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The Cost of Living in Alaska

Gas Prices in Nome, Alaska, March 2016

Among the exceptional challenges of life in rural Alaska is its very high cost of living. Explore a few concrete examples of just how more expensive basic staples are in Alaska, compared to their Lower 48 counterparts.

December 1989: Mt. Redoubt erupts

December 15, 1989 489 miles southeast of Nome, the Mount Redoubt volcano erupts, spewing great clouds of sulfurous volcanic sand and dust into the air. While the debris drifts away from Nome, the corrosive billows of grit ground airplanes in Anchorage, western Alaska’s supply hub. Grocery shelves grow bare, holiday presents are missing, and Nome’s mailboxes […]