When I cruised to Alaska on Holland America, we parked right in front of town in Ketchikan. This month, Norwegian had us seven miles away and we had to do a lot of walking to the bus, off the bus to do a lot of walking into town and then back with all the walking. We spent more time walking than being able to enjoy the town, which is my favorite Alaskan town.
My Mom lived and died here for maybe the last 15 years of her life. She passed away in Ketchikan in January of 2000 at the age of 54. Her name was Frona Gene. She loved this small town and told me she liked to go fishing on the docks, where ever those are. My Brother Mark Hefley also lived here for a period of time but moved away. He sadly just recently passed away. He lived in Hollis AK. He actually passed away in Ketchikan on the 13th at 11:30pm. They both loved this small town from what I was told. I found your video because I am very sad about my Brother, and in turn, our Mother and I was just wanting to find comfort in seeing where they lived and both died.
As someone who lives in Ketchikan I would just like to clear up a couple of things. First off, most of the locals who live here are very kind and aren’t like anything from Mad Max. You probably just had an encounter with someone who is having a particularly bad day. But I guarantee you, as someone who’s lived here for almost 30 years, it is not like that everywhere outside of the tourist areas. Also, the tea in clink it is silent. But other than that your video was fairly accurate. I am sorry that you got stuck at the dock out north… There were a lot of locals that were trying to prevent that dock from being built but we eventually lost a fight. The one thing that may be able to change it back to the way it used to be is if people on the cruise is complain to the cruise lines about being docked so far from the actual tourist part of town. That’s the only way it’s ever going to change back to the way it used to be.
@@kaneingram6490 make sure you already have housing established before you move here. Finding housing is particularly difficult especially during the summer months. Also be prepared to pay a little bit more for things like food, gas and pretty much anything else you need to purchase. Also, make sure you get yourself an Amazon prime account… Because it really does save a lot of money, if you don’t have to pay for shipping on a majority of things you have to have shipped in. Also, make sure that you are OK with rain… Because it rains here most of the time. And if you do decide to take the plunge and move here, prepare for a wonderful adventure… Living here is unlike living anywhere else… But I think it’s something that most people would enjoy and shit experience at least once during their lifetime.
Thank you so much for the advice, I have a interview with the Alaska marine highway system and hopefully I get the job so I can move there I'm so excited... I do have a Amazon prime account I love the rain and cold I'm so ready for this to happen
Spent a week in Ketchikan a few years ago teaching a class in the historic downtown area. Your video really brings back some memories. What I found interesting is that to the north beyond the tunnel is the 'working' part of town with more of the businesses and services that serve the local residents (groceries/hardware/banks/medical/fast food chains) and less sketchy neighborhoods. It is of an entirely different character than the cruise-tourist-geared downtown with all the souvenir shops, restaurants, and the Great Alaska Lumberjack Show (I will note that the Southeast Alaska Discover Center should be a 'must-see' if visiting the historic downtown) ... Interesting Ketchikan factoid: the Ketchikan International airport (which is how I came and left) is located across the water on Gravina Island and is accessible only by the airport ferry, which runs on a half-hour schedule and costs $6 one-way. If you remember the 2008 presidential election and the talk about Sarah Palin cancelling the "bridge to nowhere" when she was Alaska governor, Ketchikan was where the "bridge to nowhere" was intended to be built to fix this...
...and for clarification, the class I was teaching was in the oddly pink building at 1:58 in the video...not in the streets or anywhere around leather-clad mohawk people...
That was one our stops on our Alaskan Cruise about a couple of months and loved it. I wished we could've stayed there longer. I agree that it's sucks Norwegian docks way too far from town and you have to take a bus into town, cutting into your time there.
We were there on a cruise, maybe 10 years back. There was a place outside of town with a walkway built in the trees, about 25 feet above the river. From that walkway, you could watch bears fishing in the river below.
@@WorldAccordingToBriggs I clicked on the video after only seeing "Ketchikan" in the title. I didn't realize it was you until your voice-over narration. Lol
I graduated highschool in Ktown( another name for this town). I came back after being gone for 48 years. Very happy to be home. Every town has an area for the less fortunate. I choose to see the beauty of the area.
