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Diomede, Alaska (town)

Diomede (Iŋaliq, Диомид) is an incorporated town and is the only habitable area on Little Diomede Island. The island is located in the Nome Census Area of the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. All the buildings are on the west coast of Little Diomede, which is the smaller of the two Diomede Islands located in the middle of the Bering Strait between the United States and the Russian Far East. Diomede is the only settlement on Little Diomede Island. The population is 82 people, down from 115 at the 2010 census and 146 in 2000.

Its native name Iŋaliq means "the other one" or "the one over there". It is also imprecisely spelled Inalik.

History
The current location of the city is believed by some archaeologists to have been inhabited for at least 3,000 years. It was originally a spring hunting campsite and the early explorers from the west found the Iñupiat (Inuit) at Diomede had an advanced culture, including elaborate whale hunting ceremonies. Trade occurred with both continents.

1648–1867
The first European to reach the Diomede Islands was Russian explorer Semyon Dezhnev, in 1648; the next was Danish navigator and explorer in Russian service Vitus Bering, who re-discovered the islands on August 16, 1728, and named the islands after martyr St. Diomede, who was celebrated in the Russian Orthodox Church on that date.

The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, including Little Diomede. A new boundary was drawn between the two Diomede Islands, and the Big Diomede was left to Russia.

1880s–1920s
In the town's census of 1880, 40 residents of the island were recorded. According to naturalist John Muir, who visited the Diomede Islands in the 1880s,  natives were eager to trade away everything they had. The village was perched on the steep rocky slope of the mountain, which has sheer drops into deep water. Huts were mostly built of stone with skin roofs.

During the Nome gold rush at the turn of the 20th century, Diomede villagers traveled to Nome along with the gold seekers, even though Nome was not a native village. People from Diomede arrived in umiaks and stayed in Nome for the summer, trading and gathering items before they returned to their isolated village.

1940s
According to Arthur Ahkinga, who lived on Little Diomede island at the turn of the 1940s, the Iñupiat on the island made their living by hunting and carving ivory that they traded or sold. They caught fish such as bullheads, tomcods and bluecods. Whaling was still a major practice. During the winter, they used fur parkas and skin mukluks made out of hunted animals to protect themselves from the cold and wind. Recreational activities included skating, snowshoeing, handball, soccer and Inuit dancing. After dark, people spent the rest of the evening telling jokes and stories. In summer time, they traveled with skin boats equipped with outboard motors to Siberia or Wales, Alaska. Winter travel was limited to neighboring Big Diomede due to weather conditions. Between July and October, half of the population went to Nome to sell their carvings and skins and trade for supplies.

Despite being separated by the new border after the Alaska purchase in 1867, Big Diomede had been home to families now living on Little Diomede, and the people living on the American side of the border were close relatives to those living on the Russian side. The communities on both islands were separated by politics but connected by family kinships. Despite being officially forbidden, the Inuit from both islands occasionally visited their neighbors, sometimes under the cover of fog, to meet their relatives and exchange small gifts. The local schoolteachers on Little Diomede counted 178 people from Big Diomede and the Siberian mainland who visited the island within six months, between January and July in 1944.

At the beginning of the Cold War in the late 1940s, Big Diomede became a USSR (Soviet Union) military base, and all its native residents were removed to mainland Russia. When people from Little Diomede went too close to the Russian side or tried to visit their relatives on the neighboring island during World War II, they were arrested. According to one of the survivors, Oscar Ahkinga, after 52 days of internment and interrogation, the Iñupiat were banished and told not to come back.

1950s
The school year 1953–1954 on Little Diomede Island was adapted to better serve the local needs. Teaching took place throughout the holidays and also on some weekends in order to complete the 180 days of schooling before the walrus migration started in Spring. The annual walrus hunt was a major source of supplies and income and required the help of all inhabitants. The primary language at the time was Inupiat, and students were also taught English. The only means of communicating with the outside world was by so-called "Bush Phone," provided through the Alaska Communication System station in Nome. Previously non-existent health care was improved with basic medication knowledge provided by seasonal teachers.

1970s
During the seventies, the village on Little Diomede was gradually inhabited as a permanent settlement and the entire island was incorporated into the city of Diomede in 1970.

1980s
On August 7, 1987 the American swimmer Lynne Cox swam between American Little Diomede Island and then Soviet Big Diomede Island. Cox performed the swim as a peace gesture, hoping to help improve American-Soviet relations during the final years of the Cold War. Later that year when the Soviet Secretary General Gorbachev travelled to Washington to sign a nuclear weapons treaty with American President Reagan. After the signing ceremony Gorbachev raised his glass and proposed a toast to Lynne Cox, the swimmer. He said, "She proved by her courage how close to each other our peoples live."

1990s
Little Diomede, though a whaling community prior to this, was not included in the formation of the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and its needs were not taken into account in determining the bowhead quota for Inupiat and Yupik because of its remote location. In 1992, Little Diomede was formally recognized as a whaling community, per the AEWC.

After the Cold War ended in December 1991, interest in reuniting with families across the Bering Strait grew. In 1994, the people of Little Diomede island collected cash and groceries while local dancers practiced almost every night as the islanders prepared for a visit of more than one hundred friends and relatives from Siberia for which they wanted to be hospitable and generous hosts.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.43 sqmi, all of it land.

Little Diomede Island is located about 25 mi west from the mainland, in the middle of the Bering Strait. It is only 0.6 mi from the International Date Line and about 2.4 mi from the Russian island of Big Diomede.

Geology

The Little Diomede island is composed of Cretaceous age granite or quartz monzonite. The city is located in the only area that does not have near-vertical cliffs to the water. Behind the city and around the entire island, rocky slopes rise at about 40° up to the relatively flattened top at 1148 - 1191 ft. The island has scant vegetation.

Climate
Diomede, although slightly south of the Arctic Circle, has a dry-summer polar climate (Köppen ETs), because the driest high-sun month (April) has less than one-third as much precipitation as the wettest high-sun month (October). The winters are icy and cold – colder than those of Nome despite the island location due to greater proximity to extremely cold Siberian air masses. The extreme moderating effect of the thawed Bering Sea produces very cool summers, with the result that most plants are unable to grow. The hottest summer ever experienced temperatures up to only 73 F.

Demographics
Diomede first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Inuit village of Inalit. It returned as "Ignaluk" on the 1890 census. It next appeared on the 1910-40 censuses as "Little Diomede Island." In 1950, it returned as Diomede. It was incorporated as a city in 1970. Diomede also appears on the census as Inalik, designated as an Alaska Native Village Statistical Area (ANVSA).

As of the census of 2000, there were 146 people, 43 households, and 31 families residing in the city. The population density was 51.4 PD/sqmi. There were 47 housing units at an average density of 16.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 92.47% Native American, 6.16% White and 1.37% from two or more races.

There were 43 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 20.9% were married couples living together, 32.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.40 and the average family size was 4.00.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 43.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $24,583. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,944. 41.4% of families and 35.4% of the population were living below the poverty line, including 33.8% of under eighteens and 44.4% of those over 64.

Community
The location of the city is believed to have been used for at least 3,000 years as a hunting campsite. In the late 19th century, travelers reported people living in huts made out of rocks and with skin roofs. (see History).

The first square building in the island was a small Catholic church, which was planned by Father Bellarmine Lafortune in 1935 and built by Father Thomas Cunningham during his residency on the island between 1936 and 1947. It was built from donated lumber from Nome. The next square building in the island was a one-room schoolhouse, which also served as a home for the teacher's family. A new, larger church building built by Father Thomas Carlin and Brother Ignatius Jakes was completed on March 3, 1979.

Today there are about 30 buildings on the island, including the residential housing that was mainly built in the 1970s and 1980s. A laundromat (washeteria) has been built to serve the community with washers, dryers, and showers. A clinic for basic health care is located on the upper floor of the same building. The island also has a school, library, heliport and a satellite dish for television, telephone, fax, and internet service. There is no bank or restaurant, and the supplies of the main store on the island are limited to food, beverage, clothing, firearms, ammunition, and fuel. Snacks, clothing, diapers, and other items are often ordered from Anchorage Walmart and Fred Meyer stores by mail or parcel. As in many other Alaska Native villages, the import and sale of alcohol is prohibited.

Electricity
An electric system was built on the island in the 1970s, and electricity is provided by city-operated Diomede Joint Utilities. They provide houses and other facilities with electricity produced by diesel generators. Diesel fuel is stored in large tanks, which are placed at the furthest possible location from the housing. While the electric facility owns the largest fuel tank, measuring 80000 U.S.gal, the school and the village council store both own tanks measuring about 41000 U.S.gal each. (Some sources suggest the school has upgraded its fuel storage to two 85000 U.S.gal tanks). Gasoline and propane are also used for fuel.

