There is talk in town that Gov. Sarah Palin's run for vice president and her boasts about Alaska might cause an influx of people into the state.
Merry Braham of the Chugiak-Eagle River Chamber of Commerce said she noticed more people calling and asking for relocation information soon after the governor gave her acceptance speech as presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's running mate.
There may have only been a few dozen requests, but that's much more than usual, Braham said.
“Normally at this time of year I don't get a lot of requests for relocation information,” Braham said.
Braham has fielded a few phone calls from people who heard Palin's speech during the national Republican Party Convention and were interested in construction jobs on the natural gas pipeline, which they thought to be currently under construction.
Another reason people are interested in moving, Braham said, is because they heard that Gov. Palin is giving out “free money” — referencing the permanent fund dividend and recent energy relief checks.
“They don't understand that you can't just come into the state and say ÔI'm here, where's my check?'” Braham said.
Braham has been advising those callers to come for a visit instead of moving to Alaska sight-unseen.
The chamber typically sees an influx of information requests after the first of the year, when military families start planning moves and people start the new year thinking it's time for a new start.
Up the highway at the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce, employees like Gerri Hines are still trying to keep up with increase in the phone calls and foot-traffic coming though their doors, even though McCain and Palin lost the presidential election.
Hines said the chamber has been sending out stacks of information packets about Wasilla. She couldn't provide hard numbers, but said there was a definite upswing as soon as Palin's candidacy for vice president launched.
“It's been crazy,” Hines said. “We've been trying to do everything we can to try and keep up on it. É It's different for us, being this is her hometown.”
Eric Bushnell, associate manager for Prudential Jack White Vista Real Estate, said calls to his office are also up, but that doesn't necessarily translate into new residents.
“When it was first announced, we saw some immediate phone calls of people saying ÔHey, I want to buy land in Wasilla' — investor-type people that didn't care what they bought,” Bushnell said. “I don't know if any of that came to fruition because it was such a short timeframe. If she had gotten elected, I think there would have been more investor buying — just people making land-grabs for future developments.”
Bushnell said during the election there was definitely an increase in interest in the area. There were a lot of a people calling his office just trying to get more information about Alaska.
“I had people contact just through Facebook,” Bushnell said, “And reporters from other places wanting us to drive them around and be tour guides for the area. I did pass on that though.”
As far as Palin's influence on the real estate market, Bushnell said he thinks if she continues to stay in national politics that interest and investments in the state will take off, but for now there's no noticeable difference.
“I think there's some renewed interest in Alaska,” Bushnell said. “And there are people moving to Alaska, but I think it's our normal trend of military coming up and people in the oil industry relocating.”