If you love rain, you'll love Ketchikan. That's as long as you can tolerate a number of alcoholics, being land locked and getting dark around 330pm to 400pm in the winter
This would be a awesome place to live if you have the money to not worry about anything. Been there 2 times, 10 years ago now on the way through to one of the smaller villages for work. The mad max people are fairly normal up here, our attitude of leave me alone I don't care what you do is fairly normal for us locals, although if in a small enough town everyone knows what everyone does(like the villages I went to, whole town knew I was there and why within 1 day of arriving)
Been to Ketchikan five or six times. Beautiful setting. The Deer Mountain Fish Hatchery is pretty neat to walk around. Also neat in the creek area to see the salmon filling it during spawning season.
Hola ! Thank you for the trip! We love these vids . Make them longer , I’m setting floor and I’ve had to rewatch the others to have you playing in the background lol I love it!
I lived in Ketchikan for 2 years. It’s a small town where everyone knows everyone. Some very nice down to earth people live there. The place rains a lot! I personally did not like the amount of rain but other than that, it was a nice place to live.
I was there about 12-13 years ago when we did the inside passage going North. I still have my t-shirt from the Artic Bar, Home of the Happy Bears (look them up, the "Happy Bears" are funny)...
Locals can be pretty territorial in a lot of tourist towns. Sort of a haves vs. have not situation. I have a second home in a beach tourist town and many of the locals absolutely hate the tourists not realizing they also bring year round jobs, stores, restaurants and services ,that typically wouldn't be in such a small town unless they got a seasonal influx of tourist dollars . This video popped me down a rabbit hole of google map views of Ketchikan. Looked at the walmart and saw a public transport bus in the parking lot "the bus" . For a smallish Alaska city that system is pretty extensive and not too expensive $5 unlimited daily rides or $2 bucks for a single ride. So if you are tired of walking just take that bus to someplace touristy, see the town through the lens of public transit. Past the nice areas and bad etc, kinda live like a local for a few minutes..
I lived in Ketchikan for almost 10 years! Moved in the fall of ‘98 to a small town in the Mojave desert! I see a lot of things have changed! I loved it there ! Just wish I could have tied into a big halibut while I was there! But all cod fish, sea bass & sea Pearch sort made it for it ! Wish I could have stayed but “ happy wife happy life “ lol ! !
lmao didn't think there'd be a series that included my hometown but this is pretty awesome. haven't been there in a while so it's cool to see the changes.
Ketchikan is right on the water, and the mountains rise quickly from the water's edge, so that most of the building has occurred within shouting distance of the water. The soil is thin, laying over bedrock, so that if you see a tree blown over by the wind, the root ball is more like a root pancake. It's 20 feet across and four inches thick. Amazing. Locals like to tease that Ketchikan is 20 miles long, 2 blocks wide, and four inches thick.
My hometown! We were there last in October 2019. Always nice to see a walking tour of downtown. I'm also actually pleased to see that the weather was its usual self. interesting to also see the new dock out there where the old pulp mill used to be. MiL's friends built that since our last visit. Was curious how it would pan out. Did you actually do any excursions? Which if memory serves, pretty much shuts down after the bulk of the season. Shame about your encounter. But I also knew EXACTLY where you were for that.
In the 70s I was offered a great job there but after checking found out the weather's not so good - sun 1 out of 3 with rain 1 or 2 days, but at least overcast. SAD ruled and I turned down the job.
God bless you! Man, how brave you are to go to these cities and states. With that being said I'd love to visit this state. Thanks for showing places I will never be able to visit because of physical caused. Take care✌️
If you ever go back, you should really check out the Cape Fox Lodge at the top of the hill over Market Street. Its beautiful! (Food is amazing too). And then, they can take you on a tour of Saxman Village with huge totems, an authentic cedar clan house, and the opportunity to experience Tlingit art and dance. Its really cool, highly recommend!