Water and disposal
Water for winter use is drawn from a mountain spring, then treated and stored in 434000 U.S.gal storage tanks. Because the permafrost prevents pipelines from being installed underground, residents must manually carry water from the tank. Even with a tank this size, the water supply usually runs out by March, the laundromat is closed and residents must melt their drinking water from snow and ice.

Funds for improving the water system have been requested both by the city and the school. Having a separate tank for the school would decrease the usage of city water and would also serve as a backup water supply for the whole city. Funds have also been requested for improvements to refuse collection and for an incinerator, because the ground conditions on the island limits waste disposal to burning combustibles and disposing of everything else on the ice. Honeybuckets and privies are used, except in the laundromat, clinic, and school, which are served by a septic system.

Education
The island's only school is likely the most isolated school in the United States. The Diomede School has approximately 40 students from grades pre-K through 12 and five teachers. It is part of the Bering Strait School District. The number of teachers fluctuates based on the student population.

Health care and emergency services
There is no hospital located on the island, and emergency services are limited due to the remoteness of the island. A city council-owned clinic operates in the laundromat building, providing basic health care.

While other emergency services are provided by volunteers and a health aide, the fire and rescue service is provided by Diomede Volunteer Fire Department and First Responders. In case of a major health emergency, patients are airlifted to the mainland hospital in Nome, weather permitting. The closest law enforcement are dispatched from the Alaska State Troopers barracks on the mainland in Nome.

Frozen ground and lack of soil on the rocky island prevents digging graves, so rocks are piled on top of the burial sites instead.

On November 7, 2009, it was announced that one inhabitant was infected with H1N1 swine flu.

Employment
Employment on the island is mostly limited to the city, post office, and school. There have been a few seasonal jobs, such as mining and construction, but recently these have been in decline. The Diomede people are excellent ivory carvers and the city serves as a wholesale agent for the ivory. Ivory works are mainly sold in mainland Alaska in Fairbanks and Anchorage, but can occasionally be purchased online. The inhabitants also hunt whales during spring from openings in the sea ice. Whaling largely ceased from the middle to late 20th century, before resuming again in 1999.

Taxes
The city levies a 3% sales tax, but there are no property taxes on the island.

Historical transportation
When Alaska was still connected to Siberia over 10,000 years ago by the Bering Land Bridge, the Little Diomede was not an island but was a part of Beringia and accessible by foot. However, it is unknown whether humans visited the grounds of the Little Diomede at that time. Most likely, the first visitors came when it had become an island, simply by foot on top of the sea ice. Later, Umiaks were used to visit the neighboring Big Diomede island for whale hunting and fishing, and later, to access mainland Alaska and Siberia. Boats made out of driftwood and whale skin are still used today.

In the early 1940s, one of the Little Diomede residents wrote "No airplane comes to Diomede except for some very special reason, during the winter. The MS North Star brings groceries for the people on the island from Nome. At the same time she unloads freight for the school teachers. The Coast Guard cutter Northland comes in twice during the summer to look after the natives".

Internal transport
There are no roads, highways, railroads, or internal waterways on the island. There are ancient but faint rocky trails heading north and south from the City of Diomede. There are also trails between the buildings. In the fall of 2008, many of the footpaths within the city were replaced by a system of boardwalks and stairs. On the small island with total land area of only 2.8 sqmi, the only ways to get from place to place are by foot, ski, or snowmobile. Because only the city is inhabited, no internal transport systems have been constructed.

External transport
Due to the remoteness and severe weather, Little Diomede Island is very difficult and risky to access from the outside world. An average of 12–15 knot (6–8 m/s; ) winds with gusts up to 48–68 knots (25–35 m/s), a prevalent fog and cloudy sky limit transportation to a minimum. Even medical evacuation from such a location has its own difficulties.

Mail has been delivered to the island by helicopter since 1982 and is currently delivered weekly (up until 2013, mail was delivered by plane more frequently in winter months when the ice runway allowed for more deliveries). The postal contract is one of the oldest in the nation, the only one that uses helicopters for delivering mail, and with a cost of over $300,000 annually, is the most expensive in Alaska.

An annual delivery of goods and supplies is made by barge during the summer, which usually is the only cargo delivered during the year. When the supplies come, all the men rush down and pull them off and carry them up. Other visitors to the island include the occasional visits by research teams, rare extreme tourists and other Alaska Natives visiting from the mainland Alaska.

Due to its location and weather conditions, transportation to the island is very expensive. Having very few economic development opportunities and a tight budget, the city charges non-business visitors arriving by plane or boat a $50.00 fee.

When U.S. Senator Ted Stevens arrived to the island on October 29, 2002, for an overnight visit, he commented "I did not realize you were this remote". He arrived by a National Guard Blackhawk helicopter, and it was the first time the island was visited by a statewide elected official.

Helicopter
The main access to the island is by helicopter. Until the late 1990s, the bow of a shipwrecked old barge served as a temporary landing platform. Today, the village has the Diomede Heliport constructed by the U.S. Marine Corps in 2000 and owned by the Alaska Department of Transportation. The concrete-surfaced heliport measures 64 feet x 64 feet (20 m x 20 m). It is open to the public, has no control tower and is only about 0.6 mi from the International Date Line and less than 2.4 mi from Big Diomede. It is the closest United States heliport to Russia.

Since 2012, the United States Department of Transportation has subsidized scheduled weekly passenger service via helicopter between Diomede Heliport and Nome Airport.

Airplane
Currently there are no airports on Little Diomede Island because of the island's rocky, steep slopes. Most winters a temporary runway is cleared on top of the sea ice just off of the coast of the village, but in some years (e.g. winter 2009) ice conditions have prevented construction. Some bush pilots have occasionally landed on the top of the tuya which is rocky, but has a somewhat flat surface during the snowy winter. The only way to land with an airplane during the few summer months is on water with a float plane. Any type of airplane landing on the island is very rare due to the high risk and severe weather. There have been studies on the construction of a permanent runway.

Boat
There is no port in Little Diomede Island, and surrounding thick Arctic sea ice limits boat access to the island to only a few summer months. High waves and huge blocks of ice in the area make navigation very risky and difficult. Landing by boat is also difficult and dangerous because of the rocky shoreline of Little Diomede Island. The barge delivering supplies once a year and occasional other watercraft usually stay offshore due to conditions of the shoreline.

Transportation improvements
There have been studies of improving the transportation system within and out of the island. Proposals and studies vary between a port, a runway, and the Intercontinental Tunnel or Bridge. According to the National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP), the difficult and limited access to the island has put economic pressure on the community, and the tribal council has already voted to begin planning for relocation of the community to the mainland if access and housing conditions are not improved. No plan for constructing a port, airport, runway, tunnel, or bridge has been put into action. According to 2006 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) documentation, however, better access to the island will raise issues with its dedicated nature, environment, and local cultural traditions.

Air and water
There have been multiple studies of navigation improvements, a feasibility study of constructing an airport or runway on the island, and studies of any multi-use potential of the port and airport projects as a storm damage prevention.

Bridge or tunnel
There have been proposals to construct an intercontinental bridge or tunnel between the Alaskan mainland and mainland Siberia, which in some proposals is tied to the possibility of closing the 800 mi gap in railroad between Alaska and British Columbia. Service access to one or both Diomede Islands from such bridge or tunnel would dramatically improve transportation to the Little Diomede and also make access safer. Though these proposals date back as far as the early 20th century, most of them have been just visions of individuals or groups or media, and have not resulted in governmental study by either the USA or Russia.

title: Diomede, Alaska (town)


text:
Elim, Alaska

Elim (Nivviaqhchauġluq) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 330, up from 313 in 2000.

Geography and climate
Elim is located at 64.61778°N, -162.25667°W (64.617734, -162.256705).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 sqmi, all of it land.

Elim has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc). Winters are cold and long, and summers are warm and short.

Natural history
A number of flora and fauna are found in the Elim area. This is the westernmost location for the range of Black Spruce, Picea mariana.

Demographics
Elim first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It was formally incorporated in 1970.

As of the census of 2000, there were 313 people, 84 households, and 69 families residing in the city. The population density was 128.9 PD/sqmi. There were 106 housing units at an average density of 43.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 5.11% White, 92.65% Native American, and 2.24% from two or more races.

