Living in wild areas is an aspiration of many people. However, living in such areas often means finding ways of dealing with a broader array of wildlife. Please remember that these animals occupied the land long before you did, it is your special challenge to minimize your impact on them.
Bears are powerful animals, and certainly can be dangerous. It is important to use appropriate precautions and to understand bear behavior and activities in order to minimize interactions.
Please see the following sites for good information on being safe in bear country. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of information in these sites, but we have chosen them for the quality of their content.
http://www.nwtwildlife.rwed.gov.nt.ca/Publications/safetyinbearcountry/encounters.htm
http://www.bear.org/Black/Articles/How_Dangerous_are_Black_Bears.html
Tanya Dewey (author).