That's awesome that you were just recently here. I just moved here from Arizona and I love it. I actually drive pass the mad max part everyday for work and yes the Walmart is small compared to most Walmarts but it does the job.
Some of the Homeless like those in Santa Fe are on the streets because of the demand for their housing property! Dressing like mad max though is Unalaskan! Lived in Fairbanks!
My wife were there on the then fairly new Carnival Spirit in 2002, cruising from Seward to Vancouver, after our stay in Anchorage, and Fairbanks, for a 12 day trip. It was our last port in Alaska, before Vancouver Island. We toured a Cannery there, and saw a lumber cutting event going on. Thanks 😊 .
We'll see how long the dead shelter last there next to the path plus the motel because there's a lot of traffic there and all they do is hang out and cause trouble there for other people walking through town and for the residents to live there
Well, it’s a rain forest. Not a _tropical_ rain forest. And he did mention that Ketchikan is the “Rain Capital of Alaska.” I think Ketchikan’s average is more like 150” annually. I was there for two days in 1995. The whole time I was there it poured! I bought an umbrella and a new pair of sneakers there. Briggs lucked out; he didn’t need an umbrella. ☔️
If you want a real Alaska experience and maybe have your life flash before your eyes fly in to Ketchikan on a cloudy day. It's a small runway located on an island that is just a bit bigger than the runway.
Thanks for doing this video. The non tourist parts remind me of some of the old river towns in PA. I was surprised it was not nicer. I guess the wildlife both natural and human makes the place what it is.
Ketchikan Resident here. The reason it's lookin not so good is that Ketchikan's economy is reliant on tourism. From 2020 until 2022 we didn't see any of the tourism that we'd become reliant on which sent the town into a major economic depression. Many of our businesses had to close down, or shutter their windows for years. Now that cruise ships are coming in for the first time in almost 3 years it's starting to recover. But ask anyone about something that's had 3 years of neglect and ask them how long it takes to recover. We're getting there. Also, this place is wonderful to live in. Lots of beautiful rain, and snow starting on November 1st. I love it here!
I am so disappointed in this review. He is correct about the pier being away from downtown. However, he missed so much to see and do. There is a wonderful museum for Native American history. The center downtown is informative and easily accessible to the pier There is certainly more than shopping to do on a cruise. I hope that new visitors will see the real town. By the way, I do not live here...I visit a friend. Wonderful town.
This place looks too good and have very well development (maybe because I more know Alaska from subarctic area), something I don't see mostly in Alaska, looks very touristic for me
Lived there for 11 miserable years… people are clicky and unfriendly if your from anyplace else. It rained 200+ inches a year and I won’t go into the abuse that goes on 😢
I was there in August, 2017 and it was a hot day. About 80 degrees. Kids were salmon fishing off the bridge and the town was packed with tourists,
When I cruised to Alaska on Holland America, we parked right in front of town in Ketchikan. This month, Norwegian had us seven miles away and we had to do a lot of walking to the bus, off the bus to do a lot of walking into town and then back with all the walking. We spent more time walking than being able to enjoy the town, which is my favorite Alaskan town.
My Mom lived and died here for maybe the last 15 years of her life. She passed away in Ketchikan in January of 2000 at the age of 54. Her name was Frona Gene. She loved this small town and told me she liked to go fishing on the docks, where ever those are. My Brother Mark Hefley also lived here for a period of time but moved away. He sadly just recently passed away. He lived in Hollis AK. He actually passed away in Ketchikan on the 13th at 11:30pm. They both loved this small town from what I was told. I found your video because I am very sad about my Brother, and in turn, our Mother and I was just wanting to find comfort in seeing where they lived and both died.
So sorry for your loss.
