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I was unable to put my entire compilation in one posting, so here is the rest of it below:
Alcohol: The ABC board is taking applications now for liquor sales. Most of the restaurants have applied for a license to serve and the AC store has applied for a license to sell. Everything must go through the city council on the sales part. The alcoholics wanted to remove the "damp" status so they can order as much as they want, which they are doing now. (warptman, Nov 2009)
Alcohol: Bethel being a "damp" community means you can bring your booze in but you can't sell it. When you fly here and check in with Alaska Airlines, you MUST label your alcohol in a separate box with a big sticker on it saying "ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE" on the outside. If TSA finds any sort of booze in your luggage, they will discard it and normally not say anything or leave a little card saying they threw it away. The State of Alaska Beverage Control has limits on what you can bring in here, I don't drink so I don't know the limits on what you bring in. Remember, when you come out here for your site visit, you'll be in shock at prices out here. You must keep an open mind, too and have a great sense of humor. (warptman, March 2008)
Alcohol: Bethel is "damp." This means you can order it from Anchorage but you can't buy it or sell it here in town. This brings a problem for you, you can't bring alcohol into the villages, they have a local option, they call it "dry." You can't bring it into the village at all or you'd get into trouble with the AK State Troopers.
Alcohol: No bars here, but you can order as much beer as you please.
Alcohol: You can't buy alcohol here either, it's a "damp" town meaning you can bring it in but you can't buy it. (April 2009)
Alcohol: You can bring all you want to now, no sales though.
Alcohol: the town of bethel is a damp community but you can order any amount that you want from liquer stores in anchorage. the freight is kind of expensive but if you want it, thats how you get it. buying or selling alcohol is obviously illegal but you have the option to order.
Cable/Internet/Cell: There is only one cell service and one internet/cable provider here in Bethel, this is run by GCI. It's not as fast as you are used to. Yes, it's fast enough for WOW. Skype works here.
Insects: Welcome to Bethel! I'm sure the mosquitos are welcoming you, too. (warptman). Lol, I was itching one of my many bites when I ran across this post. I've since purchased the industrial strength repellent with 90%+ DEET. Holy crapola, they are big and there's lots of them! (Classic Satch). Yup, they're the state bird! (Xa’at). The K-300 store sells these windjackets that have mesh over the head area to keep bugs away, i think they go for around $60~. The store is only open on Saturdays. (LetsflyAK).
Insects: Whitesox are a pesky bug between a gnat and a mosquito in size, but instead of probing you like a skeeter, it has teeth and it gnaws on flesh, lots of fun.
Politics (2 different opinions): I'm surprised you picked Bethel; it's definitely not my idea of the most liberal/progressive town in Alaska. Good luck with the vegan conversions, etc. (ArticState) vs. Bethel was very left-leaning-friendly. Much more so than many other places in the state. It's definitely not a conservative town! (creeboo)
Opinion of Bethel: I lived there for a year. Loved it. I was in the medical field so living expenses werent much. YOU dont have alot of transportation but you dont need it. there is only 7 miles of paved road. the yellow cab will take you anywhere for two dollars..to the airport for five..A good job to have is at the airport..loading cargo planes..it's good money and you get very very very discounted tickets..you can fly in and out of anchorage on a regular basis. Usually there are people who share a car in anchorage. It stays in parking and who ever flies in pays to get it out and then returns it when finished and the next person who flies in does the same. The eskimos are wonderful.. dont ask what you are eating. just eat it and you wil like it or not. If you like it you dont want to know what it is..You can order cod from walmart and other dept stores. folks can send you stuff from the lower 48....Just do it....it;s not dark for 9 months ...the sun does not shine for about 3 months..but it is daylight just not bright... (TBlackmon, Aug 2006)
Opinion of Bethel: The key to whether you will like Alaska or not is just a question of how adventurous you are. People who want to schedule everything they do in advance and like a good steady routine, hate Alaska. The whole state is pretty much one adventure after another. Bethel is one of the more adventurous places in Alaska too... (Floyd_Davidson)
