There's a lot more "dry" cities/counties than you think.

[Shagbark Hickory]

There's a nearby city that has been on the news the past few days because there is a push to make it a dry city. That is, no alcohol sales.
Thinking this was just a crazy GA thing (as it is Sunday sales is prohibited), I looked in to it and as it turns out there's a lot of dry places across the country.

In many villages in Alaska, it's unlawful to even possess alcohol.

But this isn't just the right wing states.
MN, WI, Ocean City NJ (!), MA, and those of you in PA know, you have to buy your liquor from a government owned and run communist liquor store. Lots of interesting restrictions.

It really makes one wonder how marijuana could ever be legalized.

You may find this link interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S._state

Or maybe not.

[provis99]

1. when I lived in Mississippi,

The university of Ole Miss was dry,but the town of Oxford surrounding it was wet,but the county of Lafayette surrounding Oxford was dry. Insane.

And the majority of the counties of Arkansas are dry counties. thanks for nothing, you pushy Southern Baptists.

[RebelOne]

8. Many years ago, I was visiting in Iuka, Mississippi.

In order to even buy beer we had to go over the border to Tennessee. I don't know if it is still dry there.

[wtbymark]

2. Reno= 24/7

they want you a little tipsy when you stick that $20 in a slot machine

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. Dry towns wonder why they can't attract tourists.

Oklahoma City had a completely dead downtown. They have fairly restrictive liquor laws. They put in Bricktown which goes around a canal somewhat like the San Antonio River.

They built a basketball arena, and there are nice restaurants too. So it's livelier than it was ten years ago.

Tyler, Texas, has a population of 100,000 and is dry. I have seen commerials about referenda on liquor in towns around Tyler and they are saying "If this town goes wet, it will be a hotbed of sin and prostitution!!! OMG!!".

They actually believe this.

Dry counties have more drunk driving accidents than wet ones, since people drink in wet counties and drive home to dry counties.

Thanks a lot, ya damn Babtists.

[Wait Wut]

4. Wheaton, Illinois.

They'd come to my town for alcohol. Pretty town, though. Lots of old trees and beautiful Victorian homes.

[LoZoccolo]

14. They rescinded that sometime in the last 15 years or so.

I'm not sure if Hinsdale is still dry or partially dry (permitting sales in stores but not bars), but my father told me that the reason that Belluomini's Bar is the only bar is that it was in some odd unincorporated lot.

[Wait Wut]

16. Really?

I moved out of that area about 20 years ago and moved out of the state 10 years ago. I know it had constantly been brought up for debate, but the strict religious community had all the money and the votes.

I had no idea Hinsdale was dry. Another beautiful town. My sister's old office was there.

Hell. Any town in Illinois is better than any town in Arizona. Yeah...I'm bitter.

[LoZoccolo]

20. A lot of the towns that are built along train tracks did a lot to develop

their downtown areas and built nice condominiums, put some nice public spaces in, and attracted a lot of Gen-X yuppies who commute to Chicago during the nineties and early 2000s, so that might have had something to do with it; a lot of downtowns wanted to be places with restaurants and bars that people go to in the evening.

[Wait Wut]

21. Was back there 2 years ago.

Stayed in Elmhurst, my hometown. Was pleasantly surprised at how they had fixed up the uptown area without destroying the "historic" feel. And, yes, they added those restaurants and bars you mentioned. Very nicely done with music (jazz, mostly) playing over an outdoor courtyard. During the day the area has a wonderful family friendly atmosphere and in the evening becomes a comfortable yuppie hangout. Much, much better than it was when I was growing up there.

Glad to see/hear other towns are doing the same. So many great towns were neglecting their downtown areas.

[onehandle]

5. It's amazing that the Sunday sales thing still stands here.

A few Sundays ago, I was in a grocery store. I walked through the beer isle and there was a guy hoisting a couple of cases on his shoulder. I said, 'No alcohol sales in Georgia on Sundays.'

He turned to me and said, 'What? Really?' I explained, 'Except in restaurants/bars and only after 12:30.' He was astonished and put the cases back.

However that may change soon. The right politicians have been bribed and now you can get a drink before 12:30 at restaurants with 'Sunday Liquor Licenses' and grocery/convenience store sales may come soon. The Christian Coalition is fighting the law changes, but seem to be losing. Money > God.


The way alcohol is sold in Pennsylvania is plain nuts. I was there a couple of years ago and the people we were visiting brought wine with us to drink at a restaurant that could not afford the alcohol sales fee. BYOB is very common... in restaurants.

[discocrisco01]

7. Dry Counties

The only person that would really like to live in dry country is a recovered alcoholic like me who does not want the tempetation of driving to the local liquor store for him to take a drink.

[MineralMan]

6. Lots of cities and towns in Minnesota still have

municipal liquor stores, and some have municipal bars. No private liquor stores or bars in those towns. They're generally operated by retired cops, of all things.

I've been "down to the muni" a few times in some rural towns.

[hfojvt]

9. I had a feeling I would want to dispute part of this

from Wiki's list of dry cities - "Richland Center and Port Edwards were dry for decades, but bars opened in both towns in 1994 after changes to local ordinances..."

I happen to have lived in Richland Center from 1990-98.

It was "theoretically" dry prior to 1994. It maintained its "dry" status by gerrymandering the city boundaries around both the Legion on the south side of town and the VFW on the north side of town. There also was a liquor store/porn shop on the south side of town, probably technically outside of the "city." (5,003 or so people).

I suspect that may be true of lots of "dry" places - that they have fountains at the edge of town.

[JoePhilly]

12. See my post #10 ... same thing.

[JoePhilly]

10. The references to PA and NJ are silly.

As a 16 year old in the 80s I could go into any beer distributor and buy beer.

And when I lived in Lubbock Texas, the claim that it was that is was a "dry city" was a lie. Restaurants could serve alcohol so long as most of their money came via food ... which was total BS ... the bars did just fine. And, about 50 feet outside the city limit, there was a STRIP of stores that sold nothing but booze. Members of the city council owned most of it.

And of course, you can buy beer and wine now in Jersey in a grocery store.

[nebenaube]

11. Where in WI?

I can buy beer, wine and liqueur at any grocery store. I think you mean MI.

[Shagbark Hickory]

19. ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dry_communities_by_U.S._state#Wisconsin

[John_Adams]

13. Lynchburg Tennessee, home of the Jack Daniels distillery is dry.

[XOKCowboy]

15. Many think that Oklahoma has dry counties but it doesn't...

They have some really weird liquor sales laws though. No cold anything, no mixers, no jiggers, sign restrictions, advertising restrictions, it goes on and on. No dry counties though.

[lies and propaganda]

17. weirdest booze laws ever. Im going 'home' in a week and i need to refresh the memory

get my booze on saturday, buy mixers at the grocery becasue they arent sold with booze, ice as well. And buy real beer in a state that thinks youre grown up enough to drink it. Why wont my family move!?

[jwirr]

18. Don't know if it is still this way but when I visited a reservation in

Montana this was going on. The reservations had voted themselves dry in their attempt to fight alcoholism. White bar owners built bars adjacent to the reservation borders out in the prairie and sold their wares. Behind several bars the empty beer cans were piled as high as the roof behind the bar. Just a bar and a pile of empty cans and bottles. No other buildings at all.