As someone who lives in Ketchikan I would just like to clear up a couple of things. First off, most of the locals who live here are very kind and aren’t like anything from Mad Max. You probably just had an encounter with someone who is having a particularly bad day. But I guarantee you, as someone who’s lived here for almost 30 years, it is not like that everywhere outside of the tourist areas. Also, the tea in clink it is silent. But other than that your video was fairly accurate. I am sorry that you got stuck at the dock out north… There were a lot of locals that were trying to prevent that dock from being built but we eventually lost a fight. The one thing that may be able to change it back to the way it used to be is if people on the cruise is complain to the cruise lines about being docked so far from the actual tourist part of town. That’s the only way it’s ever going to change back to the way it used to be.
It’s not like that everywhere but it’s like that in most of the areas outside of the tourist area unfortunately
I'm thinking of moving to ketchikan any advice you can give I would truly appreciate 🙏
@@kaneingram6490 make sure you already have housing established before you move here. Finding housing is particularly difficult especially during the summer months. Also be prepared to pay a little bit more for things like food, gas and pretty much anything else you need to purchase. Also, make sure you get yourself an Amazon prime account… Because it really does save a lot of money, if you don’t have to pay for shipping on a majority of things you have to have shipped in. Also, make sure that you are OK with rain… Because it rains here most of the time. And if you do decide to take the plunge and move here, prepare for a wonderful adventure… Living here is unlike living anywhere else… But I think it’s something that most people would enjoy and shit experience at least once during their lifetime.
Thank you so much for the advice, I have a interview with the Alaska marine highway system and hopefully I get the job so I can move there I'm so excited... I do have a Amazon prime account I love the rain and cold I'm so ready for this to happen
Spent a week in Ketchikan a few years ago teaching a class in the historic downtown area. Your video really brings back some memories. What I found interesting is that to the north beyond the tunnel is the 'working' part of town with more of the businesses and services that serve the local residents (groceries/hardware/banks/medical/fast food chains) and less sketchy neighborhoods. It is of an entirely different character than the cruise-tourist-geared downtown with all the souvenir shops, restaurants, and the Great Alaska Lumberjack Show (I will note that the Southeast Alaska Discover Center should be a 'must-see' if visiting the historic downtown) ...
Interesting Ketchikan factoid: the Ketchikan International airport (which is how I came and left) is located across the water on Gravina Island and is accessible only by the airport ferry, which runs on a half-hour schedule and costs $6 one-way. If you remember the 2008 presidential election and the talk about Sarah Palin cancelling the "bridge to nowhere" when she was Alaska governor, Ketchikan was where the "bridge to nowhere" was intended to be built to fix this...
...and for clarification, the class I was teaching was in the oddly pink building at 1:58 in the video...not in the streets or anywhere around leather-clad mohawk people...
$400,000,000 bridge for 600 passengers a day.
@@jaesbow Imagine how many would come if it had a bridge? Ketchikan may actually be a good city.
What a beautiful town! I love, love Alaska.
That was one our stops on our Alaskan Cruise about a couple of months and loved it. I wished we could've stayed there longer. I agree that it's sucks Norwegian docks way too far from town and you have to take a bus into town, cutting into your time there.
Briggs, you can make more of these videos for sure. It is so beautiful, mainly small towns like this
4:50 I live in the 'mad max area' in the yellow building across the street, pretty good description 😆 keeps things interesting though
We were there on a cruise, maybe 10 years back. There was a place outside of town with a walkway built in the trees, about 25 feet above the river. From that walkway, you could watch bears fishing in the river below.
Imagine a city keeping it good for local businesses ?! Wow what a concept and it needs to be that way everywhere
You in my town!
You're in my town*
@@mikeoxmall6442 get a life
@@brettfilbrun1056 What makes you think I don't have one, Because I corrected his grammar? Smh
@@mikeoxmall6442 Yes, that’s exactly why.
I can say the same about you 2 for trying to correct me.. its a sad world we live in these days. Smfh children
Its a weird feeling seeing the voice’s face 😅.. Nice to finally meet you Briggs!
Nice to meet you. Did you think I was in my 20s. Most people are surprised I am older.
@@WorldAccordingToBriggs I clicked on the video after only seeing "Ketchikan" in the title. I didn't realize it was you until your voice-over narration. Lol
I graduated highschool in Ktown( another name for this town). I came back after being gone for 48 years. Very happy to be home.
