Petersburg: The Importance Of Living In A Small Town

Petersburg, a tiny island located in Southeast Alaska, is like no other place I have ever lived. The population is less than 3000 people and everybody knows everyone. There is only 35 miles of road, no stoplights, no fast food or chain stores, and the crime rate is really low. Our hospital is a critical access hospital and only provides the basics. If you happen to need surgery, get sick or injured, then you get medivac to Seattle for treatment. In order to have a baby, you are required to leave 2-4 weeks before your due date to ensure that you are at a hospital that can handle deliveries. The community is extremely close knit, and helps each other out when somebody is in need. A few reasons I loved living in Petersburg were due to the scenery,

From the muskeg, to the mountains and glaciers, to the narrows, and northern lights, it doesn’t get any better than that. Muskeg is known as the Alaskan version of quick-sand. When you walk on it, its feels like a giant wet sponge. The muskeg holes are very thick, swamp like puddles that are extremely deep. If you happen to fall into one, better hope you have a friend there to help pull you out. As you are driving down the road, you see the stunning mountains across the narrows. Peeking between the mountains you are able to see parts of the LeConte glacier. Occasionally on a cold clear night, the northern lights will dance across the sky lighting up the sky. It is so bright, it reflects off of the water giving everything a green/purple tint to it. With are the beautiful scenery, it makes you want to get outside and enjoy every minute of

There are countless hiking trails for different fitness levels. You can do a strenuous hike up various mountains, or a leisurely stroll on the bike path next to the narrows. During the summer fishing is in full swing. Camping, swimming, boating, kayaking, and tubing are among the more popular things to do. People love to have bon fires and go up the river to party. One of the more intriguing activities to take part in would be muskeg jumping. A group of people go out in the muskeg, find a hole that’s not very deep (if you go in over your head, you can drown) and take turns jumping in and pulling each other out. In the winter time, the cold temperatures don’t stop from people from getting out. When it snows you can enjoy snow machining, sledding, 4-wheeling, and ice skating. Snowball fights are a must and there is a tournament every year. Children love to build snowmen and snow forts. Even the rain doesn’t keep people inside. They just throw on some raingear to go to the park and play or even puddle jump, to see who can make the biggest splash. People are able to get outside and do all of these things because it is a safe place to