The 10 Best Neighborhoods In Anchorage, AK For 2024


The best Anchorage neighborhoods are South Addition and Hillside East for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Best Neighborhoods In Anchorage
Source: Wikipedia User Frank K. from Anchorage, Alaska, USA | CC BY 2.0

What’s the best part of Anchorage?

It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.

Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Anchorage are the best based on Saturday Night Science.

Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.

Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Anchorage neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?

If you’re thinking of moving to Alaska and Anchorage is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2024.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Best Neighborhoods In Anchorage For 2024

  1. South Addition
  2. Hillside East
  3. Huffman-O’malley
  4. Rabbit Creek
  5. Bear Valley
  6. Girdwood
  7. Birchwood
  8. Old Seward-Oceanview
  9. South Fork
  10. Basher

So what’s the best neighborhood to live in Anchorage for 2024? According to the most recent census data, South Addition looks to be the best Anchorage neighborhood to live in.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Anchorage that deserve a little bragging rights, or maybe you’re interested in the worst neighborhoods in Anchorage.

For more Alaska reading, check out:

The 10 Best Neighborhoods To Live In Anchorage

South Addition Anchorage, AK

Source: Flickr User Wonderlane | CC BY 2.0

Population: 4,016
Median Home Value: $475,150 (Sixth best)
Median Income: $122,938 (Sixth best)
More on South Addition: Data | Real Estate

Population: 146
Median Home Value: $642,200 (best)
Median Income: $209,150 (best)
More on Hillside East: Data | Real Estate

Population: 10,122
Median Home Value: $391,000 (11th best)
Median Income: $138,832 (Fifth best)
More on Huffman-O’malley: Data | Real Estate

Population: 6,101
Median Home Value: $532,600 (Third best)
Median Income: $156,703 (Second best)
More on Rabbit Creek: Data | Real Estate

Population: 200
Median Home Value: $532,600 (Third best)
Median Income: $114,682 (Ninth best)
More on Bear Valley: Data | Real Estate

Population: 519
Median Home Value: $523,000 (Fifth best)
Median Income: $115,263 (Eighth best)
More on Girdwood: Data | Real Estate

Population: 87
Median Home Value: $436,200 (Seventh best)
Median Income: $109,344 (11th best)
More on Birchwood: Data | Real Estate

Population: 6,100
Median Home Value: $320,867 (17th best)
Median Income: $122,159 (Seventh best)
More on Old Seward-Oceanview: Data | Real Estate

Population: 227
Median Home Value: $423,500 (Ninth best)
Median Income: $153,194 (Third best)
More on South Fork: Data | Real Estate

Population: 168
Median Home Value: $642,200 (best)
Median Income: $140,575 (Fourth best)
More on Basher: Data | Real Estate

Methodology: How We Determined The Best Anchorage, AK Neighborhoods In 2024

To rank the best neighborhoods in Anchorage, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.

Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:

  • High incomes
  • Low unemployment rates
  • Low crime
  • High home prices
  • High population densities (A proxy for things to do)

We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 34 in each category, where 1 was the best.

Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.

And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Anchorage.” We’re lookin’ at you, South Addition.

Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Anchorage, Alaska has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Anchorage.

Summary: Putting A Bow On Our Analysis Of The Best Neighborhoods In Anchorage

If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Anchorage where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.

The best neighborhoods in Anchorage are South Addition, Hillside East, Huffman-O’malley, Rabbit Creek, Bear Valley, Girdwood, Birchwood, Old Seward-Oceanview, South Fork, and Basher.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Anchorage aren’t all good. Midtown takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Anchorage.

The worst neighborhoods in Anchorage are Midtown, Mountain View, Downtown, Government Hill, and Fairview.

We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below.

For more Alaska reading, check out:

Best Neighborhoods To Live In Anchorage For 2024 Detailed Data

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 South Addition 4,016 $475,150 $122,938
2 Hillside East 146 $642,200 $209,150
3 Huffman-O’malley 10,122 $391,000 $138,832
4 Rabbit Creek 6,101 $532,600 $156,703
5 Bear Valley 200 $532,600 $114,682
6 Girdwood 519 $523,000 $115,263
7 Birchwood 87 $436,200 $109,344
8 Old Seward-Oceanview 6,100 $320,867 $122,159
9 South Fork 227 $423,500 $153,194
10 Basher 168 $642,200 $140,575
11 Rogers Park 4,117 $303,950 $96,686
12 Chugiak 2,826 $406,100 $105,429
13 Bayshore-Klatt 9,225 $319,600 $108,222
14 Turnagain Arm 193 $428,600 $87,214
15 Scenic Foothills 8,810 $259,075 $93,003
16 Eagle River 26,608 $363,758 $105,078
17 Tudor Area 1,446 $300,300 $85,888
18 Sand Lake 21,940 $342,862 $104,127
19 Eagle River Valley 11,556 $343,671 $109,729
20 Turnagain 9,367 $323,310 $103,454
21 North Star 3,691 $336,380 $78,542
22 Abbott Loop 24,649 $273,600 $95,068
23 Taku-Campbell 12,918 $257,020 $81,579
24 University Area 10,255 $301,157 $74,236
25 Northeast 29,207 $242,288 $79,226
26 Campbell Park 8,117 $311,000 $81,927
27 Russian Jack Park 12,502 $235,414 $69,792
28 Airport Heights 6,648 $235,557 $65,031
29 Spenard 11,168 $238,620 $67,594
30 Fairview 5,724 $272,000 $53,634
31 Government Hill 1,754 $318,900 $70,387
32 Downtown 1,304 $293,067 $62,589
33 Mountain View 8,350 $188,120 $43,934
34 Midtown 3,641 $222,733 $51,280
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.