Every town has an area for the less fortunate.
I choose to see the beauty of the area.
Yeah it beautifully it’s where I grew up in
To get a better experience in Ketchikan you need to explore the outer parts of town not just the downtown. Wildlife and scenery, plenty of excursions.
I loved Ketchikan when I went on a cruises. We saw where they made the totem polls, Dolly's House, & the Salmon BBQ, It was amazing!
Alaska would be a very interesting place to live. It still has an untamed aura about it.
This video brings back memories from my Alaskan cruise in 2018. Great little town with some amazing views!
If you love rain, you'll love Ketchikan. That's as long as you can tolerate a number of alcoholics, being land locked and getting dark around 330pm to 400pm in the winter
I was in the Coast Guard and we stopped in Ketchikan in 1978. I loved it. So quiet and beautiful.
I lived in Juneau and Anchorage in 70's
Ketchikan was the best cruise port town when we took a Princess cruise. You didn't mention the totem poles.
Got to stop here for sound trials when I was stationed on the uss Oklahoma city and uss buffalo
This would be a awesome place to live if you have the money to not worry about anything. Been there 2 times, 10 years ago now on the way through to one of the smaller villages for work. The mad max people are fairly normal up here, our attitude of leave me alone I don't care what you do is fairly normal for us locals, although if in a small enough town everyone knows what everyone does(like the villages I went to, whole town knew I was there and why within 1 day of arriving)
Nice video Mr.BRIGGS thank you
Thanks for watching.
Been to Ketchikan five or six times. Beautiful setting. The Deer Mountain Fish Hatchery is pretty neat to walk around. Also neat in the creek area to see the salmon filling it during spawning season.
I hoping more Alaskan towns are on the way
Very cool! Reminds me of Astoria Oregon!
Was just thinking that
I used to live in Ketchikan, many years ago. Thanks for the tour. I enjoyed seeing hiw it looks now days.
Amazing and so beautiful of Landscape so much
Town looks like a movie set. I love it, I have to go some place like that eventually.
Wow, my first time seeing Briggs, honestly thought he was younger maybe late 20’s to 30’s
Hola ! Thank you for the trip! We love these vids . Make them longer , I’m setting floor and I’ve had to rewatch the others to have you playing in the background lol I love it!
Glad you like them!
Good morning Briggs!!! Have a nice day!!! 🇺🇸🪖👮♂️
I lived in Ketchikan for 2 years. It’s a small town where everyone knows everyone. Some very nice down to earth people live there. The place rains a lot! I personally did not like the amount of rain but other than that, it was a nice place to live.
I was there about 12-13 years ago when we did the inside passage going North. I still have my t-shirt from the Artic Bar, Home of the Happy Bears (look them up, the "Happy Bears" are funny)...
The mohawk lady yells at everyone all the time lol 😆 😂
Dolores said the trip was outstanding. She came back to work with the spirit of having had a wonderful time.
Thanks for this!! Cruising on Norwegian next summer and this is our first stop as well.
Locals can be pretty territorial in a lot of tourist towns. Sort of a haves vs. have not situation. I have a second home in a beach tourist town and many of the locals absolutely hate the tourists not realizing they also bring year round jobs, stores, restaurants and services ,that typically wouldn't be in such a small town unless they got a seasonal influx of tourist dollars . This video popped me down a rabbit hole of google map views of Ketchikan. Looked at the walmart and saw a public transport bus in the parking lot "the bus" . For a smallish Alaska city that system is pretty extensive and not too expensive $5 unlimited daily rides or $2 bucks for a single ride. So if you are tired of walking just take that bus to someplace touristy, see the town through the lens of public transit. Past the nice areas and bad etc, kinda live like a local for a few minutes..
I lived in Ketchikan for almost 10 years! Moved in the fall of ‘98 to a small town in the Mojave desert! I see a lot of things have changed! I loved it there ! Just wish I could have tied into a big halibut while I was there! But all cod fish, sea bass & sea Pearch sort made it for it ! Wish I could have stayed but “ happy wife happy life “ lol ! !
lmao didn't think there'd be a series that included my hometown but this is pretty awesome. haven't been there in a while so it's cool to see the changes.
