Living in the village
There are many reasons why people enjoy living in the villages than living in the city. Nearly everyone in Alaska has chosen to either live in a small village or large city. There are 350,000 people that live in Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage alone; that is more than half of the people that live in Alaska. Despite that fact, villages are better. Because they give the freedom to do a variety of activities that one might never get to do anywhere else.
One unique aspect of living in the small villages is that most people live off of subsistence. In the fall, a lot of people go berry picking, berries are grown on tundra, and natives will pick enough to make Agutuk. Agutuk is native ice cream; it is simply any kind of berries, crisco and sugar mixed together. Might sound gross, nonetheless, it is delightful. During the winter, spring and fall people often go hunting for either moose or caribou. Summer time is when many people come from a wide variety of places to net fish by boat or from the land. However, in the city, most people would have to drive a long way to do any of these subsistence doings. If someone in the city wanted to hunt for a moose or another animal, they couldn’t do so with out traveling far away since cities have regulations that force hunters out of town to hunt. Unlike the city, the village allows you to easily hunt, fish, and gather food to put on your table, therefore you save a great deal of money.
Living in a village can save residents money in other ways too. Living in a large city can make it hard to save much at all. Since who live in the cities, people tend to blow their money on things they don’t really need just because they have access to shopping. Also, in a city if some one wanted to do an activity with friends or family it might cost them their money. Whereas, in the village, all it takes is some imagination and creativity to have fun and it won’t cost a penny. The village may be isolated and certainly there is no mall, wal-mart or a movie theatre, but it still is a better place to live.
In addition to subsistence, and safety living in villages is much safer. Since everyone knows everyone else, the situation becomes much safer. Living in the village can be friendlier for families, children and the elderly. However, in the cities, crimes happen so often that they are on the news almost daily. The same crimes are very unlikely to happen in small villages. Also in a village almost everyone has a better chance at getting a job which means workers are better off to support their families. The traffic is much daintier in villages, so drivers are less likely to crash into other cars. Finally, there too is less water and air pollution from machines and factories, in villages where living makes it safer for the environment. Cities can be overwhelming, and chaotic and that would increase the risk of both accidents and crimes.
Another great reason to live in a village is smaller schools. Attending to a smaller school allows you to have more freedom. While the city has much larger schools, students don’t really get that much freedom because of the time limits on classes. City schools provide more choices for activities, but limited time and access where village schools can be much more flexible. Village Schools are much better, because they can tailor education to their students.
On the other hand, people would say that living in the village is boring because “there is nothing to do”. Well first of all, people who live in villages need to have great imaginations. Almost everything that can be done in the city can be done in the village, just on a much smaller scale. Of course, living in the city does offer some activities that can’t be done in a village: the mall, movie theatre and restaurants; however, in the village online shopping replaces the mall, Netflix replaces theatre, and home cooking replaces the restaurant. Because of the Internet and imagination, people can get what they want while living the village.
In conclusion, living in the village is simply better than living in the city. While living in the village forces you to be in the middle of nowhere, it allows you to do subsistence and it saves money. Villages are much safer to live in, and you also get the chance to show your inner self and to know everyone. I’ve been stuck living in both the city and village, and I prefer the village to any other place.
Bibliography
"Alaska QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." Alaska QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02000.html>.
"Census 2010 News | U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Alaska's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting." Census 2010 News | U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Alaska's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn83.html>.
There are many reasons why people enjoy living in the villages than living in the city. Nearly everyone in Alaska has chosen to either live in a small village or large city. There are 350,000 people that live in Juneau, Fairbanks and Anchorage alone; that is more than half of the people that live in Alaska. Despite that fact, villages are better. Because they give the freedom to do a variety of activities that one might never get to do anywhere else.
One unique aspect of living in the small villages is that most people live off of subsistence. In the fall, a lot of people go berry picking, berries are grown on tundra, and natives will pick enough to make Agutuk. Agutuk is native ice cream; it is simply any kind of berries, crisco and sugar mixed together. Might sound gross, nonetheless, it is delightful. During the winter, spring and fall people often go hunting for either moose or caribou. Summer time is when many people come from a wide variety of places to net fish by boat or from the land. However, in the city, most people would have to drive a long way to do any of these subsistence doings. If someone in the city wanted to hunt for a moose or another animal, they couldn’t do so with out traveling far away since cities have regulations that force hunters out of town to hunt. Unlike the city, the village allows you to easily hunt, fish, and gather food to put on your table, therefore you save a great deal of money.
Living in a village can save residents money in other ways too. Living in a large city can make it hard to save much at all. Since who live in the cities, people tend to blow their money on things they don’t really need just because they have access to shopping. Also, in a city if some one wanted to do an activity with friends or family it might cost them their money. Whereas, in the village, all it takes is some imagination and creativity to have fun and it won’t cost a penny. The village may be isolated and certainly there is no mall, wal-mart or a movie theatre, but it still is a better place to live.
In addition to subsistence, and safety living in villages is much safer. Since everyone knows everyone else, the situation becomes much safer. Living in the village can be friendlier for families, children and the elderly. However, in the cities, crimes happen so often that they are on the news almost daily. The same crimes are very unlikely to happen in small villages. Also in a village almost everyone has a better chance at getting a job which means workers are better off to support their families. The traffic is much daintier in villages, so drivers are less likely to crash into other cars. Finally, there too is less water and air pollution from machines and factories, in villages where living makes it safer for the environment. Cities can be overwhelming, and chaotic and that would increase the risk of both accidents and crimes.
Another great reason to live in a village is smaller schools. Attending to a smaller school allows you to have more freedom. While the city has much larger schools, students don’t really get that much freedom because of the time limits on classes. City schools provide more choices for activities, but limited time and access where village schools can be much more flexible. Village Schools are much better, because they can tailor education to their students.
On the other hand, people would say that living in the village is boring because “there is nothing to do”. Well first of all, people who live in villages need to have great imaginations. Almost everything that can be done in the city can be done in the village, just on a much smaller scale. Of course, living in the city does offer some activities that can’t be done in a village: the mall, movie theatre and restaurants; however, in the village online shopping replaces the mall, Netflix replaces theatre, and home cooking replaces the restaurant. Because of the Internet and imagination, people can get what they want while living the village.
In conclusion, living in the village is simply better than living in the city. While living in the village forces you to be in the middle of nowhere, it allows you to do subsistence and it saves money. Villages are much safer to live in, and you also get the chance to show your inner self and to know everyone. I’ve been stuck living in both the city and village, and I prefer the village to any other place.
Bibliography
"Alaska QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." Alaska QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02000.html>.
"Census 2010 News | U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Alaska's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting." Census 2010 News | U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Alaska's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2012. <http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn83.html>.