Thinking About Moving To Atlin?
Here Is Some Stuff You Need To Know
Atlin is great place to live. There are lots of people who come to Atlin and go all gaga and then think about moving here. First thing you need to know about moving here is that there are not always that many places for rent or for sale. Just like any town there are nice places and there are also some dumpy places and prices range from a hundred thousand bucks to way over a million.
Some things to keep in mind. The telephone system in Atlin is run by Telus and is very old and antiquated. Some days it's just broken. There is also no cell phone service here at this time which really is shame because it puts Atlin that much more behind the times in regards to progress in the modern world. Hopefully that will change one day. Because there is no cell service there are few (sometimes working) pay phones throughout the town. One at the gas station, one at the food basket, one at the airport, one across from court house and one at the Atlin Mountain Inn. There is fairly decent WIFI internet in the town though and a few places offer public access for a small fee. Some people use satelite internet also.
There are also no banks here so you need to do all your banking online and if you need to deposit cash etc. you need to go to Whitehorse. There are a few ATM's in the town but it's always handy to have some extra cash on hand because when the internet goes down you'll be out of luck trying to buy anything.
There is a lot of things most people take for granted that you don't get here. Things like no town water or town sewer. Unless you have a well you will need to have your water hauled. If you don't have your own septic you will need a pump out. There are services in the town that provide both water delivery and sewage disposal. Heating your place in the winter can be expensive if you don't heat with wood. There is no natural gas here so you will need heating oil or propane or electric. If you're not the type who likes to cut firewood, there are few guys around that do and they will have wood for sale. Another thing is there is also no garbage pick up so you need to haul your own junk to the dump. It's still a little town that's kind of like the wild west where you need to be a bit self reliant and this kind of atmosphere is what make Atlin so unique. Atlin is one of those "one of a kind places."
If you are looking for work keep in mind that there is little work here. Jobs do come up once in a while but aside from a few summer jobs working with a placer mining operation, there is not a whole lot of year round work. You need to be the type that can create their own living or if your handy and not fussy doing just odds and ends. You can also look into buying a business from owners who are wishing to retire which some people have done.
As far as moving and living here you need to decide if you want to buy or rent. You can't be too fussy here because maybe the only place to rent is a small cabin with no running water. The alternative to renting is buying and there is always a few places for sale. Some places are listed with a realtor and some places are sold private.
A lot of people list their places on websites like Kijiji Yukon or Property Guys and there is sometimes a few listings on that site. For renting you can check out the Atlin FaceBook Market page.
If you are in town there is also bulletin boards at both stores and across from the hotel where people will hang up a flyer or an ad. Good places to look if your looking for a rental place. Aside from that just ask around as someone will know of something.