The pot of gold seekers are really nothing new and you can pretty much chase that back to Western contact with the Russian fur traders on through the various waves of gold seekers, the oil boom, and so on.
The good thing about Alaska is the environment has a way of taking care of itself to a degree. There seem to be two types of people who are in Alaska, those who couldn't possibly leave, and those who can't wait to leave. I've yet to meet anywhone who makes enough money for them to justify living in Alaska if the state is not for them.
The biggest problem in Alaska is the social programs that allow those who aren't willing or able to provide for themselves to live off the dole. The majority of the state's budget goes to those using and abusing the system and those government workers whose job it is to help feed, educate, arrest, prosecute, provide medical assistence, rehab or otherwise coddle them.
