in the Union, with the majority of the States’ residents being transplants from all walks of life, colors, creeds and religions. No one that we have met yet moves to Alaska looking to turn it into an Urban Utopia… Most come to escape city life and are looking for wild, pure, wide open spaces and FREEDOM. While the voting demographic is over 60% RED, good people of all political affiliations that are looking for freedom will love it here.

For Vets who are looking to get off grid and away from the crowds, there is no better place than Alaska to do just that. Whether a Vet or not, you will have no problem finding freedom with hundreds of millions of Acres to explore. If you are looking for Palmer Home for Sale, don’t wait VA Loan Terms are at historically low interest rates and Palmer Homes for sale move on and off the market quickly.

2) Alaska has Almost Unlimited Land to Explore

The federal government is still the largest landowner in Alaska with 60% of the total area (222 million acres). This acreage includes national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, military reservations and the North Slope National Petroleum Reserve. More than a dozen federal agencies manage federal lands in Alaska.

The majority of federally owned lands have been set aside for public use (approximately 80 million acres). These are designated as follows:

The National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service manage about 119.3 acres (48.3 and 71.0 million acres respectively) for primary uses of resource protection and fish and wildlife conservation.

The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management manage about 97.7 million acres (19.8 and 77.9 million acres respectively) for multiple use purposes including timber production, fish and wildlife, recreation, water and mining. Management of these lands is based on priorities and compatibility among various uses.

Whether you are looking for a Palmer Home for sale or a piece of recreational land that backs to State or Federal Land, we can help you. Reach out to us today to help you find your Palmer Dream Home for sale or you very own piece of recreational land.

3) Alaska Lets you Provide for Yourself

Do we have grocery stores to shop at in the Mat-Su Valley? Yes! Do we need them? That’s questionable really depends on who you are and what part of the Mat-Su Valley you choose to you live in. There are a large number of people in Alaska who partake in subsistence opportunities, such as hunting and fishing, as well as a significant percentage of the population that grow seasonal crops, raise chickens and have dairy cows or goats. Although there is not a moose around every corner or fish swimming up the culverts in downtown Palmer, there is an abundance of hunting, fishing and forging opportunities in the Mat-Su Valley of Alaska; which = organic, free range, non-GMO food on the table. Kill a moose and feed a few families with 400 pounds or more of delicious high quality protein, for an entire year. Partake in Copper River or Kenai River Salmon Fisheries and stock your fridge with 50 or more delicious wild Salmon Fillets that can run upwards of $30 per fillet in supermarkets. Partake in a Halibut Charter out of Seward or Valdez and spend about $400 on a chance to come back home with 50 or more pounds of delicious flaky white fish, that sells for $20 or more, per pound. Spend $200 on seeds and topsoil and grow a victory garden plot that would make many farmers jealous. You do the math… The opportunities to hunt and fish in Alaska are only limited by your knowledge of how to access them. The opportunity to grow crops and raise livestock in the Mat-Su Valley are enhanced by the long hours of sunlight in the summer, temperate weather, ample precipitation and excellent soils in most of the Mat-Su Valley. Whether it’s growing your own garden, berry picking or forging for wild fungus, opportunity abounds. Many of the Palmer Homes for sale have enough land included with them for you to carve out a nice area to grow your own victory garden this summer. Don’t delay through! Homes for sale in Palmer come on and fly off the market in just a few days if they are priced right and in good condition.

4) Alaska Will Pay You to Live Here

As of the publishing date of this content (Nov 2020), Alaska will actually pay you to live here through its established Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) Program. Every year, residents of Alaska meeting residency requirement receive royalties from the Permanent Fund’s investment earnings. While this varies in size from year to year, it tends to be anywhere from $800 to $1,300, depending on oil production and market prices of oil. The Alaska Permanent Fund was put into place in 1976. The objective of the fund is to conserve a portion of the state’s revenue from mineral resources. The revenue from the fund was intended to help benefit future generations of Alaskans and to attract new residents to the state of Alaska. The extra cash paid out every year to Alaskans helps them save for retirement, college, vacations, buy heating oil and other supplies. The PFD is a big reason why people move to and stay in Alaska for life.

5) Palmer Alaska Homes are Relatively Affordable and Land is Abundant

Mat-Su Borough homes have a median price in the $260,000 range. That sounds expensive, but compared to other states with similar median home prices, homes in the Mat-Su Valley and Alaska in general tend to sit on at least a ½ acre. It is quite common to find homes in the $260,000 – $275,000 range with 1 full acre or more of land. There is nothing like a bit of separation between you and the neighbor… The Mat-Su Valley of Alaska ranks about ½ way up the housing affordability scale, nationwide, but the value is in the wide open space and less congested feel when compared to other small cities that have similar home prices. If you are looking for a home on 2+ acres, there are 40-50 homes actively being sold on the market at any time.

