What's up with Bethel, AK? (Anchorage: home, theatres, school)

[Rainy]

My stepmother taught school in Bethel and liked it very much.

If you have a problem with Caucasions being a minority I suggest you look elsewhere...not so much as for your own sake but for the sake of the people you'll be working and living among.

[Takoda]

Hi, sorry for the long delay. The one thing that I find in Bethel is that it is colder than the interior, because of the wind. so bring wind gear, depending on where you are going to live be prepared to buy a used car or snow machine. Bethel is a circle of about 14 miles of drivable road, so during the winter snow machines are best.

bring lots of movies and games, be prepared to send them care packages because a 2 pound ham cost about $85, milk is aroud $7 ect most people order from costco's.

If you live closer to town cable internet are available, but further up you will get dial up and that is slow. bring furnature if you do not get some with your apartment. a table without chairs cost around $600 and it only seats 4. another way of getting furnature is to wait for a garage sale or moving sale but get there quick it goes fast.

theres really not much else that you need. If they need anymore info or need someone to guide them feel free to ask me.

[Takoda]

I thought I would show my receipt for food in Bethel

Sugar 4.99
grape nuts cereal 10.69
Quaker oats 6.85
French’s mustard 1.88
Heinz ketchup 2.65
Bbq sauce 2.95
Mayonnaise 6.99
Concord grape jelly 3.79
Pancake syrup 5.37
Cheese shells 2.25
Prego pasta sauce 3.88
Corned beef hash 2.69
Pork N beans 2.05
Country chili 1.98
Hamburger buns 2.09
Hotdog buns 2.09
English muffins 2x 5.00
Pringles potato chips 2.79
Baby spinach 4.99
Eggs 18 5.79
Gogurt yogurt 4.69
Kraft American cheese 6.55
Margarine 2.25
French fries 4.69
Potato tots 4.69
Crinkle cut fries 5.45
16oz peas 2.57
160z peas/carrots 2.57
160z corn 2.57
Crispy chicken 7.99
Fish sticks 8.15
Cheese/bean burrito 5.99
Eggo waffo’s 5.69
Beef chuck steak 5.45
Pork shoulder 4.47
Hotdogs 2.79
Kielbasa 3.99
Hamburger patties 9.99
Sausage links 3.59
Bananas lb 1.29
White peaches lb 1.98
Lean ground beef lb 2.28
Pork chops lb 2.98
Dryers ice cream 5.98
Ritz crackers 3.50
Home pride bread 2.98
Soda 12-12oz cans 7.28
Potato chips 2 x 9.00
Bath tissue 24 rolls 8.98
Chicken thighs or drum 1.79 lb
Boneless chuck steak 3.78 lb
Pork spare ribs 2.98 lb
Chuck roast 3.78 lb
Potatoes 10lb bag 9.99

[Rance]

I'd stay away from the chips and the grape nuts cereal! OMG!

[Unhappycamper]

As a sodaholic I don't know if I can survive paying that unless I make some sacrafices...I may have to cut back on the Crinkle cut fries.

[Neenrn]

Hi my husband and I moved to Bethel last November. We enjoy living here, the people are great and the air is sooo clean. I have asthma as well, I no longer use my inhalers everyday or need to take my singulair! If you come to work for the hospital be prepared ... this place is crazy ... but saying that we do need nurses and physicians that are comitted to quality health care for the people up here. The excuse "but this is Bethel" drives me crazy. Yes food is expensive but you can deal with it ... you can ship stuff up through cost-co, Fred meyer, Carrs, and when you visit Anchorage bring a cooler and buy lots of meat and frozen veggies (some of the hotels have freezers and you can freeze the meat)

[AlleninAlaska]

I spent 21 years in Bethel. Nice place if you like remote. I now live in Chevak, my wife's hometown. My wife still lives in Bethel so she can finish up her last few years at the college for retirement. People that speak badly of Bethel have either spent no time or very little time there. Those are the same people that would find anything bad to say about any place they live in Bush Alaska. Tehy can't hack it.

[warptman]

If you have a military ID, every other month the National Guard flies a C130 out here to the National Guard Hangar and sells food in bulk, like costcos and sam's club. I think if you work for the hospital you can show your credentials and join in on this cheap shopping. Bethel isn't as bad as everyone says, usually the ones that say its bad here is cause they had grudges against everyone and had no friends or burned all their bridges early. If you treat people here the way you want to be treated, they'll do that. I love it here, this is my home town. Its just good to get out every few months and watch movies and shop in Anchorage or go on road trips down to the lesser 48.

[Piercejj]

Hello My husband lived in bethel for 9 years then he moved to oregon and we met then about 2 years later the money ran out and his bossed called him and wanted him to come back up there to help the store that he worked at
witch is calleds swanson's.. so i went back up there for 2 years with him and it was pure hell the whole time the people are disgusting.. when our son was born we decided that we didnt want him raised kind of cummnity.. i hope this helps out...

Dont take your family there...

Originally Posted by cootielu

We are facing a potential relocation to Bethel, AK, to work at a healthcare organization there. We have three young children so I am doing lots of research. So far I have found out that the pollution is outrageously bad because of some foul mining plant up north, that milk is $8 a gallon, gas is $5/gal, caucasians are minority and are treated as outsiders, water is freighted in and water bills are around $300 per month, heat is about the same, the scenery is not great as you think of "Alaska" (it's tundra) and, this kills me - there are 133 registered sex offenders in their zip code, a huge amount as far as I'm concerned with a population of only about 5,000.

Is this for real? I know every state has it's problems but this sure doesn't appear to be a place to bring a family?

Any insight? Is my reserach skewed?

[goingnorth]

no comment no one replies anyway.