Official Language:
English
|
Currency:
USD
|
Population:
Approximately 4000 people call Nome home.
|
Weather:
Climate and current weather information for Nome Alaska: Nome has long, warmish days in the summer. Autumn storms off the Bering Sea bring rain and wind, and seasonal pack ice helps keep the area cold in winter. Nome gets 21 hours, 29 minutes of sunlight on the solstice and less than 4 hours on the winter solstice. May between Sep. Max temp 42-57°F/6-14°C, Min temp 29°F/-1°C.
|
|
|
|
Nome, located on a gently sloping coastline along the shores of the Bering Sea. This town is the center of commerce for Northwestern Alaska. Visitors will notice that ehe entire seaward population is protected by a 3350-foot-long sea wall. The wall is made of granite boulders and rocks that were brought in from Cape Nome, located 13 miles away. The cost for the protection wall was more than one million dollars.
Originally called Anvil City until 1900, the town was renamed after nearby Cape Nome. The discovery of yellow metal on Anvil Creek in 1898 brought thousands of prospectors and miners to Nome. They lived in tents during the first year. Gold discoveries in Nome have been reported as far back as 1865. It was the $1500-to-the-pan gold strike on the small Anvil Creek by three Scandinavian's, that caused the mass exodus of thousands of miners from the gold camps of the north to the new "Eldorado." Quickly an isolated stretch of tundra faciong the beach was turned into a tent and log cabin city. There were som 20,000 prospectors, gamblers, claim jumpers, saloon keepers, and prostitutes. An entrepreneur discovered the "golden sands of Nome" and with nothing more than shovels, buckets, rockers and wheelbarrows, thousands of miners descended upon the beaches. Ony two months later the golden sands had yielded one million dollars in gold!
There were many con men working to separate the gold from the miners. A judge was appointed to administer a newly formed judicial district created to settle the many claim disputes which plagued Nome. This then immediately put all contested claims into receivership. This racketeer then began to exploit the claims and freeze out the miners. Two appeals were made to the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco. By 1902 the easily reachable claims were exhausted and large mining companies then took over the mining operations. After gradually stabilizing the earlier mining camps became a city that continued building and expanding steadily only to be destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1934. Rebuilding began immediately, resulting in what is now the present town.
Half of the population of Nome are Native Alaskan Eskimos. This town offers a combination of traditional Eskimo culture and a gold rush past. There are 300-plus miles of roadways that surround Nome. The Nome roads are popular with bird watchers. Be sure to pick up a bird list that is available at the visitor center. Bird sighting is best from July to mid-August. You may see siberian birds, bluethroats, yellow wagtails, Arctic warblers, as well as Aleutian and Arctic terns.
|
|
Attractions |
 |
 |
Nome-Council Road:
72 miles to the east, this road will take visitors along much of the shoreline. Visiotors can see the ghost town of Solomon, an old mining town with an abandoned railroad train known by locals as the Last Train to Nowhere. The engines were originally used on the New York City elevated lines in 1881. They were then shipped to Alaska in 1903, serving miners along this line to Nome. A popular scenic spot for bird-watching. Fishing is good in the Solomon River.
Nome-Taylor Road:
Known as the Kougarok Road, this joureny runs north of town into the Kigluaik Mountains, approximately 85 miles from Nome. 40 miles out visitors can enjoy Salmon Lake, complete with a lakeshore campground, picnic tables, & grills. Just down the road to the left is the 125° Pilgrim Hot Springs. Access is limited to days when the caretaker is on hand. Check with the visitor center before going.
Nome-Teller Road:
This road leads visitors 73 miles away to the village of Teller. Here an opportunity to see an authentic Arctic Native village awaits you.
Other attractions include the Anvil City Park, Carrie McLain Memorial Museum, Eskimo Villages , Historical Walking Tour, Iron Dog Snowmobile Race, and the Nome National Forest.
|
|
More Information |
|
|
|
Web: www.nomealaska.org/vc
|
|