Of the 84 households, 60.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.73 and the average family size was 4.16.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 41.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 14.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 131.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,179, and the median income for a family was $40,893. Males had a median income of $25,938 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,300. About 8.0% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Airports
The Elim Airport is a state-owned airport with scheduled passenger flights. Also located in Elim is the Moses Point Airport, which is privately owned by the Elim Native Corporation.

Education
Elim is served by the Bering Strait School District. Aniguiin School serves grades Pre-K through 12.

Boulder Creek uranium mine controversy
In 2005, mining company Full Metal Minerals announced a partnership with Triex Minerals Corporation to develop a uranium deposit north of Elim. Development of the site began with survey and exploration work in Sept 2005. Initial drilling exploration was completed in July 2006, confirming deposits of "sandstone-hosted uranium" at the Boulder Creek site in Death Valley, north of Elim.

The Boulder Creek mine site is located on part of the Tubutulik River. Serious water and air pollution risks, including radioactive byproducts, have been identified with "in-situ leeching", the type of uranium mining proposed for the site. Villagers have raised concerns that radioactive by-products of uranium mining would adversely affect the plants, fish, and wildlife on which they rely. In September 2007, Irene Murray of Aniguiin High School in Elim wrote an open letter to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, drawing attention to projected impacts on the local environment and human health. Protests led by Elim Students Against Uranium (ESAU) have included demonstrations in 2008 and 2009 at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race ceremonial start, and on the Iditarod trail in Elim.

The village has raised legal concerns over the project that include an alleged failure by the federal Bureau of Land Management to provide adequate public notice and public comment periods regarding the Boulder Creek mine project. Portions of the regulatory process are under the purview of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Elim, Alaska


text:
Gambell, Alaska

Gambell (GAM-bull) is a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located on St. Lawrence Island, it had a population of 681 at the 2010 census, up from 649 in 2000.

History
Sivuqaq is the Yupik language name for St. Lawrence Island and for Gambell. It has also been called Chibuchack and Sevuokok.

St. Lawrence Island has been inhabited sporadically for the past 2,000 years by both Alaskan Yup'ik and Siberian Yupik people. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the island had a population of about 4,000.

Between 1878 and 1880 a famine decimated the island's population. Many who did not starve left. The remaining population of St. Lawrence Island was nearly all Siberian Yupik.

In 1887, the Reformed Episcopal Church of America opened a mission on St. Lawrence Island. That year, a carpenter, lumber and tools were left at Sivuqaq by a ship. The carpenter worked with local Yupik to build a wood building, the first they had ever seen. When the building was finished, the carpenter left the keys to the door with a local chief and departed. Since the carpenter had not spoken Siberian Yupik, the residents did not know the purpose of the building.

The Reformed Episcopal Church had not been able to find missionaries willing to live on St. Lawrence Island, so the building built for the mission was left unoccupied. In 1890, the building was acquired by Sheldon Jackson. He spoke to the Reverend Vene and Nellie Gambell, of Wapello, Iowa, about moving to St. Lawrence Island. Gambell was hired as a schoolteacher and the Gambells came to the island in 1894. They had a daughter in 1897. Nellie Gambell became ill and the Gambells spent the winter of 1897–1898 in the United States, where Nellie was hospitalized. In the spring of 1898, on the return journey to St. Lawrence Island, their ship sank in a storm and 37 people on it drowned, including the Gambells and their daughter. After their death, Sivuqaq was renamed in the Gambells' honor.

On June 22, 1955, during the Cold War, a US Navy P2V Neptune with a crew of 11 was attacked by two Soviet fighters in international waters over the Bering Straits between Siberia and Alaska, and crashed near Gambell. Locals from Gambell rescued the crew, 3 of whom were wounded by Soviet fire, and 4 of whom were injured in the crash. The Soviet government, in response to a US diplomatic protest, was unusually conciliatory, stating: "There was an exchange of shots after a Soviet fighter advised the US plane that it was over Soviet territory and should leave (the US denied that the US plane fired at all).

The incident took place under heavy cloud cover and poor visibility, although the alleged violation of Soviet airspace could be the responsibility of US commanders not interested in preventing such violations."

The Soviet military was under strict orders to "avoid any action beyond the limits of the Soviet state frontiers."

The Soviet government "expressed regret in regard to the incident", adding that "taking into account... conditions which do not exclude the possibility of a mistake from one side or the other," it was willing to compensate the US for 50% of damages sustained—the first such offer ever made by the Soviets for any Cold War shootdown incident. The US government said it was satisfied with the Soviet expression of regret and the offer of partial compensation, although it said that the Soviet statement fell short of what the available information indicated. Gambell and Savoonga received joint title to most of St. Lawrence Island under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971.

The Gambell incident occurred on February 27, 1974, when a Soviet Antonov An-24LR "Toros" (CCCP-47195) ice reconnaissance aircraft landed at Gambell.

On August 30, 1975, Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 crashed when trying to land in Gambell. 10 of the 32 passengers and crew on board were killed.

In October 2022, two Russian citizens arrived in Gambell by small boat and sought political asylum, saying they wanted to avoid compulsory military service during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It was an unusual and dangerous trip; Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy said he did not expect a continual stream of other arrivals. US Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski later revealed that the two refugees were members of a group indigenous to Siberia.

Geography
Gambell is on the northwest cape of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, 325 km southwest of Nome. It is 58 km from the Chukchi Peninsula in the Russian Far East.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 30.4 sqmi, of which 10.9 sqmi is land and 19.5 sqmi (64.10%) is water.

The town is served by Gambell Airport.

Climate
Owing to the influence of the cold Bering Sea, Gambell has a polar climate (Köppen ET). Its hottest month averages cooler than 50 F. The climate features long, frigid and snowy winters alongside short cool summers. The cold sea creates pronounced seasonal lag, sufficient that April averages colder than December and May colder than October.

Compared to most northern hemisphere polar climates, Gambell is relatively moderate, featuring only discontinuous permafrost and despite the freezing of the Bering Sea less frigid winters than typical for Asia and North America at similar latitudes. As an example, Iqaluit on the other side of North America averages 9.8 F-change colder over the year at a similar latitude, and Arviat on northern Hudson Bay 12 F-change colder despite being two degrees farther south.

Demographics
Gambell first appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It was formally incorporated in 1963.

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 640 people.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 649 people, 159 households, and 121 families residing in the city. The population density was 59.5 PD/sqmi. There were 187 housing units at an average density of 17.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.69% Native American, 3.54% White, 0.46% Asian, and 0.31% from two or more races. 0.31% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 159 households, 51.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 18.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.08 and the average family size was 4.82.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 38.5% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 132.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,458, and the median income for a family was $30,625. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,764. About 30.6% of families and 28.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.6% of those under the age of 18 and 33.3% ages 65 or older.

Education
Gambell is served by the Bering Strait School District. Gambell School serves grades Pre-K through 12. In 1984, two teams of Gambell students—one team of junior high students and one team of 9th through 12th grade—won two national championships in Future Problem Solving

In 2023, a team of junior high students (grades 6-8) won a Blade Engineer Award at the National KidWind Challenge held in Boulder, Colorado.

Health
Sale, importation and possession of alcohol are banned in the village.

title: Gambell, Alaska


text:
Golovin, Alaska

Golovin (formerly Chinik, from Siŋik or ; Головин) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 156, up from 144 in 2000.

Geography
Golovin is located at 64.54472°N, -163.0275°W (64.544612, -163.027459).

Golovin is on a point of land between Golovnin Bay and Golovnin Lagoon on the Seward Peninsula in western Alaska. It is about 105 km east of Nome. The area receives its name from Russian Vice-Admiral Vasily Mikhailovich Golovnin, (1776–1831). The town name is misspelled while the bay and lagoon retain the correct spelling.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 sqmi, all of it land.

Demographics
The present city of Golovin appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as the native village of Ikaleaveagmiut. In 1900, it would report as Cheennik Village (or Dexter), then an unincorporated village. It would not report again until 1930 when the name was officially reported as Golovin. It would formally incorporate as a city in 1971.

There also were reported the settlements of Golofnin Bay (population 25) and Golofnin City (village) (population 185) on the 1890 and 1900 censuses, but these may have been separate areas outside of the present day Golovin, with the former described as consisting of four small Inuit settlements (Siningmon, Netsekawik, Ukodlint & Chillimiut) on an unspecified location in the bay area. The 1900 census considered Golofnin City a successor to Golofnin Bay, though it appeared that this community was located at the site of the Golovin (or Golofnin) Mission, a Swedish Evangelical Union mission and reindeer station, which was along the east side of the Golovnin Bay (now since abandoned). To compound the confusion, a post office (called Golovin) was established at the mission in 1899, but closed in 1906. It was then relocated to the present Golovin in 1908 and kept the same name.

