True story about my only interaction with Alaska: I graduated high school in 1989 and had a number of scholarships full and partial to schools of varying prestige levels. One day I get an unsolicited letter and packet from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. I know very little about the state other than its big (bigger than Texas, humph) and the capital and have to look to see where Fairbanks is. Open the letter and its someone telling me they are offering me a full, four-year academic ride. This is the winter of 88/January 89 and the "Siberian Express" is blowing through, and on the news at that moment we are discussing this, they announce that its -60 below in of all places, Fairbanks, AK. I took the letter, packet and all the material and threw it in the trash and never looked back.