Best PlacesUniversity Area, Anchorage, AK Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University Area, Anchorage, 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.
University Area, Anchorage ranks 1,804th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low taxes by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in University Area, Anchorage
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.
University Area, Anchorage's strengths and weaknesses
Where University Area, Anchorage ranks high
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Short commute15.9 minutes each way, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
Where University Area, Anchorage ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Big-city accessBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,590 a month, better than only 16% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 20% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in University Area, Anchorage
A household needs to earn about $95,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University Area, Anchorage home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $99,586, 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 University Area, Anchorage's effective rate of 1.00%, 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 University Area, Anchorage
University Area, Anchorage runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for University Area, Anchorage.
Who works in University Area, Anchorage, and how
Work in University Area, Anchorage centers on health care & social and public administration. Unemployment is low.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 78%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in University Area, Anchorage
University Area, Anchorage has more parkland per resident than 90% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 8 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of University Area, Anchorage and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University Area, Anchorage, month by month
University Area, Anchorage sees roughly 142 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 70 degrees. January highs sit near 26, with lows near 9. The comfortable stretch runs June through August.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 18° | 9° |
| April | 48° | 39° | 29° |
| July | 70° | 61° | 54° |
| October | 46° | 38° | 29° |
Flying in and out of University Area, Anchorage
The nearest airport, Merrill Field, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Ted Stevens Anchorage International, about 7 miles away.
The best schools in and around University Area, Anchorage
Schools across University Area, Anchorage average a C−, better than 26% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Winterberry SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- College Gate ElementaryC · 33% proficient
- Baxter ElementaryC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Wendler Middle SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Highland Academy CharterC+ · 35% proficient
- Mclaughlin Secondary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Bettye Davis East Anchorage High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University Area, Anchorage school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University Area, Anchorage 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 University Area, Anchorage against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in University Area, Anchorage
Is University Area, Anchorage a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University Area, Anchorage ranks 1,804th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low taxes, heat safety, and clean air, and lowest on cell coverage 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 University Area, Anchorage expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $352,501. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $99,586 median income, cost of living beats 62% of neighborhoods.
Is University Area, Anchorage safe?
Yes, University Area, Anchorage is safer than 67% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $615 per resident a year.
Compare University Area, Anchorage with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University Area, Anchorage. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University Area, Anchorage 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.
University Area, Anchorage detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University Area, Anchorage: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University Area, Anchorage: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University Area, Anchorage: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University Area, Anchorage: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University Area, Anchorage 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.