Anchorage truly is 'The City of Lights and Flowers,' offering many outdoor activities such as Nordic skiing, snowboarding, dog sledding, (ice) fishing, snowshoeing, climbing, baseball games, festivals and more. The most popular festival is the Fur Rendezvous Festival ('Fur Rondy'). It features dog sled races, blanket tosses, a carnival, and snow sculptures. There is also an international ice carving competition and hosts the start of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod race covers 1,151 miles for 8-15 days.

Anchorage hosts other athletic events with teams such as the Alaska Aces (ice hockey), Alaska Wild (arena football), and the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and Anchorage Bucs (baseball). Fishing is also a popular sport enjoyed by many residents. You can participate in trophy fishing or catch a 40-60 pound king salmon in Ship Creek right in downtown Anchorage not far from home! To spend a quiet night outdoors during a non-tourist season, the fall, winter and spring offer a fantastic view of the Northern Lights. Mostly seen as the color green, the Aurora Borealis is a natural wonder you and your family can see again and again.

Besides the appeal of the wild outdoors, to buy a house and stay indoors on a snowy day is very affordable. Anchorage businesses and residents both enjoy the lowest state and local taxes in the nation and benefit from Alaska's Permanent Fund –royalties and taxes collected from the oil industry which contribute greatly to local and state funding. In fact, most families receive more income from Alaska's Permanent Fund investments than they pay in state and local taxes, according to Anchorage Real Estate.

With this kind of return on the average house in Anchorage, the dream for an Anchorage home is obtainable. The average sale price of resale and new construction homes in Anchorage over a period of five years has been $243,582. The average of homes sold is 3,278 and the average market time is 48 days.

So start your home search in Anchorage to gain access to more than 259 miles of hiking, biking, skiing, and dog-mushing trails to enjoy today!

Sources:
Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau
Municipality of Alaska
TravelAlaska.com
Alaska Multiple Listing Service
Anchorage Real Estate
House Hunt: Price and Volume Changes of Sold Homes