"Nome" is said to be an abbreviation for "No Name," and to many people it sounds like the end of the world - which it is. Nome sits at one of the westernmost points of the North American continent on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea, 102 miles south of the Arctic Circle and 160 miles east of Siberia. No highways connect Nome to the outside world, although there are about 300 miles of roads which lead to nearby villages. Nome is 539 air miles from Anchorage.
Nome is unlike most other small isolated towns in Alaska in that it did not have its beginnings as an Eskimo settlement, although nearly half of the 3,500 inhabitants today are of Native American decent. The town was officially established in 1901, as a Gold Rush boom town, and it still has the look and feel of the old wild west. The fabulous wealth of Nome's nugget-rich hills and beaches of gold drew a population of 20,000 during its heyday. Gold mining and tourism are still major factors in keeping the town alive into the 21st century.
Quick Tips:
The only way the average person can get to Nome is by air, and Alaska Airlines is the only major carrier that flys there. There are several flights daily from Anchorage, and each of them stops at both Nome and Kotzebue. At the time of this writing, a ticket was just under round-trip.
For the budget minded traveler, Alaska Airlines also offers package tours to Nome which includes both airfare and hotel accommodations.
Best Way To Get Around:
For those with limited time and money, I highly recommend taking one of the commercial tours of Nome. Several companies offer such tours. I booked mine through Alaska Airlines, which included my flight, tour and lodging, at a price well below what I could have done on my own if I had purchased each component seperately.
Our guide was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. Without the tour company's help there are many things I saw and learned that would have been almost impossible to have done otherwise - like visiting the dog musher's camp. Tours of various length are available, and they do offer some time for exploring on your own.