Touring Through Alaska: Next Stop Nome

Welcome back to our Touring Alaska blog series. So far on our tour, we have visited the cities of Juneau, Anchorage, Fairbanks, North Pole, and Wasilla. You can find each of these, along with many other blog posts under the Resources/News tab on the Alaska Air Forwarding website.

NEXT STOP: NOME

Today’s tour stops in the city of Nome, Alaska. Nome is located on the southern side of the Seward Peninsula along the Bering Sea Coast. It is only accessible by air or sea however, once you are in Nome, you’ll find plenty of places to explore throughout Nome’s mountains and coastal plains. Nome is also very rich in wildlife and offers some of the best fishing in Alaska thanks to its many streams and rivers and the Bering Sea.

OTHER NOME FACTS

Nome’s population is estimated to be around 3,797 (based on 2016 census) which may sound rather small but it has seen some growth over the past decade. While small in population, Nome’s biggest claim to fame is that it is the finish line of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod is an annual race that covers over 1,000 miles of Alaskan terrain, beginning the first Saturday in March in Anchorage and concluding about 9 days later at the finish line in Nome.

In addition to being the finish line of the Iditarod, Nome is also closely linked to Alaska’s Gold Rush History. In fact, the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum holds many artifacts and interesting stories about this part of Alaska’s history. Carrie, the daughter of a prospector, came to live in Nome when she was just 8 years old. She remained in Nome the rest of her life and eventually became the town Historian.

As we mentioned earlier, you can’t drive to Nome; one can only get there by air or by sea but once you arrive, you’ll find a community rich in Alaskan culture and history.

CLIMATE

The climate in Nome stays rather cold, so if you plan to visit, pack plenty of warm clothing that can easily be layered. While it never gets too warm in Nome, the residents of the town do enjoy 24 hours of daylight during the summer months of June and July. Based on the graph below, the 24 hours of daylight in the summer makes up for the fact that there is NO daylight during the month of December.

For us, here at Alaska Air Forwarding, Nome is the quintessential Alaskan town. It’s home to the Inupiat Eskimo, the finish line of the Iditarod and the history of the town is rooted in the Alaskan Goldrush. It is cold year-round but enjoys the endless days of summer during June and July. Additionally, servicing Nome requires that we transport all cargo, to and from the town, via air.
Should you ever visit Nome, we think you’ll agree with us and the nearly 4,000 residents that “there’s no place like Nome.”