Opinion of Bethel: It's mainly the people. I've never met more genuine people. I only lived in the region for a year but made so many good friends. I like that the Yup'ik people there still speak their language, and are pretty true to their culture and subsistence life. I love being around the dog sled action, and c'amai, and all the obsession over basketball, and the fiddles. I love the feeling of a small community, and running into people I know at the AC in Bethel, and snowmachining down to Bethel on a weeknight to go out to eat, and the hunting and fishing.. I wouldn't lie, it's a tough place to live. A lot of people I know absolutely hated the year they had to live here. There was an serious assault on a teacher just last year, and everyone from the outside who gets a snowgo can expect to have it promptly vandalized (by bored kids). The mud is unbelievable, the silt makes it hard to breathe when it's dry, and the ice gets crazy! You'll find the most extreme poverty, highest rate of suicide and HIV, and lowest-performing schools in AK. Still, I love it. (puff5655, March 2011)
Opinion of Bethel: I no longer live in Bethel, left last year (sadly!) but we lived there for 7 years. City Sub is indeed in the middle of town, but you get more... um... colorful nightlife from what I saw of people wandering through. If you are used to creature comforts and low priced ultra organic wide variety produce... you are likely to be disappointed in AC/Swanson's. Look into Full Circle Farm's delivery. Yes the fruit/veggies are "available" but expect, especially in winter, frozen and thawed "fresh" produce, moldy/aging stuff being sold for full price, and unripe/less than prime quality stuff all around. Good luck. It's a great town for the right person. I miss it a ton. (creeboo, Sept 2011)
Opinion of Bethel: ...DAMN...some of the friendliest folks around seem to have up and congregated in Bethel Alaska. I have been to a lot of places and I tend to make acquaintances pretty easily but SHEESH…this is overwhelming. I'm staying at a B&B until I find a place to live and I’ve pretty much been given the run of the house …traveled to Anchorage for business and probably 6 people from Bethel tried to give me their cell phones and car keys to use while I was out there….the guy at the closest store knows my name already. It’s lunch time and here I sit typing this out…and what do I hear around me…laughter!!!…people really seem to have fun here. If you have a problem with people being too close to you or you’re a “sit quietly in my shell” person, get ready for a change. (HM2FLIP, March 2007)
Opinion of Bethel: I've been here for about 5 months now and I've learned alot.... about myself, the culture here and life in general. Oh, and I found out that cold does in fact mean cold here. Brutal. But other than that, I love it here. Everything just seems to move at a slower pace which suits my style of living? Haha. I went to visit my family in Ohio for Christmas. I missed my flight from Anchorage to Houston and was put on standby, where I would remain for the next 5 nights... Eventually I made it to Ohio (6 days later than I had planned) and enjoyed my families company. By the end of my two week stay in Ohio, I was ready to come back to Bethel. I found that the people there are just so uptight and sweat the small stuff, stressing over the smallest of nothings.... and that's one thing I've never done. I don't know if this place is good for just any random person looking for adventure and change or if it's just what I was looking for.... but I do know that I've never been any place like this before. And if I ever decide to leave it won't be easy going back to what I came from. (it’s just JB)
Opinion of Bethel: I also spent time in Bethel on a temporary nursing assingment about 6-7 years ago. I have to agree with an earlier posting that if you like structure(which I do), then you might not like AK. Still in spite of my whining and complaining, I found Bethel to be by far my most interesting place to work/live. I found it to be very surreal(I was there in the summer)to be walking around at midnight with the sun blazing. It never really seemed to get dark either...just kinda "twilight pink". Groceries outrageouslly expensive, I walked on the boardwalks everywhere with my backpack. Lots of dust/silt from the Kuskokwim river.I remember that the hospital would have nature walks which were neat. Check out the nature museum, the morovian bookstore and buy Eskimo handicrafts. (noenurse, Oct 2006)
Opinion of Bethel: Bethel's not really pretty unless you go out on the river, but I made the best friends of my life there, Being happy anywhere is pretty much a choice, doncha think?
