15+ Facts About Life in the North That’ll Make You Want to Snuggle Up to Your Radiator

The unexplored Far North both dissuades and attracts at the same time. Some people fall in love with it so much that they stay to live there, while others run away from this place in order to never have to go back to this frozen area again.

We at Bright Side became interested in the uniqueness of winter cities so much that we decided to learn more about how people in the North live. In this article, we are going to share with you some of our observations. The bonus at the end will tell you about a place on Earth where you can watch whales right from the shore.

“The start of mushroom season in Yamal (northwest Siberia, Russia) looks like this.”

• It’s the same story in the Komi Republic, Russia. You easily can pick up 2 sacks of white mushrooms as you stroll through the woods. © entropic / pikabu

“This photo was taken on the way to the Yamburg locality.”

“The next day I was shocked by the huge, fat seagulls that were as big as fire extinguishers.”

• Heuglin’s gulls. That’s what these fat gulls who start to shout at 4 AM in the morning in summer are called. © SuperMisha / Pikabu

“They go to the mainland to hang out.”

“On a Friday evening, I was dressed up and dolled up ready for a party. So I ask my friend, ” Where do you guys hang out here? I am ready for some fun.“

He responds, “Nowhere. Everyone stays at home and works in the North. If we want to rest and hang out, we go to the mainland.”

I didn’t believe him at first and asked 3 more times. Then when I realized it was true, I started to cry." © Ksushagrach / Pikabu

Radiators burst from cold.

• I remember it being −80°F in my neck of the woods (Kolyma, Siberia). It’s −53°F there now. Primary school kids stop attending school at −60°F. Senior school kids continue going to school at this temperature until the moment radiators start to burst from the cold. After that, they are allowed to stay at home. © Muhomorph / Pikabu

Shoes in some Northern regions are made from the skin of deer.

“-55°F, kids are playing in the street”

This is what a chum, where a family of Nenets (deer herders) sets up camp, looks like:

The buildings are brightly colored. It’s a way to fight the “white depression” because there is very little sunlight and the white color is everywhere, there are months when it doesn’t get dark at all.

In order to bring even more fun to people’s lives, they hold a festival where they paint murals with arctic pictures on building façades. They depict ice breakers, and the North Pole, polar bears, and deer on them.

Winter cities

Cities from all over the world above 45° latitude and with temperatures below freezing in winter are united in the Winter Cities. The concept of this community is “To get the best from winter.” The community proposes to work with an eternal winter on all levels, from the configuration of buildings that protect from the wind, to arranging a “February patio” in the yard with pillows, blankets, and heaters.

Stroganina (literally “shavings”) is...

...raw fish or meat that is frozen and then sliced and eaten with salt.

“Summer in the tundra is when the mosquitos eat right from your hands.”

“Make sure to bring a raincoat and rubber boots if you come here in summer. Also, grab a mosquito repellent. I failed to do it and local mosquitoes almost took me to the tundra and ate me there. In winter, it’s vital to bring valenki (Russian traditional felted winter boots) or baffins.” © KOT268 / Pikabu

Icicles on the face

Icicles and small pieces of ice form on eyelashes, hair, eyebrows, and beards.

Harvesting ice at −41.8°F

“March. Siberia. We’d better keep the windows shut.”

Car drivers don’t start their car’s engine for 5 months in a row.

Due to poor visibility, house/bus numbers are shown in very large numbers.

When you try to eat in the cold:

Would you like to visit the Far North region? Maybe you are a resident of this area? Please tell us more interesting facts about this place in the comments!