# Remote and/or exotic towns/settlements/areas in the US **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530 "2013-09-10T22:03:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/1 "2013-09-10T22:03:03Z")
Sort of a half-bucket list half-serious travel question. I’m looking to travel to the most remote and/or exotic locales in the US (including Territories). Got any ideas? What areas should be on my list? For the purposes of this question, I’m looking for good subjective opinions that can, and should, consider things other than or in addition to absolute raw distance from major cities, population size, distinct population demographics by numbers, etc. and identify places that emphasize [social isolation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diomede,_Alaska), [cultural distinctions](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangier_Island), [Non-English speaking communities](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico) or other concepts that just make the places exotic or interesting. The places don’t have to be islands, and don’t absolutely have to be inhabited, but there should be some reasonable possibility of traveling there. Other than perhaps Midway Atoll, the [US Minor Outlying Islands](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Minor_Outlying_Islands) are mostly out because they are so difficult to get to, not only because of lack of infrastructure but because you need permits to enter that appear to be hard to get. For example, other than perhaps San Francisco, are there any “gay towns”? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/2 "2013-09-10T22:38:40Z")
[Supai, Arizona](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supai,_Arizona). Although it’s adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park and it only takes a couple hours to get _close_ to it from Flagstaff, Wikipedia calls it the most isolated community in the continental U.S. You can only get there by helicopter or foot/animal (around 10 miles) once you reach the plateau it’s located under. Mail goes out by mule train every week. Culturally, they aren’t isolated more than the average Indian tribe since they make money from tourism, (combined of course with the differences from city life that come from being in an isolated small town.) I have a feeling this physical isolation is partly on purpose, because on some maps there is a Jeep trail that leads to Supai. So there may have been a road there at one point that could have been improved but at some point they decided to just close it. Then again it may have been from the Grand Canyon park itself and I think there was a legal challenge the Supai Tribe had to go through to get as much land as they currently have back. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/3 "2013-09-10T22:45:46Z")
Try [Kaktovik](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaktovik,_Alaska), Barter Island, Alaska. Remote, Inupiat village, need to fly in on a rather small aircraft. Polar bears roam freely and come in to feed on discarded whale carcasses. There’s a place to stay called, laughingly, the [Waldo Arms Hotel](http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g31022-d604957-Reviews-Waldo_Arms_Hotel-Kaktovik_Alaska.html). It’s a series of welded together shipping containers, but is comfortable, and the food isn’t bad. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/4 "2013-09-10T22:56:10Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > For example, other than perhaps San Francisco, are there any “gay towns”? To answer this part specifically, Rehoboth Beach, DE is well known for having a large gay presence. A lot of shops are gay owned and I believe part of the beach is specifically a gay hotspot. Not that the whole town isn’t, but you know what I mean. Now, while I’m at it I might as well mention Punkin Chunkin, the Apple Scrapple festival, and muskrat sandwiches, all part of southern DE culture. Really, anything south of the canal in DE is going to be a whole different world than northern DE. Delaware isn’t remote by any stretch of the imagination but I figured I would mention those cultural high points just in case they tickled your fancy. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/5 "2013-09-11T00:00:50Z")
Well, you just missed Burning Man… ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/6 "2013-09-11T00:22:50Z")
Second Burning Man. You might check out Buford, Wyoming, population 1. It’s on I-80 some 25 miles east of Cheyenne. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/7 "2013-09-11T01:11:57Z")
The [Gullah](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullah) community is culturally unique. California’s Lost Coast, and specifically the [Victorian](http://www.victorianferndale.com/) town of [Ferndale](http://ci.ferndale.ca.us/), are a lot more difficult to get to than the map would imply. [Slab City](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slab_City) was mentioned in Into the Wild. There’s the [Terra Vivos](http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-09/can-you-save-house-end-world) underground luxury development. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/8 "2013-09-11T01:29:11Z")
There’s [Point Roberts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Roberts,_Washington), Washington which is physically separated from the rest of the United States - you have to drive through Canada to reach it. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/9 "2013-09-11T01:40:07Z")
[Walpi.](http://www.experiencehopi.com/villages.html) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/10 "2013-09-11T01:46:28Z")
[Beaver River](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver_River,_New_York) is an extremely isolated community in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. It’s mostly a summer resort but it has a handful of year-round residents. The “town” isn’t connected to the power grid - it uses generators for electricity. There’s also no roads that reach the town - you have to get to it by boat in the summer or snowmobile in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/11 "2013-09-11T01:48:02Z")
I don’t know if you can visit the place, but I’ll add [Bohemian Grove](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Grove) to the list. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/12 "2013-09-11T01:51:42Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > For example, other than perhaps San Francisco, are there any “gay towns”? I’ve heard that Columbia, Missouri has the highest per capita gay population of any city other than the Bay Area. Is that true? I used to live in that region and visited Columbia many times, and didn’t see evidence of it but maybe it’s because I wasn’t looking. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/13 "2013-09-11T02:11:33Z")
Mono Hot Springs, in the Sierra Nevada range, is a bit hard to get to. Beautiful area, great hiking, trout fishing, and hot springs. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/14 "2013-09-11T02:15:34Z")
Right now on another website, we’re having a big discussion about Barrow, Alaska because one of the posters is thinking about taking a job there. That place is awfully isolated. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/15 "2013-09-11T02:16:52Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > For example, other than perhaps San Francisco, are there any “gay towns”? [Provincetown.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincetown,_Massachusetts) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/16 "2013-09-11T02:20:52Z")
Two small towns with only one access road: Kaskaskia, Illinois, can only be accessed via State Route 15 from US 61 - in Missouri. Grand Isle, Louisiana, can only be accessed via State Route 1 - a three hour drive from New Orleans. Nice beaches and the warmest water I’ve ever been in. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/17 "2013-09-11T02:40:57Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > [Provincetown.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincetown,_Massachusetts) In addition to being a gay resort town, P-town is geographically interesting, being all the way “down the cape” at the end of Cape Cod. ---
**Author:** ![Dee\_Troit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dee\_Troit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dee_Troit)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/18 "2013-09-11T02:52:20Z")
Polebridge, MT is pretty far out, and well worth the effort IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/19 "2013-09-11T06:35:18Z")
From the link, our classiest President seems to think Bohemian Grove is gay: > [@Richard M. Nixon](#): > > The Bohemian Grove, that I attend from time to time—the Easterners and the others come there—but it is the most faggy goddamn thing you could ever imagine, that San Francisco crowd that goes in there; it’s just terrible! I mean I won’t shake hands with anybody from San Francisco. Despite what the movie/comic says, Barrow gets way more than 30 days of night. Also, parts of Alaska and elsewhere have pockets of [Old Believers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Believers#Present_situation), who split from Russian Orthodoxy for reasons of, among other things, the need to cross yourself with two fingers and not three. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2013, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530/20 "2013-09-11T07:58:01Z")
Boonville, California is noted for its made-up language, **Boontling**. Check it out on Wikipedia. Very entertaining. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remote-and-or-exotic-towns-settlements-areas-in-the-us/668530.md?page=2)