How Many Miles
Does anyone have a rough idea of the mileage from the boarder crossing in Sweet Grass, to the Alaska boarder. John
Forum Discussion
The OP got his answer, but to continue on with the tourist jobs.....
I've got over 55 years here and Joe is right, 90% of the money goes out of state. Most of the tourism workers come in for the summer. Here's two examples.
Go to Juneau during the winter. All of the diamond and jewelry shops and other tourist stores are boarded up. They make their money off of the tourists and then close up the day after the last cruise ship sails. The owners don't live in Alaska and the workers don't either.
While in Puerto Vallarta, standing on the malicon outside of a Irish burger joint, one of the local Mexicans working in the restaurant comes outside and starts chatting to us wanting us to come in and eat. The first line is always asking where you're from, we tell him Alaska and he says he goes up every year for the cruise ships to work in one of the jewelry shops in Juneau. They send him a round trip plane ticket and expense money to fly from Mexico to Juneau to work with the Spanish speaking tourists, he sleeps in the back of the store where they have bunks, and spends very little money. He's never seen the owners and doesn't think they've ever been to Alaska themselves.
In Fairbanks, before the freezing weather hits, half of the hotels are closed for the winter, water drained and boarded up until the next season. They don't even bother to buy electricity or heating fuel during the winter.
Bill
I've got over 55 years here and Joe is right, 90% of the money goes out of state. Most of the tourism workers come in for the summer. Here's two examples.
Go to Juneau during the winter. All of the diamond and jewelry shops and other tourist stores are boarded up. They make their money off of the tourists and then close up the day after the last cruise ship sails. The owners don't live in Alaska and the workers don't either.
While in Puerto Vallarta, standing on the malicon outside of a Irish burger joint, one of the local Mexicans working in the restaurant comes outside and starts chatting to us wanting us to come in and eat. The first line is always asking where you're from, we tell him Alaska and he says he goes up every year for the cruise ships to work in one of the jewelry shops in Juneau. They send him a round trip plane ticket and expense money to fly from Mexico to Juneau to work with the Spanish speaking tourists, he sleeps in the back of the store where they have bunks, and spends very little money. He's never seen the owners and doesn't think they've ever been to Alaska themselves.
In Fairbanks, before the freezing weather hits, half of the hotels are closed for the winter, water drained and boarded up until the next season. They don't even bother to buy electricity or heating fuel during the winter.
Bill