As far as rent goes, Alaska is ever so slightly cheaper than the U.S. as a whole. According to Apartment List’s 2019 report, the median rent for a studio and one bedroom apartment in Alaska is $17 and $21 cheaper than the national median, respectively. The state is mostly made up of homeowners, though. Whether you prefer to live in a remote, secluded area of the state or a bustling, large town, there’s plenty of real estate options throughout Alaska. Median listing prices for Alaska’s other top cities include: $299,000 for homes in Anchorage, $222,000 for homes in Fairbanks, and about $185,000 for homes in Kenai Peninsula Borough. Whether you are looking to search All Alaska Homes for sale, or find a Palmer Home for sale, check out our home search tool: https://wesellalaskahomes.kw.com

6) Breathtaking Beauty

Few states (if any) are as beautiful as Alaska. You’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere in the world as uniquely beautiful as the State of Alaska. And in the Mat-Su Valley of Alaska, beauty literally surrounds you. From the snow-covered mountain peaks of the Chugach Range, to the farm lands in Palmer and Sutton, the Mat-Su valley is sure to impress. Drive a bit further North toward the border of the Mat-Su and Denali Boroughs and see the famous Denali mountain. Drive a bit sough through the municipality of Anchorage and see fantastic views of the inlet, and mountains. Residents and visitors are able to see and experience the world’s most beautiful wildlife, natural phenomenon and landscapes on a regular basis.

If you prefer to appreciate Natural beauty using a hands-on approach, Alaska has some of the best hunting and fishing to be had anywhere in the world. If hunting and fishing are two of your favorite pastimes, you’ve come to the right place. The Mat-Su borough of Alaska itself offers an abundance of hunting and fishing opportunities and is a hub of sorts to 3 major travel arteries that allow you access all of the bounty offered here. Some of the hunting opportunities in State of Alaska include Grouse, Ptarmigan, Hares, Brown & Black Bear, Caribou, Moose, Mountain Goat, Dall Sheep hunting. There’s plenty of fishing experiences to be had in Alaska, and in the Mat-Su Valley in particular. The Mat-Su has runs of 5 Salmon species, Trout, Grayling, Char, Dolly Varden and Burbot (Poor Man’s Lobster). Coastal areas provide a robust spotted prawn fishery and sea dwelling species like Halibut, Ling Cod and Rockfish.

If your idea of enjoying nature is Aurora spotting or astronomy, the Mat-Su Valley offers a chance for both. According to the Smithsonian, the inland Alaskan Arctic, “where skies tend to be clearer,” is one of the best places in the world to view the Northern Lights. For your best chance to see the aurora borealis just head North a bit and away from any form of unnatural light. Residents and visitors can typically view the Aurora best, between September and late April. The Smithsonian also notes that in order to maximize your chances of seeing the Aurora, “head for the more remote northern villages of Coldfoot in the Yukon Territory, or Prudhoe Bay and Barrow in the extreme north.” Spectacular Northern Lights can also be seen just outside of Fairbanks, out Near Chena Hot Springs.

7) Adventure!

Life in Alaska might be cold but trust us it’s far from boring. With its spectacular natural beauty, endless recreational opportunities and abundance of wildlife, you can expect plenty of adventure in America’s last frontier. Adventures in the Mat-Su Valley may include hiking, skiing, dog sledding with huskies, skijoring, snow machining, ice fishing, kayaking, canoeing, boating, fishing, or catching the Northern Lights. Within a short drive of the Mat-Su borough, you can be by the Ocean in Whittier or Seward, or at Denali National Park. Whether you cruise the Seward Highway by car, decide to go whitewater rafting on one of Alaska’s many rivers, take a whale watching cruise out of Whittier, or taking a flightseeing or bear viewing touch out of Anchorage, adventure is around every turn. Outdoor activities in Alaska are literally limitless, so make sure to take advantage of these opportunities.

8) No State Income or State Sales tax in Alaska

Without a doubt, the State of Alaska boasts the lowest taxes in the country. Residents of Alaska are not required to pay state income tax nor are they required to pay a State sales tax. While some municipalities have a sales tax on consumables, there are caps that make it pretty painless. Residents who own a home are still required to pay property taxes, which ranks up there @ 1% of the value of the home, you are able to save huge amounts of money on State income tax and State sales tax. Given that they residents also receive a yearly sum of money from the Permanent Fund Dividend, I dare say that living in Alaska allows you to keep a good amount of money in your pocket at the end of the year.

