Station/Boat Location~
USCGC MAPLE (225'), ANT Sitka, and Air Station Sitka
Date there~
2007 - 2010
Weather~
Summer was beautiful. The hottest was in the low 70's and the rest of the time it was in the 60's. The Fall average temp was around 52. Humidity is present but not oppressive as in the South. It rains a lot, but not typically a downpour. I've seen the weather change 3 times in one day! Winter can get very cold and it can snow. The other day it snowed, the sun melted everything and then it snowed again. It actually did that several times in one day! Like in any snow prone area, you just never know how much you're going to get. If you have a snow shovel or can get one, bring it with you.
Military facilities~
Air Station Sitka. They have an open galley and families are allowed to come. There is The Eagles Nest, which is the base bar/recreation area. The Gym is in the same building. There is no exchange for military items, so come prepared with what you need because you will not find it here (like navy blue t-shirts). No commissary available.
At the A/S there is a Gazebo that can be booked for functions. An awesome fish cleaning station and a path to John Brown beach.
Medical~
Air Station Medical is wonderful. The pharmacy at medical is limited as to what they can fill and the turn around is usually 24 hours for outside prescriptions since they have to be approved by the pharmacist in Kodiak. The mail order pharmacy is your best bet for continuing prescriptions.
There are 2 civilian pharmacies in Sitka and they will not accept any insurance, Tricare included. You pay and will need to submit your claim for reimbursement. If you know that you are going to refill a prescription that you filled at the civilian pharmacy, your best bet is to go through Express Scripts. I refilled a prescription several times at the outside pharmacy, thinking that I would have no problem getting reimbursed. I got burned with the reimbursement, so live and learn..
You also have the option of using Prime Remote, utilizing civilian physicians. We've been to Mountainside Family Health Care, the nurse practitioner and she is worth her weight in gold! They are affiliated with Sitka Community Hospital. There is SEARCH (SouthEast Alaksa Regional Health Consortium) also.
Housing~
Please take a look at the AK Relocation Picture Page. I have pictures of all the units, except the 4BR units.
All are equipped with a W/D, fridge, dishwasher and have a back porch with an electrical outlet. There is an outside utility shed and some inside storage between the units. Two parking spaces available per unit. It's a wise idea to down size or at least utilize the non-temp storage for items you can leave behind (You have to notify transportation that you have non-temp storage when you set up your pack out date when you are coming here.). There is a paid storage area behind housing for boats, RV's etc ($120/year).....but space is severely limited so this may not be an open option.
Shopping~
Shopping is very limited here. Stock up on normal supplies like socks, underwear, t-shirts before you come here, as there is no Target/Walmart to go pick something up! There are 3 grocery stores, Seamart, Market Center (owned by Seamart) and Lakeside Their sales start every Wednesday. There is a True Value, Spenard's (home builder's supply), Mac's and Russel's Sporting Goods store, some locally owned clothing/electronic shops too.
Child Care/Schools~
Alaska Public Schools
Sitka High School is for grades 9-12. The HS is beautiful and the new auditorium is still being built. Being on an island, sports are done very differently here. The teams take the ferry to where they need to go, it could be Ketchikan, Juneau and even Anchorage. I know they have fund raisers, but be forewarned that some costs will be out of pocket. They also ask for participation to house the visiting teams, the same courtesy would be utilized for your child too. It's a small HS with about 400 students. Typical teenagers......... jeans, t-shirt, pullover sweatshirt and sneakers/boots are the normal attire. They are not the most welcoming HS that we've been to. I can't say that I've been totally pleased with bringing our Senior and Sophomore to this school. Most of these kids have grown up together and sometimes are not the friendliest.
Adult Schools~
University of Alaska Southeast
Fun Activities~
All kinds of outdoor activities. Boating, fishing, hunting and hiking are on the top of the list. Sitka is a very busy place. The city is big into biking too. All bikers under the age of 18 must wear a helmet, it's the law. The community is dog friendly, but your dog must be on a leash.
Additional Info~
There are brown bears in Sitka, but not on Japonski Island where housing is. There are hiking trails all over Sitka, so just be aware that they are here.
I use Alaska Communication System for my basic phone service, long distance service and DSL. GCI is the other provider for cable and phone. I've used both GCI internet and ACS DSL and I prefer the DSL.
If you want tires/studs for you car, please buy them before you get here. I would also do any maintenance before you come here too. My oil chance on my Ford Fusion was $69.
Be sure to bring layered clothing, waterproof jacket/coat and footwear.
There are plenty of good Sitka beater's (2nd cars) available for sale on the island.
