Best Places99686, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99686, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
99686 ranks 7,584th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 99686
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.
99686's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99686 ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Short commute10.6 minutes each way, better than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 99686 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 27 pleasant days a year, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,185 a month, better than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99686
A household needs to earn about $92,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99686 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $110,387, 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 99686's effective rate of 1.10%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99686
99686's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 99686.
Who works in 99686, and how
Work in 99686 centers on health care & social and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment sits above the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 16%
Life in 99686
99686 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 76% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 99686 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 99686, month by month
99686 sees roughly 27 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 64 degrees. January highs sit near 30, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs July.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 23° | 17° |
| April | 45° | 38° | 30° |
| July | 64° | 55° | 48° |
| October | 46° | 39° | 33° |
Flying in and out of 99686
The nearest airport, Valdez Pioneer Field, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 124 miles away.
The best schools in and around 99686
Schools across 99686 average a B−, better than 61% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hermon Hutchens ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Glennallen ElementaryC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- George H. Gilson Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
Top high schools
- Valdez High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Glennallen Jr/sr High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 99686 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
99686 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 99686 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 99686
Is 99686 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99686 ranks 7,584th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on heat safety, low taxes, and short commutes, and lowest on the weather and distance from a big city. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 99686 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $338,809. The overall cost of living runs about 43% above the national average. Set against a $110,387 median income, cost of living beats 39% of zip codes.
Is 99686 safe?
99686 is safer than 25% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $684 per resident a year.
Compare 99686 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99686. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99686 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.
99686 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99686: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99686: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99686: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99686: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99686 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.