Housing Market in Alaska

Housing prices in the continental U.S. has seen its bubble burst! Why didn't the housing market in Alaska have the same negative impact as the lower 48? Everyone always says we are "isolate" from them. What exactly does that mean? With my basic understanding of economics I think that its because of the fixed costs associated with shipping goods up here and the relatively limited supply of housing in Alaska. Since we have most of the building materials shipped up here, minus timber, I think the costs of buildings a house here has always been higher than the lower 48, so higher starting prices. The short building season here, I think, has an impact on prices. Since construction companies can build houses, cost effectively, when the ground isn't frozen, I think theirs a shortage (at least in Anchorage). Another contributing factor may be limited speculation in Alaska, although I have no evidence for or against. Regardless of the causes the value of my home over the past 4 years has increased by about 10 % and I just wanted other peoples input on why this is and why Alaska is "isolated."