In the October General Election, nearly 4 out of 5 residents in Gustavus, Alaska voted against (196 to 54) the installation of law enforcement (or VPSO) in their quiet little town. Gustavus is one of the largest, if not the largest community in Alaska to police itself.
Most residents in this remote town are proud of their ability to live together peaceably without the need of police officers to keep order. Based on the voting outcome we assume the majority of the town feels they don’t need to change or fix that which isn’t broken.
The absence of law enforcement is one of the big attractions that drew us to this little wilderness paradise when we purchased the Glacier Bay Country Inn five years ago.
In addition, Gustavus is particularly appealing because it’s one of the few places in the U.S. where you actually own your property, instead of renting it from the government. That’s right. Gustavus Alaska has no property taxes. Try not paying your property taxes anywhere else and see how long you “own” your property.
Did I mention there is no building department? Not only can you own private property in Gustavus, but you can actually build something on your property without having to get permission from the government and then pay additional fees for the privilege.
God bless Alaska!
Image source: http://www.dps.alaska.gov/AST/vpso/Images/default.jpg