NO State Sales Tax. What is a State Sales tax? The U.S. Department of the Treasury defines a sales tax as “a tax levied on the sale of goods and services.” The three different types of sales tax include the vendor tax, the consumer tax and the combination vendor-consumer tax. Only five U.S. states do not have a sales tax. These five States are:

Alaska

Delaware

Montana

New Hampshire

Oregon

Although Alaska doesn’t have a statewide sales tax, the state does allow localities to impose a local sales tax on residents. Not all municipalities statewide impose a sales tax, and most of them put a cap on the total tax allowed. Not all of these local sales tax rates are particularly high. For example, in the Mat-Su Valley, Palmer Alaska charges a 3% sales tax that applies to the first $1,000 of each transaction and caps out at $30 total. The Tax Cap is lower in other parts of the Mat-Su, such as Wasilla and Houston, where tax is applied to the first $500 and caps out at $15 and $10 respectively. Not to mention that merchants outside of city limits do not charge the taxes outlined above. That means for the most part, that only “downtown” merchants tack on the extra taxes.

In addition to personal income tax, sales tax, and property tax, there are other taxes that states often impose on residents including corporate income tax, fuel tax, inheritance and estate taxes. Alaska has set their corporate income tax rates low in order to attract new businesses to the state. Alaska’s current Corporate Income Tax rate is just over 9% on total sales. Every U.S. state taxes gasoline and diesel fuel purchased within the state. According to the U.S Department of the Treasury, these liquid fuel taxes are collected by the distributor, who then submits revenue from the taxes to the state government. States with the lowest fuel tax include Alaska at 14.66 cents per gallon, Missouri at 17.42 cents per gallon and Mississippi at 18.4 cents per gallon. States with the highest gas tax include California at 61.2 cents per gallon, Pennsylvania at 58.7 cents per gallon and Illinois at 54.98 cents per gallon. Several states impose an inheritance tax on residents. This is a tax that is “imposed on the transfer of property after the owner’s death,” according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Whoever is the beneficiary of the property is the person who must pay the tax. An estate tax is imposed on the entire estate (and assets) of the individual. Alaska is not currently taxing what you when you inherit from your loved ones upon their death. Thank god. This is a huge deal when it comes to inheriting person property, specifically real estate.

9) Summer, Summer, Summer!

Alaska residents enjoy the ultimate summer, pretty much state wide. In addition to its ideal temperatures (think daytime highs of 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit), Mat-Su Valley Alaska summers offers considerably long, sunshine-filled days. According to Alaska.org, “Alaska’s sky is light nearly all night long from late May to late July…and it’s light past 10pm for another month on either side of that.” June 21 is known as the longest day of the year in Alaska with nearly 19 hours of daylight in Anchorage, just outside of the Mat-Su Valley.

The Alaska State Fair is one of the best fairs in the country and if your living here, you’ll feel the buzz in the air as the fair ramps up. The Alaska State Fair dates back to 1936 and is held in Palmer, Alaska, during the late-summer. The nearly two-week long State Fair is Alaska’s largest annual event. Alaska.org describes the State Fair as “last hurrah” for Alaskans before summer ends. The fair includes nightly concerts, carnival rides, games and lots of unique Alaskan food. The hardest part about going to the fair is squeezing in a trip with the family between all of the fishing and hunting opportunities that are at the same time each summer.

10) Rich and Unique History

Immediately after you pick up your baggage at Anchorage International Airport baggage claim, as you walk through the Airport, you will see snippets of unique Alaskana. From it’s early beginnings as a land bridge extending to Siberia to its official declaration as a U.S. state in 1959, Alaska boasts a particularly interesting and dynamic history. Rugged Native Peoples with subsistence lifestyles were able to conquer their settlement areas and thrive in the harsh climate and wilderness. Major events that most of us are familiar with include the Klondike Gold Rush, the Good Friday Earthquake destroying much of downtown Anchorage, and the passing of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which set aside millions of acres for preservation throughout Alaska. Living in Alaska, you’ll find that the state’s rich history is evident through its national parks, artifacts, museums and famed oil industry. The Alaska Native Cultural Center in Anchorage, just outside of the Mat-Su Valley and the Seward Sea Life Center in downtown Seward are unique experiences that provide a look into the historical activities that make Alaska unique.

Ready to move to Alaska?

Think you want to make the great state of Alaska, Palmer and the Mat-Su Valley your new home? For more information about cities within Alaska, check Moving.com’s City Profile Report feature https://www.moving.com/real-estate/city-profile/. Their reports include city demographics, real estate information, quality of life factors and more. Simply enter the zip code or the state and city of your potential move to get a free report at the click of a button. For help on this end finding a Palmer Home for Sale, just reach out to us via facebook http://www.facebook.com/wesellalaskahomes or call us directly. Best of luck and happy moving!