Relocating Your Business to Homer

Homer offers a variety of attractive features that make it a wonderful place to live and operate a business.

General Description of the Local Economy:

Homer is primarily a fishing, trade and service center, and enjoys a considerable seasonal tourist industry. Approximately 10 cruise ships dock in Homer each summer. During summer months, the population swells with students and others seeking seasonal employment. Sport fishing for halibut and salmon contributes significantly to the economy. 539 area residents hold commercial fishing permits. In 2001, the estimated gross fishing earnings of residents neared $18 million. The fish dock is equipped with cold storage facilities, ice manufacturing and a vacuum fish-loading system. A sawmill processes borough timber, and the operating company is exporting wood chips from Homer to Japan. A multi-million dollar U.S. Fish & Wildlife Visitors Center for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge will open soon.

Commercial Property

If leasing or purchasing commercial property is important or needed for your business relocation plans, the Homer area provides a wide selection. Raw land is available within the city limits and several building are currently
for sale.

The Alaska MLS service is a directory of available properties nationwide, the listing is complete and the website has no association to any private agency. On the website, just click on Homer for a complete listing of available properties.

You can also access some of the following local real estate agents when thinking of purchasing a property, or you can call the Homer Chamber of Commerce at (907) 235-7740 for further information.

Office/Retail Space

Homer provides a variety of Class A, B and general office space. Limited inventory of existing retail space is available in the downtown area. Homer Spit contains several boardwalk locations for seasonal (summer) operations.

Cost of office space ranges from $.75 to 2.00 per square foot.
Retail space in the downtown business area begins at $1.65 per square foot.

Labor Availability/ Cost

For more information about labor costs contact
http://146.63.75.50/employer/employer.htm

City regulations

For information about City of Homer regulations contact:

City of Homer (907) 235-8121
http://www.ci.homer.ak.us/

City of Homer Planning Department (9070 235-3106
http://planning.ci.homer.ak.us/
http://clerk.ci.homer.ak.us/code/search/

Social and cultural incentives

When considering a business move there are always fixed cost and operational considerations that must be addressed. In short, financial and economic costs must provide adequate incentive. Dollars are not the only measurement needed when considering a move. The social and cultural elements can and ( according to many noted economists) should be factored into the calculus of the decision. In simple terms, if businesses located only in the cheapest place to do business there would be no geographical diversity to any industry. Homer provides social and cultural amenities that are some of the best in Alaska if not the world.

The following link will will give you a visual representation of the Homer area. http://www.homeralaska.org/photos.htm

More Information

To request additional information on relocating to Homer click on the
following link:
http://www.homeralaska.org/relocation.htm