Other helpful websites:
Sitka.com
City of Sitka
Sitka.org
Sitka Voice
Homeport AK
USCGC MAPLE (225'), ANT Sitka, and Air Station Sitka
Date there~
2007 - 2010
Weather~
Summer was beautiful. The hottest was in the low 70's and the rest of the time it was in the 60's. The Fall average temp was around 52. Humidity is present but not oppressive as in the South. It rains a lot, but not typically a downpour. I've seen the weather change 3 times in one day! Winter can get very cold and it can snow. The other day it snowed, the sun melted everything and then it snowed again. It actually did that several times in one day! Like in any snow prone area, you just never know how much you're going to get. If you have a snow shovel or can get one, bring it with you.
Military facilities~
Air Station Sitka. They have an open galley and families are allowed to come. There is The Eagles Nest, which is the base bar/recreation area. The Gym is in the same building. There is no exchange for military items, so come prepared with what you need because you will not find it here (like navy blue t-shirts). No commissary available.
At the A/S there is a Gazebo that can be booked for functions. An awesome fish cleaning station and a path to John Brown beach.
Medical~
Air Station Medical is wonderful. The pharmacy at medical is limited as to what they can fill and the turn around is usually 24 hours for outside prescriptions since they have to be approved by the pharmacist in Kodiak. The mail order pharmacy is your best bet for continuing prescriptions.
There are 2 civilian pharmacies in Sitka and they will not accept any insurance, Tricare included. You pay and will need to submit your claim for reimbursement. If you know that you are going to refill a prescription that you filled at the civilian pharmacy, your best bet is to go through Express Scripts. I refilled a prescription several times at the outside pharmacy, thinking that I would have no problem getting reimbursed. I got burned with the reimbursement, so live and learn..
You also have the option of using Prime Remote, utilizing civilian physicians. We've been to Mountainside Family Health Care, the nurse practitioner and she is worth her weight in gold! They are affiliated with Sitka Community Hospital. There is SEARCH (SouthEast Alaksa Regional Health Consortium) also.
Housing~
Please take a look at the AK Relocation Picture Page. I have pictures of all the units, except the 4BR units.
All are equipped with a W/D, fridge, dishwasher and have a back porch with an electrical outlet. There is an outside utility shed and some inside storage between the units. Two parking spaces available per unit. It's a wise idea to down size or at least utilize the non-temp storage for items you can leave behind (You have to notify transportation that you have non-temp storage when you set up your pack out date when you are coming here.). There is a paid storage area behind housing for boats, RV's etc ($120/year).....but space is severely limited so this may not be an open option.
Shopping~
Shopping is very limited here. Stock up on normal supplies like socks, underwear, t-shirts before you come here, as there is no Target/Walmart to go pick something up! There are 3 grocery stores, Seamart, Market Center (owned by Seamart) and Lakeside Their sales start every Wednesday. There is a True Value, Spenard's (home builder's supply), Mac's and Russel's Sporting Goods store, some locally owned clothing/electronic shops too.
Child Care/Schools~
Alaska Public Schools
Sitka High School is for grades 9-12. The HS is beautiful and the new auditorium is still being built. Being on an island, sports are done very differently here. The teams take the ferry to where they need to go, it could be Ketchikan, Juneau and even Anchorage. I know they have fund raisers, but be forewarned that some costs will be out of pocket. They also ask for participation to house the visiting teams, the same courtesy would be utilized for your child too. It's a small HS with about 400 students. Typical teenagers......... jeans, t-shirt, pullover sweatshirt and sneakers/boots are the normal attire. They are not the most welcoming HS that we've been to. I can't say that I've been totally pleased with bringing our Senior and Sophomore to this school. Most of these kids have grown up together and sometimes are not the friendliest.
Adult Schools~
University of Alaska Southeast
Fun Activities~
All kinds of outdoor activities. Boating, fishing, hunting and hiking are on the top of the list. Sitka is a very busy place. The city is big into biking too. All bikers under the age of 18 must wear a helmet, it's the law. The community is dog friendly, but your dog must be on a leash.
Additional Info~
There are brown bears in Sitka, but not on Japonski Island where housing is. There are hiking trails all over Sitka, so just be aware that they are here.
I use Alaska Communication System for my basic phone service, long distance service and DSL. GCI is the other provider for cable and phone. I've used both GCI internet and ACS DSL and I prefer the DSL.
If you want tires/studs for you car, please buy them before you get here. I would also do any maintenance before you come here too. My oil chance on my Ford Fusion was $69.
Be sure to bring layered clothing, waterproof jacket/coat and footwear.
There are plenty of good Sitka beater's (2nd cars) available for sale on the island.
Other helpful websites:
Sitka.com
City of Sitka
Sitka.org
Sitka Voice
Homeport AK
