As far as crime, yes it does exist and yes there are meth head scum bags that break into vehicles. Perhaps a good alternative to renting an apartment would be a storage unit. Better to spend a couple hundred a month than over a thousand especially if you'll be traveling most of the time. Also there is the unfortunate fact that many if not most of the lower rent areas in Anchorage are in the higher crime areas.
Anchorage is a pros and cons city. It's the economic and population center so that's a good thing for jobs. Housing is expensive, of course it's expensive state wide and you need to balance the cost of housing with job opportunities and pay.
Professionals with in demand skills are well compensated, in some fields salaries are at or near the top of the nation. Laborers can do very well if they work in remote locations, but they are often working long hours and gone for weeks to months at a time. Construction projects are always hit or miss so you have to work when there is work, even if its in the middle of the hunting or fishing season.
The one caution is that the state is in a serious economic crunch due to low oil prices. The oil industry has throttled back and those low prices mean the state is operating at a serious deficit. No matter what people may say or think, oil is the economic engine of the state. While I don't see the economic catastrophe some are predicting, it's going to be tight the next couple years at best and if oil prices don't start heading up next year it's likely to get ugly and stay that way for some time.
The biggest balance to strike in the state is having both the time and money to enjoy it.
