There are a reasonable lot of mistaken beliefs about life in Alaska. Sure we’ve got everyone that can prove some of those stereotypes right – how terribly dark winter gets, how much snow there really is, how sleds and snowmobiles (we call them snowmachines) really are a form of transportation to some.
Still, even though I’ve seen all of this first hand, life is really different where I grew up.You have to understand. Alaska is big. It’s insanely huge. It’s about one-third the size of all of the Continental United States or as we call it “The Lower 48.” (Sorry, Texas. You’re not always bigger.) So with all of this space Alaska has, you’re going to run into all sorts of different people from polar opposite regions.
For instance, I’m from a town called Anchorage. This is the biggest city in all of Alaska. It’s not the capital, but it might as well be seeing that it’s home to hundreds of thousands of Alaskans and we’ve even got a fancy governor’s office. Although by scale Anchorage is way smaller than places like Los Angeles and New York, someone from the more remote regions (we call it the bush) will often feel culture shocked in their own state.
I’ve run into a heap of misconceptions when I tell people I’m from Alaska. Here is just a handful of what I’ve had to explain time and again in my life.
1. “You’re from Alaska? You must know Sarah Palin!”
Let’s just get this over with. False. Totally false. Sarah Palin is from Wasilla, Alaska. I’m from Anchorage. I have no reason to go to Wasilla.
Trust me, you don’t either. When I worked in retail, I did meet her daughter Bristol briefly when she signed up for a credit card. Still, we may not have a lot of people living up here but that completely doesn’t mean that we know all of our neighbors.2. “Wait, they have Asians in Alaska?”
Oh dear, this is my favorite. Asians might make up a small percentage of the people in Alaska but we’re still pretty prevalent. There is a great deal of Filipino-Americans who are born and raised in Alaska. There is even a prominent Korean-American population in the small town of Bethel, Alaska. Alaska is like any other place in America. It’s diverse; there is not one ethnic community that resides here. In Anchorage alone, I learned more about different cultures than some of my friends did growing up in the Lower 48. Anchorage is filled with Filipinos, Koreans, Samoans, Tongans, Hmongs, Vietnamese, Mexicans, Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, African-Americans, Thai, Laotian. You name it, we’ve got it!
3. “Wait, so how do you get around? There aren’t any roads there, right?”
No. No. Just, no. It might seem that way in the winter time when there is snow on the ground, but still, we have highways. I drive an SUV. There are traffic lights like any other city with tons of people who have cars. No one in Anchorage goes around in a dog sled unless you count the people who come from all over the world who participate in the Iditarod race to Nome. Still, that only happens once a year and the concept of going around in a dog sled as a daily task is pushing it a little for us Anchorage townies.
4. “Are you guys like Canadians then?”
Sure, it’s easier to get to western Canada from Alaska. We can actually drive to Canada faster than anywhere else in our own country. Still, we are American. We vote when you vote (or don’t vote). We talk about what’s been happening in politics, wars or those damned Video Music Awards. We’re in touch with American popular culture. Heck, we’ve even got the most military personnel per capita in all of the United States. How much more American can it get?
5. “Oh, so like you don’t have any buildings or shopping malls?”
My house is a building, smart stuff. I work in a large office building. I shop at a mall that has just about everything you could find in the Lower 48, except for Victoria’s Secret or a Chipotle. But, I’m not complaining! Sure, Anchorage is developing still and places are just now preparing to make their debut here (Hello there, H&M!). Even doing without all of the stores you could find in huge shopping districts in Los Angeles or even Seattle, we’re getting on just fine with the national and international retailers we do have.
Sometimes, I wish I could just show people exactly what Alaska is.
My Alaska is definitely not this:
For the most part, it’s this:
I guess the truth of the matter is, not a lot of people would give Alaska a second look just by hearing its name. I adore Alaska for what it is and feel blessed to know what it’s not. I couldn’t have imagined growing up in any other place if it didn’t teach me about being open, aware of other cultures, working towards what we don’t have but need, and preserving what is ours.
What do people get wrong about the place you grew up?