As of the census of 2000, there were 144 people, 45 households, and 30 families residing in the city. The population density was 38.5 PD/sqmi. There were 54 housing units at an average density of 14.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 7.64% White, 84.03% Native American, and 8.33% from two or more races. 2.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 45 households, 44.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 20.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 4.17.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 42.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 118.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $41,250. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,281. There were none of the families and 4.3% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

History
Golovin was originally an Inupiat village called Chiŋik.

Golovin was named for Captain Vasily Golovnin of the Russian Navy, who visited Alaska to inspect the workings of the Russian-American Company in 1807–1809, in the Diana, and in 1817–1819, in the Kamchatka, while circumnavigating the world. Lt. Lavrenty Zagoskin, from the Imperial Russian Navy sent to Alaska to scout locations for trading posts, reported the village as "Ikalikguigmyut" in 1842. In 1867, the Mission Covenant of Sweden established a church and school south of the current site of Golovin. Around 1890, John Dexter established a trading post that became the center for swapping prospecting information for the entire Seward Peninsula. Gold was discovered in 1898 at Council and Golovin became a supply point for the gold fields. Supplies were unloaded from ships at Golovin and shipped across Golovnin Lagoon and up the Fish and Niukluk Rivers to Council.

When gold was discovered in what is now Nome, much of the mining and shipping activity moved there and Golovin declined in population.

Reindeer herding was introduced in the area about 1900.

Golovin is used as a checkpoint on the Iditarod in Nome, Alaska.

Notable people
Donny Olson, Alaska State Senator, attorney, commercial pilot, physician, and reindeer herder.

title: Golovin, Alaska


text:
Koyuk, Alaska

Koyuk (Kuuyuk) is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 332 at the 2010 census, up from 297 in 2000.

Geography
Koyuk is located at 64.93111°N, -161.15861°W (64.931099, -161.158480). The village is located on the northern bank of the Koyuk River where it drains into Norton Bay.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 sqmi, all of it land.

Demographics
Koyuk first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1970.

As of the census of 2000, there were 297 people, 80 households, and 59 families residing in the city. The population density was 62.7 PD/sqmi. There were 95 housing units at an average density of 20.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 4.71% White, 91.92% Native American, 0.67% Asian, and 2.69% from two or more races.

Of the 80 households, 53.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples living together, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.71 and the average family size was 4.31.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 41.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 3.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 121.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 127.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,417, and the median income for a family was $20,625. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $11,563 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,736. About 29.3% of families and 28.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 25.0% of those 65 or over.

Education
Koyuk is served by the Bering Strait School District. Koyuk-Malimiut School serves grades Pre-K through 12.

title: Koyuk, Alaska


text:
Nome, Alaska

Nome ((Sitŋasuaq,, also Sitŋazuaq, Siqnazuaq)) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the US state of Alaska. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded in the 2020 census, up from 3,598 in 2010. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901. It was once the most-populous city in Alaska. Nome lies within the region of the Bering Straits Native Corporation, which is headquartered in Nome.

In prehistory, Nome was home to Iñupiat natives. The area came to Western attention in 1898, when three Nordic-Americans discovered gold on the ocean shores of Nome, prompting the Nome Gold Rush. Within a year the city went from non-existent to a population of some 10,000. Gold mining continued to attract settlers into the early 1900s, but the city's population had fallen considerably by 1910. A series of fires and violent storms destroyed most of Nome's Gold Rush era buildings between 1905 and 1974. In the winter of 1925, a diphtheria epidemic raged among Alaska Natives in the Nome area. Fierce territory-wide blizzard conditions prevented the delivery of a life-saving diphtheria antitoxin serum by airplane from Anchorage. A relay of dog sled teams was organized to deliver the serum, which was successfully led by Balto and Togo. Today, the Iditarod Dog Sled Race follows the same route they took and ends in Nome.

In the 21st century, Nome's economy remains based around gold mining, which is now mostly carried out offshore. The city of Nome also claims to be home to the world's largest gold pan, although this claim has been disputed by the Canadian city of Quesnel, British Columbia.

Etymology
The origin of the city's name "Nome" is debated; there are three theories. The first is that the name was given by Nome's founder, Jafet Lindeberg, an immigrant from Norway. Nome appears as a toponym in several places in Norway.

A second theory is that Nome received its name through an error: allegedly when a British cartographer copied an ambiguous annotation made by a British officer on a nautical chart, while on a voyage up the Bering Strait. The officer had written "? Name" next to the unnamed cape. The mapmaker misread the annotation as "C. Nome", or Cape Nome, and used that name on his own chart; the city in turn took its name from the cape. Noted toponymist and historian George R. Stewart favored this explanation, citing a letter from the British Admiralty which allegedly confirmed the story from historical records.

The third proposed origin of the name is from a misunderstanding of the local Inupiaq word for "Where at?", Naami.

In February 1899, some local miners and merchants voted to change the name from Nome to Anvil City, because of the confusion with Cape Nome, 12 mi east, and the Nome River, the mouth of which is 4 mi east of Nome. The United States Post Office in Nome refused to accept the change. Fearing a move of the post office to Nome City, a mining camp on the Nome River, the merchants unhappily agreed to change the name of Anvil City back to Nome.

Geography and climate
Nome is located at 64.50389°N, -165.39944°W (64.503889, −165.399444). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.6 sqmi, of which 12.5 sqmi is land and 9.1 sqmi (41.99%) is water.

Nome has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc), closely bordering on a tundra, with long, very cold winters, and short, cool summers. However, conditions in both winter and summer are moderated by the city's coastal location; winters are less severe than in the Interior, and conversely, summers are lukewarm. For example, Fairbanks at a similar parallel quite far inland has much greater temperature swings with both very warm and cold temperatures throughout the year. Even so, Nome is influenced by Far East Russia's cold landmass and as a result the climate is much colder than in coastal Scandinavia at similar latitudes.

The coldest month is January, averaging 5.6 °F, although highs on average breach the freezing point on 2–4 days per month from December to March and there are 76 days annually of 0 °F or lower temperatures, which have been recorded as early as October 12 in 1996 and as late as May 5 in 1984. Average highs stay below freezing from late October until late April, and the average first and last dates of freezing lows are August 30 and June 9, respectively, a freeze-free period of 81 days. The warmest month is July, with an average of 52.0 °F; temperatures rarely reach 80 °F or remain above 60 °F the whole night. Snow averages 82.8 in per season, with the average first and last dates of measurable (≥0.1 in) snowfall being October 4 and May 16; accumulating snow has not been officially observed in July or August. Precipitation is greatest in the summer months, and averages 17.22 in per year. The annual average temperature is 28.0 °F.

Extreme temperatures range from −54 °F on January 27–28, 1989 up to 86 °F on June 19, 2013, and July 31, 1977; the record cold daily maximum is −40 °F, set on January 28–29, 1919, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 64 °F on July 20, 1993, and August 14, 1926. The coldest day of the year averaged -17 F in the 1991 to 2020 normals, while the warmest night average was at 57 F. The coldest has been February 1990 with a mean temperature of −17.2 F, while the warmest month was August 1977 at 56.3 F; the annual mean temperature has ranged from 21.1 F in 1920 to 32.5 F in 2016.

Bering Sea water temperatures around Nome vary during summer from 34 to 48 °F.

Demographics
Nome first appeared on the 1900 US Census as an unincorporated village of 12,488 residents. At the time, it was the largest community in Alaska, ahead of Skagway and Juneau, the 2nd and 3rd largest places. The demographics for 1900 included 12,395 Whites, 42 Natives, 41 Asians and 10 Blacks. It was incorporated as a city in 1901. By 1910, it had fallen to 2,600 residents. Of those, 2,311 were White, 235 were Natives and 54 for all other races. It dropped to the 2nd largest city in Alaska behind Fairbanks. By 1920, it dropped to 9th place, with just 852 residents.

In 1930, it rose to 6th largest with 1,213 residents (882 Whites, 326 Natives, 5 others). In 1940, it remained in 6th place with 1,559 residents. It dropped to 10th place in 1950 with 1,876 residents. In 1960, it rose to 8th place with 2,316 residents (with 1,608 "other", which was mostly Native; 705 Whites and 3 Blacks). By 1970, Nome had fallen out of the top 10 places to 18th largest community (although 9th largest incorporated city). In 1980, it was 15th largest (12th largest incorporated city). In 1990, it was 16th largest (12th largest incorporated city). In 2000, it was 25th largest (16th largest incorporated city). In 2010, it was now the 30th largest (16th largest incorporated city).

