Meadow Lakes, AK

5 Apartments for Rent

With an average annual snowfall of nearly 70 inches, Meadow Lakes consistently ranks among the top 10 snowiest cities in the United States, and has snow on the ground for 150 days in a typical year. Get ready to make snow angels!

It's often been said that if Alaskans weren't so polite they'd give that "other" Land of a Thousand Lakes a stiff lesson in accuracy. The landscape of Meadow Lakes, dotted with bodies of water far and wide, certainly gives credence to that admirable politeness. With over 7,500 residents scattered across 70 square miles, it's no wonder that so many refer to Alaska as America's last great wilderness.

Moving to Meadow Lakes

Plan Ahead -- Far, Far Ahead

Like so many areas in Alaska, population density can swing wildly from season to season. With so much of its population employed in migratory or transitional fields, the rental market in particular can shift from skin tight to wide open within a single month. With so much uncertainty, and with so little property development outside of the major cities, it's vitally important that you start planning for any move to the area as soon as possible. There's simply no telling how long it may take you to find a suitable Meadow Lakes apartment rental, so it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Work Ahead -- Far, Far Ahead

Predictably, as the source of its volatility, the employment market is just as enamored of fluctuation as the housing market is. Planning to move to Meadow Lakes and finding work after arrival is a potential recipe for disaster. While the towns of Wasilla and Tanaina are right next door, there's simply no predicting whether they'll have positions available in your industry of choice, or indeed any industry at all. A huge portion of Alaska's population works seasonally or in positions that require extensive travel across the state.

Changing Worlds, Not Towns

More than any other place in the United States, moving to Alaska is truly moving to another world. The pace of life is different here, and it's not a decision to be made without thorough preparation. As mentioned, two towns sit nearby, and Anchorage is a mere 30 miles away; but at certain times of the year even a distance of yards can become an arduous trek, so you absolutely can't count on being able to meet your needs with a day trip to the city the way you can in other parts of the country. Plan, plan, research, then plan some more.

Recalibrate Your Conception of a Town

Even within the boundaries of Meadow Lake itself, a lower-48 resident of the United States is unlikely to see anything but vast wilderness out the window. With few exceptions, each street is miles away from its nearest neighbor, and you'll be straight out of luck if you go searching for a downtown or shopping district. A cozy cul-de-sac filled with charming duplexes for rent or townhouse rentals is not on the menu here. This is as rural as towns get, and while the magic of that situation is precisely what draws so many to Alaska to begin with, it's utterly different from anything you've likely experienced before.

Embrace the Difference

Very few people move to Alaska on a whim. Such a radical departure from the average American lifestyle is, if anything, a statement, and a bold one at that. While it's important to be aware of the major differences that await, it's those very differences that appeal so much to those who call Meadow Lakes home. This is truly off the beaten path, and if you're considering a move here chances are you've long found the beaten path tiresome anyway. This is a good impulse to embrace if you're seriously considering a move. The beauties of the landscape and the way of life in this neck of the world are not to be underestimated.

Neighborhoods in Meadow Lakes

You'll have to pardon the raucous laughter you might hear wafting over the tundra. The concept of a neighborhood is somewhat more flexible this far north. Across most of the land area, chances are that tiny speck you see on the horizon, the lovely little 1 bedroom home you once visited, is the closest neighbor you've got.

Southern Meadow Lakes: Fortunately, if you haven't quite committed to the idea of complete isolation, plenty of areas do have collections of homes within reasonable proximity to one another. Pittman Road in particular hosts several hundred homes that are, if not quite packed together, at least nearby one another. Looking in this area for apartments for rent in Meadow Lakes is a great place to start. Generally, if you're looking anywhere in the southern half of the town's limits you'll be able to find plenty of areas where homes are relatively clustered together. Whether or not it's on a road that's been given an official name is another question, but the point remains.

Living in Meadow Lakes

There's something of a disconnect in the view of Alaska between the continental U.S. and those who call this state home. Most residents of Meadow Lakes would probably scoff at the idea that it's such a radically different world. They are, after all, still living in recognizable homes, watching television, operating recognizable appliances and driving recognizable vehicles. It's important not to belabor the difference in lifestyle unnecessarily. It's still a modern life and still perfectly recognizable in that regard.

It's in the areas such as, the tendency for all travel that isn't via snow machine or airplane to become impossible for entire seasons, that eyebrows down south start to pop up. While a citizen of Meadow Lakes might view this as, if not quite normal, certainly survivable, it illustrates the differences at hand. Life in this region is perfectly possible, but it comes, at times, with caveats and changes to the rulebook. Get to know these changes, embrace the caveats and chances are you, too, will be on your way to becoming a bona fide Alaskan in no time.