Very pretty little town :)
It really is!
Ketchikan is right on the water, and the mountains rise quickly from the water's edge, so that most of the building has occurred within shouting distance of the water. The soil is thin, laying over bedrock, so that if you see a tree blown over by the wind, the root ball is more like a root pancake. It's 20 feet across and four inches thick. Amazing. Locals like to tease that Ketchikan is 20 miles long, 2 blocks wide, and four inches thick.
My hometown!
We were there last in October 2019. Always nice to see a walking tour of downtown.
I'm also actually pleased to see that the weather was its usual self.
interesting to also see the new dock out there where the old pulp mill used to be. MiL's friends built that since our last visit. Was curious how it would pan out.
Did you actually do any excursions? Which if memory serves, pretty much shuts down after the bulk of the season.
Shame about your encounter. But I also knew EXACTLY where you were for that.
I was born and raised in Ketchikan too, way back in the day. I’ve been gone for 40 years.
Love this video❤please make more of these ❤❤❤
That's the plan.
In the 70s I was offered a great job there but after checking found out the weather's not so good - sun 1 out of 3 with rain 1 or 2 days, but at least overcast. SAD ruled and I turned down the job.
I'm curious why you'd want to go to a Walmart in such a beautiful, unique area. I love that it's not right there in town.
One of our favorite stops when we cruise.
Cold, grey, and rainy.
I wasn’t depressed but now I am.
Been watching you for a couple of years. You don't look anywhere close to what I pictured. Nice to put a face to your excellent voice.
God bless you! Man, how brave you are to go to these cities and states. With that being said I'd love to visit this state. Thanks for showing places I will never be able to visit because of physical caused. Take care✌️
There was this coffee shop that I went to when I did a 2week reserve stint There. Loved Their coffee. Wonder if it's still there.
Greetings from the pprc thanks for the great video. Looks wet.🇺🇸
If you ever go back, you should really check out the Cape Fox Lodge at the top of the hill over Market Street. Its beautiful! (Food is amazing too). And then, they can take you on a tour of Saxman Village with huge totems, an authentic cedar clan house, and the opportunity to experience Tlingit art and dance. Its really cool, highly recommend!
I lived there for 5 years and my wife is born in saxman, an awesome town, it is a lot better when the tourist are gone lol. very peaceful.
In 2005 I bought fishing lures at that Tongass Trading Company at 1:13. You woke up a lone brain cell I haven't used in 17 years, 2 months.
Great tunes!
The dungeness crab at the George Inlet Lodge was good.
That's awesome that you were just recently here. I just moved here from Arizona and I love it. I actually drive pass the mad max part everyday for work and yes the Walmart is small compared to most Walmarts but it does the job.
is the totem bar still open
Beautiful
You missed a huge chance to see a great place .. Prince of Wales.island...only a few miles west of Ketchikan.
I loved it. I was there last week.
Beautiful town hope to visit someday from 🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽🗽
Where you had that altercation, I call it crack central.
Even that "bad part" isn't so bad honestly. It's just a few of the homeless that cause trouble. Most of them are actually pretty friendly.
What's the music at the end? I really like that sound.
Some of the Homeless like those in Santa Fe are on the streets because of the demand for their housing property! Dressing like mad max though is Unalaskan! Lived in Fairbanks!
Lived in Ketchikan in the 90's. First 6 months I hated it. Grows on you after awhile.
The Walmart is small because it has no groceries, its just clothing and hardware and auto.
#1.2👍👏🤣avoid the mad Max thing!!
I really like your videos on Alaska. They make me want to move there! Looks like a fantastic place.
@@pinned.by.KeithFenner please excuse my technological ignorance, but how can I do that?
I lived in Haines Ak. for 23yrs. I live in Texas now.
I love your videos, especially the ones about Haunted stuff!
Man, that is nuts! How do you even get homeless in Alaska and not die of exposure? You need to do an exposé!
