10 Signs You Were Born And Raised In Wasilla, Alaska

Alaska is a different sort of place and it’s hard to describe what life is like up here to those who don’t call it home. And for those of us who were born and raised here, Alaska has left a major mark on who we are. Here are ten signs that are a dead giveaway you were born and raised in Wasilla, Alaska.

1. You own Xtra Tufs

These are basically the staple footwear in Alaska. We wear them to go fishing, to the store, out in the yard… pretty much every occasion is Xtra Tuf appropriate.

2. You don’t stop to take pictures of moose

I know that they are cool animals or exotic to you, but us Alaskans have seen them our whole lives. So we just don’t feel the need to pull over on the road every time we leave our house and fill our phones with candid pictures of them.

3. You fish

Chances are if you don’t fish, you weren’t born here. Fishing is in our blood, its part of being raised in Wasilla, Alaska.

4. Hunting

Alaska is huge on hunting. I’m not sure if it’s because we have more remote areas than cities or it’s just the Alaskan way of providing for yourself. Either way, if you were born and raised in Wasilla, Alaska, you either hunt or know someone who does.

5. You have more sweaters than t-shirts

I don’t want to give Alaska a bad rap, but let’s face it, we aren’t California. Alaska may get a couple of months of good warm weather, but the majority of the year is spent in perpetual sweater weather, and our closets reflect that sad fact.

6. Northern Lights Alert system

Unlike the fascination with moose, the Northern Lights never lose their magical hold on people. Even those of us who have lived here our whole lives will wake up at 3 am in the morning, go outside in the 0-degree weather, and watch the Northern Lights. We love them so much, most of us have an alert system of some sort to make sure we don’t miss a good light show. It could be a call from your mom or an app on your phone, but either way, it is a telltale sign you are a true Alaskan.

7. Bear encounter

There are bears everywhere up here… I mean, last year a bear went into a house in Anchorage… seriously… everywhere. So, there is very little us Alaskans can do to avoid ever seeing one. So, unless you never venture out of the city, you have probably seen a bear a lot closer than you would ever want to.

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8. Semi-Casual is jeans

I use to hate this about Alaska, but the older I get the more I am all for our casual attitude and dress up here. It’s pretty much impossible to get Alaskan’s out of casual clothes unless the invitation clearly mandates a black tie… even then someone will show up in a tux t-shirt.

9. You own black-out curtains

It may be dark in the winter, but summer is a whole other ball game. If you want to spot an Alaskan newbie, just look at their curtains. If they aren’t high-quality black-out material, this is their first summer here.

10. 1 Acre is small

It’s one of the best benefits of living in Alaska… there’s so much space. We Alaskans are not used to crowded areas, we spread out like you wouldn’t believe, so when we go to buy land, an acre might seem like a lot in the states, but to us, it’s the bare minimum.