Opinion of Bethel: well, I have been in bethel for 2 weeks now and really like it. we drove up the alcan which was definately a wonderful trip...thanks for all who recommended it. i have started my job and met lots of nice people around town. the people here are very friendly and helpful. i love the laid back live and let live attitude here. no one dresses up and you always look dusty and windblown...my normal look anyway! Bethel is unique and amazing. (breezey514)
Opinion of Bethel: Bethel is the ugliest most wonderful place I have ever been to in Alaska. (teamcoltra)
Opinion of Bethel: I miss: Driving on a road... OF FREKEN ICE. Walking into Wells Fargo and the people already know me even though I have only been there twice. Knowing my biggest fear was getting raped by women (oh no :P ). Awesome people like Joe Joe the Radio Monkey :P. Someone's car in the middle of your path way? Just get in their car and pull it forward...Its alright. Not needing very much driving skill to still be #1. (teamcoltra)
Opinion of Bethel: it (Bethel) is NOT an easy, or even a particularly appealing place to live. It's less like living in the US and more like living in an entirely different country that speaks the language, uses the dollar, and flies the American flag. There the similarities end. (WildandFreeAK)
Opinion of Bethel: Well I have arrived safely in Bethel... actually a couple weeks ago. Things are going alright. I about died of sticker shock when I first got here though... that has calmed down some and now I'm just waiting to start work. Its been difficult for me to get used to the daylight. I find that I don't go to bed until around 2 so then I sleep until 11... hopefully soon I'll get that under control too. Now we just need to find a vehicle and get the kids enrolled in school!! (montana_mommy)
Opinion of Bethel: Alaskan winters are long, hard, cold, and dark, and not easy on elders. If she has any kind of chronic illness like arthritis you can expect it to be exacerbated in Bethel and unless she's native, health care is going to be pricier then it would be for you in elsewhere since the hospital is IHS. (Wynternight)
Opinion of Bethel: I've lived in bethel all of my life and have never been out of state but ive been told that you will never meet nicer people anywhere else you go... =) i know a lot of people that have moved here, left then came back because the people were so nice and its got a small town feel, which is nice. (dnerby1)
Opinion of Bethel: If you enjoy life in the fast lane, prepare to be shocked. Not bored necessarily, but shocked as you try to adapt to the totally different way of life. The towns are tiny and in no way are similar to anything seen in the lower 48. Homes vary from wooden structures to literally shacks. Snow machines, lack of trees, big open sky, bracing cold, and nothing but nature (or tundra) as far as the eye can see.... unless you're next to the ocean of course. Depending on the time of the year, the ocean may look like snow covered land, because it ices over. There is not much to do, but most activities are centered around the schools. Prepare for constant night and constant day depending on the time of the year too. You will feel cut off from the world, as Bethel, or Nome, will BECOME the center of the world when you are there. You will kind of forget about the "outside" and tv, internet, and everything else, will just be a bit slower. Life will be slower there. It is quite an experience, but certainly not for everyone. (NWbyNW)
Opinion of Bethel: The land mass around Bethel is kind of soft and low in the ground. Think when after major winter snow storms. The area might get flooded big time. Think area residences should build higher double triple deck houses above the flood line. Also it would be very cool looking new houses in Bethel and with more houses. The real estate prices will fall down. And buy in the culture of weather changes over the years. Making everyone happy and safe. (ThenewHMR)
Opinion of Bethel: Have you ever seen the series "The Walking Dead"? Thats what the drunk population of Bethel reminds me of. Mindless, staggering around drunks moaning at strangers. (terracore)
Opinion of Bethel: there really aren't any yards here. and the first few times you go shopping for groceries, you think you are going to have a stroke from the price of food here. its all tundra here. the people are nice, but its definately different. (wnor5557)
Bethel is a gem of a community although you put a lot of work into your post for this town that has less than 1% of the population of Alaska. You should give this info to YKHC so they can provide it to their doctors and nurses who come and go from Bethel on a regular basis.