SE Alaska is surprisingly warm , much warmer many days that what you'd find in the upper continental US/ midwest/great lakes areas..
My wife were there on the then fairly new Carnival Spirit in 2002, cruising from Seward to Vancouver, after our stay in Anchorage, and Fairbanks, for a 12 day trip. It was our
last port in Alaska, before Vancouver Island.
We toured a Cannery there, and saw a lumber cutting event going on. Thanks 😊 .
We'll see how long the dead shelter last there next to the path plus the motel because there's a lot of traffic there and all they do is hang out and cause trouble there for other people walking through town and for the residents to live there
Hello, Briggs fantastic video
I hope you will do more hands on videos like this one
That is what we are working towards.
Beautiful countryside there love it
You forgot to say that it rains and gets about 100 inches a year and that its the tropical rain forest region of Alaska.
Well, it’s a rain forest. Not a _tropical_ rain forest. And he did mention that Ketchikan is the “Rain Capital of Alaska.”
I think Ketchikan’s average is more like 150” annually. I was there for two days in 1995. The whole time I was there it poured! I bought an umbrella and a new pair of sneakers there. Briggs lucked out; he didn’t need an umbrella. ☔️
Close, but it's called a temperate rain forest.
@@deirdre108 Correct!
If you want a real Alaska experience and maybe have your life flash before your eyes fly in to Ketchikan on a cloudy day. It's a small runway located on an island that is just a bit bigger than the runway.
Hey Briggs, nice man I like.
Hey, thanks
A beautiful small city I been there several times on cruises....
Thanks for doing this video. The non tourist parts remind me of some of the old river towns in PA. I was surprised it was not nicer. I guess the wildlife both natural and human makes the place what it is.
Ketchikan Resident here. The reason it's lookin not so good is that Ketchikan's economy is reliant on tourism. From 2020 until 2022 we didn't see any of the tourism that we'd become reliant on which sent the town into a major economic depression. Many of our businesses had to close down, or shutter their windows for years. Now that cruise ships are coming in for the first time in almost 3 years it's starting to recover. But ask anyone about something that's had 3 years of neglect and ask them how long it takes to recover.
We're getting there.
Also, this place is wonderful to live in. Lots of beautiful rain, and snow starting on November 1st. I love it here!
Love to settle in Ketchikan
I am so disappointed in this review. He is correct about the pier being away from downtown. However, he missed so much to see and do. There is a wonderful museum for Native American history. The center downtown is informative and easily accessible to the pier
There is certainly more than shopping to do on a cruise. I hope that new visitors will see the real town. By the way, I do not live here...I visit a friend. Wonderful town.
WE JUST GOT BACK FROM OUR ALASKA CRUISE IN AUGUST!!!
So THAT'S where they filmed Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome? I always wondered about that...
The video came through the second time. There was no more black out. Nice video. Charles Gergle
how much longer are you in AK? you coming north?
This place looks too good and have very well development (maybe because I more know Alaska from subarctic area), something I don't see mostly in Alaska, looks very touristic for me
Come to Palmer , Alaska. There isn't much here but I'd love to meet you!!
You do have some really large cabbages with all that sunlight.
@@markbajek2541 Haha agreed, and huuuge pumpkins!
You and itchy boots, you're just likeable. Keep it up.
Lived there for 11 miserable years… people are clicky and unfriendly if your from anyplace else. It rained 200+ inches a year and I won’t go into the abuse that goes on 😢
I loved this city!!! It looks like the town from a game called "Alan Wake"... same vibe, same view... I would love to live there!
Does the sun ever shine here
Yes it’s lovely Ketchikan , esp on sunny days..a lot rain
Love the music. Looks like a pretty little town...if I go, I'll avoid angry women in leather with mohawks!
I hope you can make it to Kodiak sometime.
hey! You filmed by my apartment! Neat
You took the cruise ship? Everybody knows that the best way to start the SE Alaska experience is on the ferry from Bellingham.
Really like they don't allow chain stores in town.