Moving to Barrow....yes or no? (Anchorage, Fairbanks: to live, price, horse)

[mal_flisk]

Bush Alaska has some serious problems with alcohol. Each village, city or township has a referendum on the availability of alcohol within its limits. There are 3 conditions

Dry: NO alcohol allowed. None. Period. Alcohol brought in will be confiscated. If people bring it in and attempt resale, they can be prosecuted (by the state, no less) for bootlegging.

Damp: Alcohol can be brought in for personal consumption only. Same terms apply on sale and re-sale of alcoholic products.

Wet: Alcohol available for those who have the bucks.

Bush Alaska has problems with drug use. It isn't just crack or meth. Kids in grammar school and HS are huffing gas too. And gas is much cheaper and much more readily available. It kills just as easily as crack too. Brain damage is not uncommon. Some of this is boredom. Some is a genetic predisposition towards addiction. (I'm Irish, and a recovering alcoholic, so this is NOT a racist statement.) Some is just an attempt to relieve depression, but only reinforces and further intensify the feelings of depression. This often leads to suicide. Bush Alaska has the highest rate of suicide in the US. It can be as high as 1% across a time span of 5 years, as evidenced by the Y-K Delta area around St. Mary's and Mountain Village, where a group of 10 villages with a combined population of 2,000 has had 20 people commit suicide in the past 5 years. This affects the entire population, as they are all closely related.

Alcohol has been involved in most of the murders in the bush, most of the acts of sexual abuse, and is a leading cause of physical abuse. This is probably true Outside as well.

A honeybucket is a port-a-potty. You know, the blue toilet booths you see on construction sites?

There is a desalinization plant in Barrow, I think, and the housing I was in had indoor bathrooms (in Barrow).

[nsm]

Originally Posted by mal_flisk

Bush Alaska has some serious problems with alcohol. Each village, city or township has a referendum on the availability of alcohol within its limits. There are 3 conditions

Dry: NO alcohol allowed. None. Period. Alcohol brought in will be confiscated. If people bring it in and attempt resale, they can be prosecuted (by the state, no less) for bootlegging.

Damp: Alcohol can be brought in for personal consumption only. Same terms apply on sale and re-sale of alcoholic products.

Wet: Alcohol available for those who have the bucks.

Bush Alaska has problems with drug use. It isn't just crack or meth. Kids in grammar school and HS are huffing gas too. And gas is much cheaper and much more readily available. It kills just as easily as crack too. Brain damage is not uncommon. Some of this is boredom. Some is a genetic predisposition towards addiction. (I'm Irish, and a recovering alcoholic, so this is NOT a racist statement.) Some is just an attempt to relieve depression, but only reinforces and further intensify the feelings of depression. This often leads to suicide. Bush Alaska has the highest rate of suicide in the US. It can be as high as 1% across a time span of 5 years, as evidenced by the Y-K Delta area around St. Mary's and Mountain Village, where a group of 10 villages with a combined population of 2,000 has had 20 people commit suicide in the past 5 years. This affects the entire population, as they are all closely related.

Alcohol has been involved in most of the murders in the bush, most of the acts of sexual abuse, and is a leading cause of physical abuse. This is probably true Outside as well.

A honeybucket is a port-a-potty. You know, the blue toilet booths you see on construction sites?

There is a desalinization plant in Barrow, I think, and the housing I was in had indoor bathrooms (in Barrow).

wow, thank you. that was very informative. I would NEVER have figured out the honeybucket. LOL. For people born there, how hard is it for them to leave and relocate to other areas? Also if someone has never been anywhere other than in alaska...I always wondered if they ever long to move to a tropical climate. How can they even relate to it? I'm sure they see other areas on tv.

[mal_flisk]

Some of the folks in Barrow have made a lot of money with their dividends from the corporations run by the North Slope Borough, and actually live Outside for the winter. About 10% of the houses are empty through the winter months.

[nsm]

Originally Posted by mal_flisk

Some of the folks in Barrow have made a lot of money with their dividends from the corporations run by the North Slope Borough, and actually live Outside for the winter. About 10% of the houses are empty through the winter months.

I am very interested in visiting Barrow. I would like to find a dvd on it....any suggestions?

[mal_flisk]

I don't know of a DVD personally. Check with the chamber of commerce, or with the tribal council.

[heitmann13]

Barrow is a very unique place to live. As any place it has it's ups and downs, it is really scrutinized by the outside view because of the isolation. I have been living in Barrow since July and it is a place that is something you can't describe. There is no paved roads or sidewalks, in the beginning of October I went 1 1/2 blocks from where I live to the Ocean to see a 12 ft polar bear swimming in from the ice pack. I have been out on the tundra and seen the wildlife. Even stopped to take a picture where Will Rogers parished in a plane crash. Unique is the only word that best describes Barrow.

[nsm]

Originally Posted by heitmann13

Barrow is a very unique place to live. As any place it has it's ups and downs, it is really scrutinized by the outside view because of the isolation. I have been living in Barrow since July and it is a place that is something you can't describe. There is no paved roads or sidewalks, in the beginning of October I went 1 1/2 blocks from where I live to the Ocean to see a 12 ft polar bear swimming in from the ice pack. I have been out on the tundra and seen the wildlife. Even stopped to take a picture where Will Rogers parished in a plane crash. Unique is the only word that best describes Barrow.

I would love to see some of your pictures. Could you please post them here?
thanks

[Rance]

Stop by www.kbrw.org for some neat stuff on Barrow. Also you can listen to the radio station live (click on the little radio). For being up here in the middle of nowhere they play great tunes, that comes in very handy working on the slope.

And here's a link with some info:
http://www.kbrw.org/where.html

[BarrowsBaby]

Yes I was born here. Yes, I have lived in many of the other states. Shopping is basically down to what they have here at the store which isn't much. It depends on who you are, what you have (car, truck, snow machine, money) on what a normal day for you is. The cost of living here is outrageous, but then again, we get paid a lot too.

[BarrowsBaby]

A honey bucket is something peopl poo and pee in. It is because of no plumbing. Alcohol is not prohibited, just limited. The reason why it is limited is because when it was completly legal, that is all everyone did because the town is so boring and there is nothing better to do.