Bethel is a gem of a community although you put a lot of work into your post for this town that has less than 1% of the population of Alaska. You should give this info to YKHC so they can provide it to their doctors and nurses who come and go from Bethel on a regular basis.
I did the research, because I am considering moving to the town. I read quite a few threads and posts in my research of Bethel, but I suspect I didn't read enough. I suspected others would appreciate the info that otherwise takes lots of wading through threads and posts.
I thought I read that Bethel is now "wet," and residents can buy alcohol in the town. Can someone confirm that? Even though it might be wet, I'm sure the prices of alcohol are as outrageous as they are for all other goods in town.
Anyone have examples of the prices of alcohol?
I would suspect bringing in or ordering alcohol from out of the town would be the most cost effective means of imbibing.
You still can't buy it here, but you can bring as much and order as much as you want to. Everyone orders booze from Red Jug in Anchorage and have it shipped in on ACE Cargo or Alaska Airlines.
The City will have the highest tax in state in a few months...
Quote from the article: "That all changed Dec. 11, when the Bethel City Council passed a new tax on cigarettes to the tune of $2.21 per pack. The tax hike comes on top of an existing $2-per-pack state cigarette tax, and brings the average price for a pack of cigarettes to nearly $11, making Bethel smokes among the priciest in the nation."
Reminds me of when some city (NYC, I think) raised cigarette taxes to $9/pack a few years ago. Smoking levels remained exactly where they were before the prohibitive tax, but tax revenue dropped like a rock. Turns out that al Qaeda type terrorist organizations and organized crime spring up to to fill the void with a very lucrative black market cigarettes (e.g. tractor trailers from the South unloading truck loads of cheap cigarettes in the city). Though I kind of doubt Bethel residents will be seeing any wise guys anytime soon, but I wouldn't be surprised to see enterprising individuals willing to get around the law and seeing bootleg cigs for $9 or less.
Rumor around town is the very nice guy I had met while I was in Bethel who was very happy my ex and I had befriended his daughter, was one of the biggest crime figures in Bethel, a real bush-Godfather of sorts. I don't know if it's true or not but a lot of people said as much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 31st State Citizen
Quote from the article: "That all changed Dec. 11, when the Bethel City Council passed a new tax on cigarettes to the tune of $2.21 per pack. The tax hike comes on top of an existing $2-per-pack state cigarette tax, and brings the average price for a pack of cigarettes to nearly $11, making Bethel smokes among the priciest in the nation."
Reminds me of when some city (NYC, I think) raised cigarette taxes to $9/pack a few years ago. Smoking levels remained exactly where they were before the prohibitive tax, but tax revenue dropped like a rock. Turns out that al Qaeda type terrorist organizations and organized crime spring up to to fill the void with a very lucrative black market cigarettes (e.g. tractor trailers from the South unloading truck loads of cheap cigarettes in the city). Though I kind of doubt Bethel residents will be seeing any wise guys anytime soon, but I wouldn't be surprised to see enterprising individuals willing to get around the law and seeing bootleg cigs for $9 or less.
Rumor around town is the very nice guy I had met while I was in Bethel who was very happy my ex and I had befriended his daughter, was one of the biggest crime figures in Bethel, a real bush-Godfather of sorts. I don't know if it's true or not but a lot of people said as much.
Wouldn't shock me to hear of organized crime and/or cigarette black market emerging in Bethel. With $4+ in taxes for an $11 pack of cigarettes, all you need to do is sell them less by even $1, and you're making $3+/pack. That's $30+ of profit per carton. Sell enough cartons and you're talking serious money--none of which the state of Alaska or the city of Bethel will ever see.
Very shortsighted for politicians to create such a lucrative incentive for people.
I don't smoke, but there is a tribal smoke shop in Klawock that can sell tax free cigs because the tribe is tax exempt.
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