Best Places99605, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99605, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
99605 ranks 14,301st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99605
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
99605's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99605 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 97% of zip codes
Where 99605 ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Short commute38.2 minutes each way, better than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99605
A household needs to earn about $95,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99605 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $115,125, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 99605's effective rate of 0.45%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99605
99605 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 99605.
Who works in 99605, and how
Work in 99605 centers on public administration and retail trade. Unemployment is low.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 74%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 21%
Life in 99605
The coast is about 4 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 99605, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 99605, month by month
99605 sees roughly 124 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 69 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 11. The comfortable stretch runs June through August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 19° | 11° |
| April | 47° | 38° | 28° |
| July | 69° | 61° | 54° |
| October | 45° | 38° | 32° |
Flying in and out of 99605
The nearest airport, Merrill Field, is about 23 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 23 miles away.
The best schools in and around 99605
Schools across 99605 average a B, better than 68% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bear Valley ElementaryA+ · 73% proficient
- Girdwood SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- William H. Seward Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Skyview Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Seward Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- River City AcademyB · 50% proficient
- Seward High SchoolD · 21% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 99605 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
99605 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 99605 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 99605
Is 99605 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99605 ranks 14,301st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, heat safety, and clean air, and lowest on internet speeds and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 99605 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $381,900. The overall cost of living runs about 45% above the national average. Set against a $115,125 median income, cost of living beats 46% of zip codes.
Is 99605 safe?
99605 is safer than 17% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $784 per resident a year.
Compare 99605 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99605. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99605 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
99605 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99605: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99605: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99605: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99605: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99605 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.