Behind Nikolaevsk, two other, smaller, villages exist. Other individuals live around Nikolaevsk and rumor has it that many are Vietnam Vets with bad attitudes and many dogs. Visitors are encouraged to avoid the back dirt road. Life in this community is never dull. With three separate Orthodox belief systems, the Russian Orthodox, the Russian Old Right Orthodox and the Old Russian Orthodox, the priestless and the priested and the varying clans represented, everyday life can be an adventure.
Many people here are self-sufficient.
Gardens for canning, berries for jams and jelly making, moose, caribou, and an occasional stray goat, will all find its way into the freezers. All the houses, except for around three per cent, have outdoor smokers where fish and fowl are smoked to perfection. A number of families raise turkeys, chickens, cows, geese, rabbits and pigeons for food and dairy products. No Russian Orthodox families have dogs as they are considered to be unclean. The Russian Orthodox families who have tried to maintain a dog usually keep the animal for no longer than several weeks.