Best Places99694, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 99694, 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.
99694 ranks 29,973rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 99694
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.
99694's strengths and weaknesses
Where 99694 ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 112 pleasant days a year, better than 71% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 62% of zip codes
Where 99694 ranks low
- Short commute47.8 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 99694
A household needs to earn about $75,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 99694 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $70,446; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 99694's effective rate of 0.69%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 99694
99694's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 99694.
Who works in 99694, and how
Work in 99694 centers on construction and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 99694
The coast is about 22 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 99694, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 99694, month by month
99694 sees roughly 112 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 70 degrees. January highs sit near 27, with lows near 10. The comfortable stretch runs June through August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 18° | 10° |
| April | 49° | 39° | 28° |
| July | 70° | 60° | 50° |
| October | 46° | 38° | 29° |
Flying in and out of 99694
The nearest airport, Merrill Field, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 30 miles away.
The best schools in and around 99694
Schools across 99694 average a C−, better than 25% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Willow ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Big Lake ElementaryC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Houston High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 99694 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
99694 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 99694 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 99694
Is 99694 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 99694 ranks 29,973rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low taxes, clean air, and heat safety, and lowest on long commutes and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 99694 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $290,793. The overall cost of living runs about 20% above the national average. Set against a $70,446 median income, cost of living beats 12% of zip codes.
Is 99694 safe?
99694 is safer than 32% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $642 per resident a year.
Compare 99694 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 99694. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 99694 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.
99694 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 99694: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 99694: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 99694: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 99694: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
99694 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.