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 3,505 people, 1,184 households, and 749 families in the city. The population density was 279.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,356 housing units at an average density of 108.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 51.0% Native American, 37.9% White, 1.5% Asian, 0.9% Black or African American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 8.2% from two or more races, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 1,184 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.45.

The city population contained 31.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $59,402, and the median income for a family was $68,804. Males had a median income of $50,521 versus $35,804 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,402. About 5.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% under the age of 18 and 6.9% ages 65 or older.

The population of Nome is a mixture of Inupiat Eskimos and non-Natives. Although some employment opportunities are available, subsistence activities are prevalent in the community. A federally recognized tribe is located in the community, the Nome Eskimo Community. Former villagers from King Island also live in Nome. The ANCSA village corporation in Nome is Sitnasuak Native Corporation.

Pre-history
Inupiat hunted for game on the west coast of Alaska from prehistoric times and there is recent archeological evidence to suggest that there was an Inupiat settlement at Nome, known in Inupiat as Sitnasuak, before the discovery of gold.

Gold rush
In the summer of 1898, the "Three Lucky Swedes": Norwegian-American Jafet Lindeberg, and two naturalized American citizens of Swedish birth, Erik Lindblom and John Brynteson, discovered gold on Anvil Creek. News of the discovery reached the outside world that winter. By 1899, Nome had a population of 10,000 and the area was organized as the Nome mining district. In that year, gold was found in the beach sands for dozens of miles along the coast at Nome, which spurred the stampede to new heights. Thousands more people poured into Nome during the spring of 1900 aboard steamships from the ports of Seattle and San Francisco. By 1900, a tent city on the beaches and on the treeless coast reached 48 km, from Cape Rodney to Cape Nome. In June of that year, Nome averaged 1000 newcomers a day.

In 1899, Charles D. Lane founded Wild Goose Mining & Trading Co. His company constructed the Wild Goose Railroad from Nome to Dexter Discovery; it was extended (1906-1908) to the village of Shelton, also known as Lanes Landing.

Many late-comers tried to "jump" the original claims by filing mining claims covering the same ground. The federal judge for the area ruled the original claims valid, but some of the claim jumpers agreed to share their invalid claims with influential Washington politicians. Alexander McKenzie took an interest in the gold rush and secured the appointment of Arthur Noyes as the federal district judge for the Nome region for the purpose of taking control of gold placer mines in Nome. McKenzie seized mining claims with an unlawfully procured receivership granted by Judge Noyes. McKenzie's claim-jumping scheme was eventually stopped by the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. However, the episode provided the plot for Rex Beach's best-selling novel The Spoilers (1906), which was made into a stage play, then five times into movies, including two versions starring John Wayne: The Spoilers (co-starring Marlene Dietrich) and North to Alaska (1960, the theme of which mentions Nome. ) Wyatt Earp, of Tombstone, Arizona, fame, lived in Nome during gold-rush days - in September 1899, Earp and partner Charles E. Hoxie built the Dexter Saloon, the city's first two-story wooden building and its largest and most luxurious saloon out of more than 60 saloons.

During the period from 1900 to 1909, estimates of Nome's population reached as high as 20,000. The highest recorded population of Nome, in the 1900 United States Census, was 12,488. At this time, Nome was the largest city in the Alaska Territory. Early in this period, the U.S. Army policed the area, and expelled any inhabitant each autumn who did not have shelter (or the resources to pay for shelter) for the harsh winter.

By 1910 Nome's population had fallen to 2,600, and by 1934, to less than 1,500.

In May 1910, the Industrial Worker, the newspaper of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), published a notice from the Nome Miners' Union and Local 240 of the Western Federation of Miners for all unemployed workers to stay away, saying that "All the rich mines are practically worked out."

Fires in 1905 and 1934, as well as violent storms in 1900, 1913, 1945 and 1974, destroyed much of Nome's gold rush-era architecture. The pre-fire "Discovery Saloon" is now a private residence and is being slowly restored as a landmark.

The Black Wolf Squadron, under the command of Capt. St. Clair Streett, landed here on August 23, 1920, after the culmination of a 4527-mile flight from Mitchel Field. Noel Wien and Gene Miller based their air services from Nome in June 1927.

Serum run
In 1925, Nome was the destination of the famous Great Race of Mercy, in which dog sleds played a large part in transporting diphtheria antitoxin serum through harsh conditions. In 1973, Nome became the ending point of the 1,049+ mi (1,600+ km) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The latter part of its route was used in the serum run.

The sled driver of the final leg of the relay was the Norwegian-born Gunnar Kaasen; his lead sled dog was Balto. A statue of Balto by F.G. Roth stands near the Central Park Zoo in Central Park, New York City. Leonhard Seppala ran the penultimate, and longest, leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome. One of his dogs, Togo, is considered the forgotten hero of the Great Race of Mercy; another of his dogs, Fritz, is preserved and on display at the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum in Nome.

World War II and later
During World War II, Nome was the last stop on the ferry system for planes flying from the United States to the Soviet Union for the Lend-lease program. The airstrip currently in use was built and troops were stationed there. One "Birchwood" hangar remains and has been transferred to a local group with hopes to restore it. It is not located on the former Marks Air Force Base (now the primary Nome Airport); rather it is a remnant of an auxiliary landing field a mile or so away: "Satellite Field". In the hills north of the city, there were auxiliary facilities associated with the Distant Early Warning system that are visible from the city but are no longer in use.

Total gold production for the Nome district has been at least 3.6 e6ozt.

Nome's population decline continued after 1910 although at a fairly slow rate. By 1950 Nome had 1,852 inhabitants. By 1960 the population of Nome had climbed to 2,316. At this point placer gold mining was still the leading economic activity. The local Alaska Native population was involved in ivory carving and the U.S. military had stationed troops in the city also contributing to the local economy. In 1995, Nome was "connected to the Internet."

The Hope Sled Dog Race was run between Anadyr, Russia, and Nome after the fall of the Soviet Union. The race continued for more than a decade, but has not been run since approximately 2004.

Economy
Gold mining has been a major source of employment and revenue for Nome through to the present day. Mining's contribution to the town was estimated at $6 million a year in 1990 (~$ in ), before a major increase in the price of gold brought renewed interest to offshore leases (where 1,000,000 ounces of gold were estimated to be in reserve ) and a subsequent boom in revenues and employment.

The Discovery Channel has featured 15 seasons of "Bering Sea Gold" concerning offshore efforts to dredge gold both in summer and winter; in the latter season access is gained by making holes in the ice and sending a diver beneath to dredge the sea floor.

Higher education
The University of Alaska Fairbanks operates a regional satellite facility in Nome called the Northwest Campus (formerly known as Northwest Community College).

Public schools
Nome is served by Nome Public Schools and the following public schools attended by over 720 students:
 * Anvil City Science Academy, a 5–8 charter magnet, is also part of the school district.
 * Extensions Correspondence School
 * Nome-Beltz Junior/Senior High School, serves grades 7–12.
 * Nome Elementary School, serves grades K–6.
 * Nome Youth Facility.

Private schools

 * Nome Adventist School, a private school encompassing grades 1 through 9.

Media
Nome's airwaves are filled by the radio stations KNOM (780 AM, 96.1 FM) and KICY (850 AM, 100.3 FM), plus a repeater of Fairbanks' KUAC, K217CK, on 91.3 FM.

Cable television and broadband in Nome is serviced by GCI, which offers all popular cable channels, plus most of Anchorage's television stations. Nome also has three local low-powered stations, K09OW channel 9 and K13UG channel 13 (both carrying programming from ARCS), plus K11TH channel 11 (a 3ABN owned and operated translator).

Nome is home to Alaska's oldest newspaper, the Nome Nugget.

Airports
Nome is a regional center of transportation for surrounding villages. There are two state-owned airports:
 * Nome Airport – public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district of Nome, it has two asphalt paved runways: 3/21 measures 5,576 x 150 feet (1,700 × 46 m) and 10/28 is 6,001 x 150 feet (1,829 × 46 m). An $8.5 million airport improvement project is nearing completion.
 * Nome City Field – a public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) north of the central business district of Nome, it has one runway designated 3/21 with a gravel surface measuring 1,950 feet. It is used by general aviation.

