Bethel Apartment Renter's Guide
Bethel Apartment Renter's Guide
Overview
Bethel has only some 6,000 residents, but it has a lot to be proud of as the biggest city in Western Alaska and the largest port on the Kuskokwim River. It's a very friendly little city where people tend to know each other.
Bethel is some 400 miles from Alaska's biggest city, Anchorage
Bethel has only some 6,000 residents, but it has a lot to be proud of as the biggest city in Western Alaska and the largest port on the Kuskokwim River. It's a very friendly little city where people tend to know each other.
Bethel is some 400 miles from Alaska's biggest city, Anchorage. Since it's only accessible by plane and boat, the town is better classified as a remote village than an urban center, although residents of the many outlying villages come into town to stock up on food. According to the 2013 census, Bethel's population was 6,371, but that still put in it the state's largest cities. Geographically speaking, it's a good sized town with 48 square miles of terrain, including 5 square miles of water, but very little of this is developed.
Moving to Bethel
Almost 54 percent of residents own their own homes in Bethel, and they tend to stay put, as the vast majority have been living in their current homes for a year or more. But there are almost 2,400 housing units in town, so you should be able to find something that works for you. Only about a quarter of those units are small, mom-and-pop owned apartment complexes, so while you may be able to find one-bedroom apartments for rent in Bethel, your best bet may be to look for a single family house. Note that most of the structures are prefabricated since Bethel has no trees and cannot be accessed by road. You'll probably have better luck hunting for a home rental in the winter since winters are long and extremely cold in this area of the state, and the town gets an average of 44 inches of snowfall. Summers are warm, though short, and that's when tourists pass through to see the sights -- mainly people from outlying regions who come into the big-city hub and may need a house rental.
Neighborhoods in Bethel
Since Bethel has such a small population, it isn't divided up into neighborhoods. The city is able to be divided into directional regions, however.
South: For the best views, look for a place on the south side of town where Front Street runs right beside the the Kuskokwim River.
West: You might want to search away from the airport, located in the west side of town, to avoid the constant din of takeoffs and landings.
Downtown: The most convenient housing for shopping and restaurants is located on or near Main Street, but the schools are situated about a mile north from the river and west from Main Street.
North: Some folks might prefer looking for a house rental in the north end of town. Since there are less than 10 miles of paved roads in town, you can walk almost anywhere you need to go. But beware of frostbite!
Living in Bethel
Bethel offers natural beauty and wonderful outdoor activities in the warm, summer months, including great fishing in the Kuskokwim River and hiking along the nearby Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, the second largest wildlife preserve in the nation. In winter there are occasional dogsled races. In general, however, life is calm, and the city is not lively. Locals shop in the Alaska Commercial Company on Ridgecrest Drive, the kind of store that has a little of everything, and eat out occasionally at the dozen restaurants, including the popular Subway at Ridgecrest and 4th Avenue, the Family Restaurant on Ridgecrest and Dimitri's Restaurant on 4th Avenue. You can check out books and read your way through the winter at the Kuskokwim Consortium Library on State Street or take classes at the University of Alaska Kuskokwim Campus in central Bethel. Because the town is small, residents tend to visit each other often, creating a happy and friendly community.