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Bush Alaska: Independent Living Communities


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Much like other roadless or remote parts of Australia and Africa, the state of Alaska in the United States has area commonly referred to as "the Bush". This term is used in Alaska to refer to the portion of the state that is not connected by North America's interconnected system of roadways.

The vast majority of Alaska's geography is located in the Bush, but the majority of the population lives in or near the two main urban areas of Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Most Alaskans refer to any place besides Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and the towns of the Kenai Peninsula and Mat-Su boroughs as falling within the Bush.

Although the Bush in Alaska is generally described as any community not "on the road system," there are distinctions within how different parts of the state define this term. Residents of remote Eskimo villages, for instance, do not consider communities connected by the Alaska State Marine Highway ferries as properly part of the Bush.

Most parts of Alaska that are off the road system can only be reached by small airplane, and travel from place to place is typically accomplished through alternative means of transportation such as snowmobile or snowmachine, boat, or dog sled.

In addition, Alaska has a further distinction that divides Bush communities into two further subcategories of "hub communities", and "villages".