Water ports
Nome seaport is used by freight ships and cruise ships, located at 64.5°N and 165.4°W on the southern side of the Seward Peninsula in Norton Sound. The Corps of Engineers completed the Nome Harbor Improvements Project in the summer of 2006 adding a 3025 ft breakwater east of the existing Causeway and a 270 ft spur on the end of the Causeway making it to a total of 2982 ft. The City Dock (south) on the Causeway is equipped with marine headers to handle the community's bulk cargo and fuel deliveries. The City Dock is approximately 200 ft in length with a depth of 22.5 feet (MLLW). The WestGold Dock (north) is 190 ft in length with the same depth of 22.5 feet (ML, LW). The Westgold dock handles nearly all of the exported rock/gravel for this region and is the primary location to load/unload heavy equipment. The opening between the new breakwater and the Causeway (Outer Harbor Entrance) is approximately 500 ft in width and serves as access to both Causeway deep water docks and the new Snake River entrance that leads into the Small Boat Harbor. The old entrance along the seawall has been filled in and is no longer navigable (see photos on website). Buoys outline the navigation channel from the outer harbor entrance into the inner harbor. The Nome Small Boat Harbor has a depth of 10 feet (MLLW) and offers protected mooring for recreational and fishing vessels alongside two floating docks. Smaller cargo vessels and landing craft load village freight and fuel at the east, west and south inner harbor sheet pile docks, east beach landing and west barge ramp for delivery in the region.

An addition to the Nome facility in 2005 was a 60 ft concrete barge ramp located inside the inner harbor just west of the Snake River entrance. The ramp provides the bulk cargo carriers with a location closer to the causeway to trans-load freight to landing craft and roll equipment on and off barges. This location also has 2 acre of uplands to be used for container, vessel and equipment storage.

Surface transportation
Local roads lead to Council, the Kougarok River, and Teller: the Nome-Council, Nome-Taylor, and Nome-Teller Highways, respectively. There are also smaller roads to communities up to 87 mi from Nome, yet no road connection to the other major cities of Alaska. There are no railroads going to or from Nome. A 500 mi road project (Manley Hot Springs–Nome) is being discussed in Alaska. It has been estimated (as of 2010) to cost $2.3 to $2.7 billion, or approximately $5 million per mile.

Healthcare
Local hospitals and medical centers include Norton Sound Regional Hospital and Nome Health Center. The hospital is a qualified acute care facility and medevac service. Long-term care is provided by Quyaana Care Center (a unit of the hospital). Specialized care is available through facilities such as Norton Sound Community Mental Health Center, Turning Point – Saquigvik (transitional living), and XYZ Senior Center. Nome is classified as a large town/Regional Center, it is found in EMS Region 5A in the Norton Sound Region. Emergency Services have limited highway, coastal and airport access. Emergency service is provided by 911 Telephone Service and by Nome Volunteer Ambulance Dept.

In popular culture
The reality television series Bering Sea Gold is set and filmed in Nome.

Nome is referenced in the songs "Marry the Man Today" from the 1950 Frank Loesser/Jo Swerling/Abe Burrows musical Guys and Dolls; in "A Little Brains, A Little Talent" from the 1955 Richard Adler and Jerry Ross musical Damn Yankees; and in "Ah, Paree!" from Stephen Sondheim's 1971 musical Follies.

Johnny Horton wrote the theme song "North to Alaska" for the film of the same name starring John Wayne. Nome is mentioned twice in the lyrics.

In episode 1 of the 1997 BBC television travel series Full Circle, British actor, comedian, writer and presenter Michael Palin (of Monty Python fame) traveled to Nome and met a goldpanner on the "Golden Sands of Nome".

In the video game Rainbow Six Extraction, Nome appears as one of 12 playable locations.

The Great Alaskan Race is a movie (2019) about a group of brave mushers travel over 1100 km to save the small children of Nome, from a deadly epidemic.

Films set in Nome

 * The Spoilers (1930)
 * The Spoilers (1942)
 * North to Alaska (1960)
 * Balto (1995)
 * Balto II: Wolf Quest (2002)
 * Balto III: Wings of Change (2004)
 * The Fourth Kind (2009)
 * Snow Dogs (2002)
 * Togo (2019)

Notable people

 * Frank E. Kleinschmidt (1871–1949), Arctic explorer, documentary film maker and film correspondent in World War I, lived in Nome with his family around 1905
 * Carrie M. McLain (1895–1973), Nome-based writer and teacher.
 * Donny Olson (born 1953), represents Nome and surrounding area in the member of Alaska Senate
 * Neal Foster (born 1972), represents Nome and surrounding area in the Alaska House of Representatives
 * James "Jimmy" Doolittle (1896–1993), U.S. Air Force General; spent part of his youth living in Nome
 * Dean Phillip Carter (born 1955), convicted spree killer; born in Nome, Alaska

title: Nome, Alaska


text:
Port Clarence, Alaska

Port Clarence is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Nome Census Area of Alaska. The population was 0 at the 2020 census, down from 24 in 2010. It is located on the spit separating Port Clarence Bay from the Bering Strait.

History
Missionary Sheldon Jackson's greatest success with his Teller Reindeer Station at Port Clarence, figured in the Overland Relief Expedition in 1897 to save marooned whalers near Point Barrow.

During the 1898-1899 gold rush in Nome, smaller quantities of both gold and high-grade tin were mined in Port Clarence.

The Harriman Alaska Expedition visited Port Clarence in 1899, making a photographic record of Alaska Natives.

In 1900, the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey charted the coastline.

From 1961 to 2010 Port Clarence was a LORAN-C station administered by the United States Coast Guard. The LORAN-C Program was terminated on February 8, 2010. The Coast Guard commissioned a 1,350-foot (411.48-metre) tall Loran-C tower at the station in 1961, and it was the tallest structure in Alaska until its demolition in 2010.

Geography
Port Clarence is located at 65.26611°N, -166.85278°W (65.265974, -166.852765).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 36.5 sqmi, of which, 35.5 sqmi of it is land and 1.0 sqmi of it (2.74%) is water.

Demographics

Port Clarence first appeared on the 1890 U.S. Census as an unincorporated area of 485 residents. Of those, 276 were White, 144 were Natives, 62 were "Other" and 3 were Asian. The census enumerators included 11 small native villages of Anelo, Chainruk, Kachegaret, Kalulegeet, Kaveazruk, Kovogzruk, Metukatoak, Nuk, Perebluk, Shinnapago & Toakzruk. They also included the following six vessels that were in the area as well: the whaling steamers J.H. Freeman & Grampus; barques Bounding Billow & Reindeer; and the brigs F.A. Barstow & W.H. Meyer. Port Clarence would not be separately reported again on the census until 1980, when it was made a census-designated place (CDP).

As of the census of 2000, there were 21 people, 4 households, and 3 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 0.6 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.48% White. 4.76% (i.e., one person) of the population was Black or African American, 4.76% were from other races, and 4.76% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

In the CDP, the age distribution of the population shows 33.3% from 18 to 24, 66.7% from 25 to 44. The median age was 28 years. The 21 residents counted by the census included one woman and 20 men.

The per capita income for the CDP was $35,286. There were no families and none of the population living below the poverty line.

Climate
Port Clarence has a subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc) closely bordering on a tundra climate (ETf).

title: Port Clarence, Alaska


text:
Savoonga, Alaska

Savoonga is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska. It is located on St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. As of the 2020 census, Savoonga's population was 835, up from 671 in 2010.

Savoonga was incorporated in 1969. In 1971, it became joint owner of St. Lawrence Island along with the island's only other city, Gambell.

The local economy consists largely of subsistence hunting for walrus, seals, fish, and bowhead whales. The city calls itself the "Walrus Capital of the World". A dogsled mail service operated until 1963.

History
St. Lawrence Island has been inhabited sporadically for the past 2,000 years by both Alaskan Yup'ik and Siberian Yupik people. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the island had a population of about 4,000 in numerous villages.

Between 1878 and 1880, a famine devastated the island's population. Many who did not starve left. The remaining population of St. Lawrence Island was nearly all Siberian Yupik.

In 1900, reindeer were introduced on the island and by 1917, the herd had grown to over 10,000 animals. A reindeer camp was established near present-day Savoonga in 1916. The village of Savoonga was established near the camp in the 1930s. Good hunting and trapping in the area attracted more residents.

Gambell and Savoonga received joint title to most of the land on St. Lawrence Island under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971.

Geography
Savoonga is on the northern coast of St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea. It is 63 km southeast of Gambell.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 sqmi, all of it land.

Most people on St. Lawrence Island speak Siberian Yupik.

There are daily flights from Nome to Savoonga Airport, weather permitting.

