Alaska has its own culture, humor, and way of talking — shaped by the rugged wilderness, extreme weather, and life far from the Lower 48. If you spend enough time in the Last Frontier, you’ll hear some phrases that might leave outsiders scratching their heads (or laughing out loud). Here are 10 sayings you’re likely to hear only in Alaska.
1. “There’s no bad weather, only bad gear.”
Alaskans know you can’t control the weather, but you can control how well you’re dressed for it.
2. “Break-up season”
This isn’t about relationships — it’s when spring thaw turns ice and snow into a muddy, slushy mess.
3. “The mosquito is our state bird.”
A joke, of course… but with summer swarms, it sometimes feels true.
4. “I live in Alaska for the fishing, not the daylight.”
With winters so dark and summers so bright, locals joke about sticking around for the good stuff — like salmon season.
5. “PFD season”
Refers to the Permanent Fund Dividend — the yearly cash payment Alaskans get from the state’s oil wealth.
6. “We don’t have traffic, we have moose jams.”
When a moose wanders onto the road, you wait. And wait.
7. “The midnight sun messes with your brain.”
In summer, it stays light almost all night — which means sleeping schedules get… creative.
8. “Going to the Bush”
Means traveling to Alaska’s remote areas far from cities and highways.
9. “You can’t drive to Juneau.”
A reminder that Alaska’s capital city is only reachable by plane or boat.
10. “Only tourists get scared of bears.”
Locals respect bears — but they’ve learned how to coexist with them.
From quirky weather slang to wildlife jokes, these sayings capture the humor and resilience of Alaskan life. They show that living in the Last Frontier isn’t just about surviving the cold — it’s about finding ways to laugh through it.
SOURCES
[1] https://www.learnaboutstates.com/alaska/alaska-quotes-gp1/
[2] https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/919292-looking-for-alaska
[3] https://www.alaskaexplored.com/alaska-quotes-30-memorable-excerpts-sayings-about-alaska/
[4] https://thetravelingmoore.com/alaska-instagram-captions/
[5] https://www.enjoytravel.com/us/travel-news/guides/alaskan-slang
