State tracks Wrangell class of '05, finds over half live out of state

March 15, 2023

Courtesy of Zach Taylor

Zach Taylor, who owns Muddy Water Adventures, was a member of the Wrangell High School class of 2005. The state Department of Labor has been keeping track of Alaskans who graduated that year to learn where they have studied, moved, worked and set up their lives.

Zach Taylor of Muddy Water Adventures is a self-described "small-town person." He likes striking up a conversation with his barista and greeting the familiar people he passes on the street. However, he acknowledges that life in small towns like Wrangell may not be for everyone.

"Folks who grew up here, (Wrangell) they either stay here and they really like it," said Taylor, or they "have never been back, not for any reason."

The Alaska Department of Labor is interested in the factors that motivate people to leave their Alaska hometowns for the Lower 48 or stick around in-state, where they...

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