Climate
Savoonga has a polar climate (Köppen ET) with short, cool summers and long, freezing winters lasting from the beginning of October to the end of May. Average annual snowfall totals 68.6 in with peak snowpack depth being 21 in in April.

Demographics
Savoonga first appeared on the 1930 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1969.

At the 2000 census, there were 643 people, 145 households, and 113 families residing in the city. The population density was 105.5 PD/sqmi. There were 160 housing units at an average density of 26.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.33% Native American, 4.35% White, 0.16% Asian, and 0.16% from other races.

Of the 145 households, 55.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.4% were non-families. 16.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.43 and the average family size was 5.22.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 36.1% under the age of 18, 13.2% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,438, and the median income for a family was $27,917. Males had a median income of $30,500 versus $29,167 for females. The per capita income for the city was $7,725. About 29.3% of families and 29.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.6% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
, 25% of the adults in the community had no jobs. Of those who did, 37% worked for the school system. Other jobs involved air transportation, fishing, and the oil industry.

Education
Savoonga is served by the Bering Strait School District. Hogarth Kingeekuk Memorial School serves grades Pre-K through 12.

Notable people

 * Annie Aghnaqa (Akeya) Alowa (1924–1999), Yup'ik environmental activist, healer, leader

title: Savoonga, Alaska


text:
Shaktoolik, Alaska

Shaktoolik (Saktuliq, ; ) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 251, up from 230 in 2000. Shaktoolik is one of a number of Alaskan communities threatened by erosion and related global warming effects. The community has been relocated twice.

History
According to the Alaska Dept. of Community and Economic Development, Shaktoolik was the first and southernmost Malemiut settlement on Norton Sound, occupied as early as 1839. Twelve miles northwest, on Cape Denbigh, is the Iyatayet site that is 6,000 to 8,000 years old, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Shaktoolik was first mapped in 1842–1844 by Lt. Lavrenty Zagoskin, Imperial Russian Navy, who called it "Tshaktogmyut." "Shaktoolik" is derived from an Unaliq word, "suktuliq", meaning "scattered things".

Reindeer herds were managed in the Shaktoolik area around 1905. The village was originally located six miles up the Shaktoolik River, and moved to the mouth of the River in 1933. This site was prone to severe storms and winds, however, and the village relocated to its present, more sheltered location in 1967. There are presently only two occupied dwellings at the old townsite. The City was incorporated in 1969.

Geography
Shaktoolik is located at 64.35561°N, -161.19133°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 sqmi, all of it land.

According to the State of Alaska, Department of Community and Economic Development, Shaktoolik is located on the east shore of Norton Sound. It lies 125 miles east of Nome and 33 miles north of Unalakleet. It lies at approximately 64.333890° North Latitude and -161.153890° West Longitude. (Sec. 23, T013S, R013W, Kateel River Meridian.)  Shaktoolik has a subarctic climate with maritime influences when Norton Sound is ice-free, usually from May to October. Summer temperatures average 47 to 62; winter temperatures average -4 to 11. Extremes from -50 to 87 have been recorded. Average annual precipitation is 14 inches, including 43 inches of snowfall.

Demographics
Shaktoolik first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Inuit village of "Shaktolik." All 60 of its residents were Inuit. It returned in 1890 as "Shaktolit." All 38 of its residents were native. It next appeared on the 1920 census as "Shakolik." In 1930 and 1940, it returned as "Shaktolik." In 1950, it again returned as "Shaktolik" with the alternative spelling of Shaktoolik, the first time the present spelling appeared. In 1960, it reverted to "Shaktolik" and incorporated under the name in 1969. In 1980, it appeared under the present spelling again, Shaktoolik, and has continued to in every successive census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 230 people, 60 households, and 48 families residing in the city. The population density was 216.7 PD/sqmi. There were 66 housing units at an average density of 62.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 5.22% White, 94.35% Native American, and 0.43% from two or more races.

Of the 60 households, 53.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.83 and the average family size was 4.42.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 39.1% under the age of 18, 12.2% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 123.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.2 males.

The Shaktoolik economy is based on subsistence, with some part-time wage earnings. Cash jobs include commercial fishing and jobs with the City and the school. Reindeer herding also provides income and meat. Fish, crab, moose, beluga whale, caribou, seal, rabbit, geese, cranes, ducks, ptarmigan (including their eggs), berries, greens, and roots are also primary subsistence food sources.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $35,000. Males had a median income of $30,313 versus $37,917 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,491. None of the families and 6.1% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 18.8% of those over 64.

Education
Shaktoolik is served by Shaktolik School, a pre-K–12 school in the Bering Strait School District. During the school year the students of Shaktoolik have the opportunity to join sports. In the late fall there is cross country running, wrestling and volleyball. The most popular sport is basketball, which is played throughout the early winter months. Near the end of the school year the Native Youth Olympics (NYO) takes place. All the students involved in sports form a team, which travels around the Bering Strait School District (BSSD)

Notable people

 * Ticasuk Brown (1904–1982), Educator and writer was born in Unalakleet and wrote it about it extensively in her autobiography. Her father was one of the co-founders of the village.
 * Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente (1928–1980), Spanish naturalist and broadcaster, died in Shaktoolik on March 14, 1980, while shooting a documentary about the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, when the Cessna 185 aircraft carrying him along with two Spanish cameramen and the American pilot crashed, killing all on board.

title: Shaktoolik, Alaska


text:
Shishmaref, Alaska

Shishmaref (Qigiqtaq, or Kigiqtaq; Шишмарёв) is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. It is located on Sarichef Island in the Chukchi Sea, just north of the Bering Strait and five miles from the mainland. Shishmaref lies within the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve. The population was 563 at the 2010 census, up from 562 in 2000.

Etymology
Shishmaryov is probably a variant of Russian Shyshmánov from Turkic šyšman ‘fat’, but there is also Old Russian šiš ‘rogue, knave’ and Maréev ‘(son of) marine’. The name was assigned in 1821 to a nearby inlet by explorer Otto von Kotzebue of the Russian Imperial Marine, in honor of a member of his expedition, the commander Gleb S. Shishmaryov (Глеб Семёнович Шишмарёв).

In the Iñupiaq language, Qigiqtaq (formally Ḳigiḳtaḳ) means ‘island’. The water to the south of it is called Qigiqtam Imaġrua ‘waters of Qikiqtaq’, shown in the map of the area in the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 sqmi, of which, 2.8 sqmi of it is land and 4.5 sqmi of it (61.62%) is water.

Shishmaref was named in 1821 by explorer Lt. Otto von Kotzebue, of the Imperial Russian Navy, after Capt. Lt. Gleb Shishmaryov who accompanied him on his exploration.

Sarichef Island (on which Shishmaref is located) is part of a dynamic, 100 km-long barrier island chain that records human and environmental history spanning the past 2000 years; the oldest subaerial evidence for the formation of this system is about 1700 years before present, according to carbon 14 dating (see References, below). Erosion at Shishmaref is unique along the islands because of its fetch exposure and high tidal prism, relatively intense infrastructure development during the 20th century, and multiple shoreline defense structures built beginning in the 1970s.

Global warming
The effect of global climate change upon Shishmaref is sometimes seen as the most dramatic in the world. Rising temperatures have resulted in a reduction in the sea ice which serves to buffer Shishmaref from storm surges. At the same time, the permafrost that the village is built on has also begun to melt, making the shore even more vulnerable to erosion. In recent years the shore has been receding at an average rate of up to 10 feet (3.3 m) per year. Although a series of barricades has been put up to protect the village, the shore has continued to erode at an alarming rate. The Army Corps of Engineers has built a series of walls but none have been completely effective against waves. The town's homes, water system and infrastructure are being undermined. Currently, Shishmaref has obtained funds to construct seawalls that protect some of the shoreline.

The village had plans to relocate several miles to the south, on the mainland to the Tin Creek site. However, Tin Creek proved unsuitable for long term settlement due to melting permafrost in the area. The Shishmaref Erosion and Relocation Coalition, made up of the city, the IRA Council and other organizations, is seeking federal, state and private funding for a move elsewhere. The cost of moving Shishmaref is estimated at $180 million, nearly $320,000 per resident. The village was told by the Obama administration that no federal money was available, therefore tensions arose in 2013 when John Kerry announced Vietnam would receive $17 million to deal with climate change.

Erosion rates along the island front exceed (and are not comparable with) those along adjacent sectors. Erosion is occurring along the entire island chain, but it is exacerbated at Sarichef Island in part because of the hydrographic impacts of hard armoring of a sandy shoreface and permafrost degradation that is accelerated by infrastructure. Residents are experiencing the effects of coastal retreat on residential and commercial properties.

