WHITTIER, Alaska—Lorelei Gurung invested years chasing the Los Angeles dream, working long hours and saving every dollar to buy the car, the condo, and the life she always wanted in Southern California.
One day, she realized it wasn’t enough. Or maybe it had become too much. The noise, bustle, high prices, and traffic jams just didn’t seem worth it anymore.
Two years ago, she chose to leave everything behind, trading Los Angeles’s chaotic sprawl for the subarctic calm of Whittier, Alaska, 3,544 miles northwest.
“Advantages? Well, you don’t see a mall. You don’t see anything like that if you’re outdoorsy, like me,” said Gurung, 49, who works as a server at the Anchor Inn Bar and Lounge in tiny downtown Whittier….