Airport Heights Anchorage, AK

As an overflow suburb of Anchorage, Airport Heights began as a nearby neighborhood designed to attract residents looking for a short commute to work in the city. Founded in 1954, University of Alaska Anchorage introduced a younger population of students to the area. Now the largest university in the state, the school still brings new students looking for housing each year.

The development of Alaska Regional Hospital in 1976 also brought more residents to the area looking for work, further establishing Airport Heights as a self-sustainable community. With its emphasis on winter sport parks, Airport Heights acted as home to Scotty Gomez, a two-time Stanley Cup winning hockey player. The neighborhood committee even decided to name the hockey rink in Tikishla Park in his honor.

Although most theaters and arts venues require a trip to downtown Anchorage, residents can still find access to a theater by visiting the Eccentric Theatre Co. With a different play showing every month, Eccentric Theatre Co features classic, contemporary and original plays. Visitors can also enjoy a wine and snack bar during intermission.

Wendy Williamson Auditorium acts as another great theater, although it lies further from the neighborhood than Eccentric Theatre Co. The venue has acted as host to numerous annual events, with the most notable being the Banff Film Festival. Wendy Williamson usually hosts student-friendly acts such as comedians and bands due to its close proximity to the University campus.

Airport Heights provides plenty of variety when it comes to restaurant options. For a fine dining experience, plan a visit to Yes Bistro. This Modern European bistro prides itself on artistic presentation of European cuisine. Foodies delight at the attention to detail paid to each individual plate. Plan on calling ahead and making a reservation if you want to snag a table at this trendy spot.

For a more casual meal, head to Xalos Mexican Grill. Designed as a Qdoba style restaurant, Xalos maintains the authenticity of a family-owned restaurant while still providing lightning fast service. Reviewers rave about the restaurants open salsa bar that features fresh pico de gallo and spicy tomatillo.

Residents of Airport Heights enjoy live entertainment and a large selection of food and drinks at the Moose's Tooth Pub.This local hot spot serves up a selection of German lager's in a fabulous casual atmosphere for after-work drinks and conversation. For hungry appetites, the pub also has a selection of specialty pizzas, homemade desserts and a gluten-free menu for those with special dietary needs.

For a taste of Ireland, head over to Reilly's Irish Pub. Always full of locals, the bar maintains a casual atmosphere with plenty of beer options on tap. When it comes to nearby clubs, Mad Myrna's pretty much rules the nightlife in Airport Heights. As a predominantly gay bar, Mad Myrna's features drag shows on most weekends with dancing after the performances. The bar hosts a variety of events and specialty nights throughout the week, so check the website before you go. Avoid going in the front door, and instead weave your way around back to pay a lower cover charge.

Although the neighborhood almost definitely requires owning a car, there are still a few public transportation options. Bus lines service the neighborhood allowing for easy travel to nearby parks and amenities. Since the neighborhood is largely suburban and residential, cabs remain infrequent and usually require calling ahead.

Most residents can walk to at least one local amenity such as a coffee shop, grocery store or restaurant. The streets of the neighborhood do have sidewalks, but most residents count on a car for the majority of travel. Luckily, public parking is easy and free spots are widely available. Cyclists won't find many designated bike lanes, but the parks do have specific trails dedicated to biking.

Airport Heights certainly doesn't suffer from a shortage of free parks, with 12 different park areas located within a one-mile radius of the center of the neighborhood. Sitka Street Park provides an ideal spot to bring kids for a fun afternoon of outdoor activities. The park features accessible play equipment for toddlers, swings for children ages five and older and picnic shelters with tables for eating. Kids love sliding down the sledding hill when it snows, and the open play field offers a great space for building a snowman or two. Many residents also like to bring their dogs to play in the fields.

Located just east of Sitka Park, Tikishla Park features plenty of sporting options with multi-use trails for biking, cross-country skiing and walking. In addition to the winding trails, the park also contains a full-size ice hockey rink, senior league baseball field and two Little League baseball fields. The parking lot of Tikishla Park offers ample parking, with over 120 spaces available nearby.

Airport Heights maintains an average rent price just below the Anchorage city average. A one-bedroom apartment can be found for as low as $850 per month, though most will run closer to $950 a month. Residents of Airport Heights enjoy a cost of living approximately seven percent lower than the Anchorage average. Most people will end up saving money on housing and rent prices, as most prices for food and entertainment remain comparable.

Although larger chain stores make up most of Airport Heights' commercial options, residents can still find a few specialty boutiques to browse. Celestial Sweets acts as one of the most delightful specialty shops in the area. With dozens of cakes, cookies, cupcakes and other desserts available, people rarely leave this shop empty-handed. Specializing in custom party orders, Celestial Sweets strives to accommodate all dessert requests from elegant wedding cakes to Star Wars-themed birthday cupcakes.

Though it requires a short drive south of the neighborhood, Flypaper proves another worthwhile shop to visit. Offering jewelry, stationery and craft items, Flypaper is great for gift ideas. Though the prices are usually higher than a chain store, the inventory is truly unique.

Northway Mall acts as the neighborhood's main center of commerce, offering various commercial stores to browse, such as Foot Locker and Burlington Coat Factory. The mall also serves as home to the Northway Mall Farmer's Market occurring every Wednesday of the summer from 9AM to 4PM.

Shoppers who enjoy buying food in bulk will be pleased to find a Costco located within the boundaries of Airport Heights. For those who don't have Costco memberships, other chain grocery stores such as Fred Meyer and Walmart are available. When it comes to meat and poultry, American Pride Foods offers the best choices for fresh Alaskan game.