Residents voted on town relocation several times, as early as 1975 and then in 2002 which approved it. On August 16, 2016, the village voted to move the town to the mainland. The town's residents prefer to think of the move to the mainland as an "expansion" rather than a "relocation", but although a site on the mainland called West Tin-Creek Hills was selected in 2016, there’s still a lot of planning and research to be done before that can be determined viable.

Culture
Sometimes referred to as "the friendliest village in Alaska," Shishmaref is an Iñupiaq village. Researchers, journalists and the occasional tourist visit Shishmaref, and the city has acquired a reputation for being a gracious host.

Residents rely heavily on a subsistence lifestyle, that is, hunting and gathering much of their food. Primary food sources include sea mammals such as ugruk (bearded seal), other seals, and walrus, fish, birds (such as ptarmigan), caribou and moose. The village is well known in the region for its high-quality seal oil and fermented meat.

Shishmaref is known for its Native art. Local artists carve sculptures from whalebone and walrus ivory, that are much sought after by galleries in Alaska and the Lower 48 states. George Aden Ahgupuk (1911–2001), a prominent Iñupiaq sculptor and draftsman lived in Shishmaref.

Shishmaref was home to one of Alaska's most-beloved dog mushers. Herbie Nayokpuk (1929–2006), known as the "Shishmaref Cannonball," finished the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race numerous times, including a second-place finish.

Demographics
Shishmaref first appeared on the 1920 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1969.

As of the census of 2000, there were 562 people, 142 households, and 110 families residing in the city. The population density was 202.0 PD/sqmi. There were 148 housing units at an average density of 53.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 93.24% Native American (mainly Inupiat), 5.34% White, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

Of the 142 households, 52.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.96 and the average family size was 4.59.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 40.9% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 12.6% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 125.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,714, and the median income for a family was $29,306. Males had a median income of $35,357 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,487. About 16.2% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Shishmaref is served by the Bering Strait School District. Shishmaref School is the only school in town and serves grades Pre-K through 12 with a population of 183 students and 33 pre-school children. There are 19 teachers at Shishmaref School and is the largest and newest building in settlement.

Transportation
There are three main roads, Main Street-Airport Road, Housing Trail and Clinic Road. Roads are not paved but have street lighting and do not connect to the outside beyond Shishmaref. Vehicles are mostly ATVs with a few private vehicles and dirt motorcycles.

Some residents will travel by wood vessels around Sarichef Island and a barge delivers goods and materials to Shishmaref when it is ice free.

Shishmaref Airport is the only means of connecting the town to the rest of Alaska. The airport replaced an earlier airport which is now occupied by housing near the lagoon.

Housing
Houses in Shishmaref are pre-fabricated and mostly single story. Construction material is mostly wood board and sometimes metal. The homes are often damaged from erosion.

Government

 * US Post Office
 * New Airport
 * City Offices
 * Shishmaref School

Business

 * Shishmaref Native Store
 * Nayokpuk General Store
 * Washeteria
 * Tannery

Services

 * Friendship Center
 * Bingo Hall - near Main Street and Clinic Road
 * Shishmaref Lutheran Church and Cemetery
 * IRA Building
 * Bulk Fuel Tank - city owned
 * etc

Services
Local healthcare services are provided by the Katherine Miksruag Olanna Health Clinic, a member of the Norton Sound Health Corporation (NSHC) based in Nome, AK. Certified health aides provide general services including lab work, vaccinations, health screenings, and treatment of acute health issues. The clinic utilizes NSHC's electronic medical record system, as well as other modern technologies including video teleconferencing and remote medication dispensing, in order to provide quality care to its patients. Healthcare providers of various specialties also routinely visit the clinic to provide additional services, screenings, and chronic disease state management.

Policing is provided by Shishmaref Police Department and fire services are provided by Shishmaref Volunteer Fire Department.

title: Shishmaref, Alaska


text:
St. Michael, Alaska

St. Michael (, Tasiq; Taziq, Сент-Майкл), historically referred to as Saint Michael, is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska. The population was 401 at the 2010 census, up from 368 in 2000.

Geography
St. Michael is located at 63.47853°N, -162.03712°W on the east side of St. Michael Island at the southeastern end of the Norton Sound.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.1 sqmi, of which, 21.8 sqmi of it is land and 6.3 sqmi of it (22.40%) is water.

Demographics
Saint Michael first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as the unincorporated Inuit villages of "Saint Michael and Tachik." Of the 109 residents, 100 were Inuit, 5 were Creole (Mixed Russian and Native) and 4 were White. It returned in 1890 as Saint Michael (though it also included the native village of Tachik and a camp of miners). Of the 101 residents, 38 were natives, 33 were Creole and 30 were White. Saint Michael has continued to report in every successive census to date. It formally incorporated in 1969.

As of the census of 2000, there were 368 people, 90 households, and 65 families residing in the city. The population density was 16.9 PD/sqmi. There were 93 housing units at an average density of 4.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 6.79% White, 92.66% Native American, and 0.54% from two or more races. 0.27% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 90 households, 54.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.09 and the average family size was 4.79.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 43.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 14.1% from 45 to 64, and 3.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,036, and the median income for a family was $34,000. Males had a median income of $31,250 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,692. About 24.2% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.1% of those under age 18 and 41.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education
St. Michael is served by the Bering Strait School District. Anthony A. Andrews School serves grades Pre-K through 12 grades.

History
Redoubt St. Michael was founded in 1833 by traders of the Russian-American Company, as a trading post for trade with the Yup'ik people of the area. The trading settlement and the island were named after the archangel Michael.

Fort St. Michael, a U.S. military post, was established in 1897. During the gold rush of 1897, it was a major gateway to the Alaskan interior via the Yukon River Delta (located about 40 mi to the southwest). As many as 10,000 persons were said to live in St. Michael during the gold rush. St. Michael was also a popular trading post for Alaska Natives to trade their goods for Western supplies. Centralization of many Yup'iks from the surrounding villages intensified after the measles epidemic of 1900 and the influenza epidemic of 1918.

St. Michael's population today is largely Yup'ik. Many residents are also descendants of the Russian traders.

Economy
The St. Michael economy is based on subsistence food harvests (hunting, fishing and gardening) supplemented by part-time wage earning. Most wage-earning positions are in city government, the IRA council and village corporation, schools and local stores. Some residents hold commercial fishing permits, primarily for the herring fishery.

title: St. Michael, Alaska


text:
Stebbins, Alaska

Stebbins (, Tapqaq; Atqa.wik) is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 556, up from 547 in 2000.

Geography
Stebbins is located at 63.51194°N, -162.27472°W (63.511893, -162.274632), on the north side of St. Michael Island, which is on the south side of the Norton Sound in western Alaska.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.9 sqmi, of which, 35.2 sqmi of it is land and 1.7 sqmi of it (4.71%) is water.

Demographics
Stebbins first appeared on the 1940 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It formally incorporated in 1969.

As of the census of 2000, there were 547 people, 123 households, and 104 families residing in the city. The population density was 15.6 PD/sqmi. There were 134 housing units at an average density of 3.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 5.12% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 93.97% Native American, and 0.73% from two or more races.

Of the 123 households, 64.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 12.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.45 and the average family size was 4.86.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 47.2% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 13.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 20 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,125, and the median income for a family was $28,214. Males had a median income of $33,125 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,249. About 40.4% of families and 41.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.5% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Stebbins is served by the Bering Strait School District. Tukurngailnguq School is the only school in town and serves grades K through 12.

City government
A July 2019 report revealed that all city police officers, including the chief of police, have lengthy criminal records (including domestic violence), and only one has any training.

History
A Russian fort, Redoubt St. Michael, was built at nearby St. Michael by the Russian-American Company in 1833. The name Stebbins was first recorded in 1900; the Yupik name for the village is Tapraq. The first census in the area, in 1950, listed 80 Yupiks residing in Stebbins. The city was incorporated in 1969.

The Stebbins economy depends on commercial fishing, for herring and other fish, and subsistence fishing, gardening and hunting, supplemented by part-time wage earnings. Hunting is for seal, walrus, caribou, and beluga whale. The city government and school of about 200 students provide the only full-time positions.

The Stebbins/St. Michael Reindeer Corral Project was completed in 1993 for a herd on Stuart Island, just north of Stebbins. The reindeer are currently unmanaged.

title: Stebbins, Alaska


text:
Teller, Alaska

Teller (Tala or Iġaluŋniaġvik) is a city in the Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 229, a decrease from 268 in 2000.

It is situated on the southern half of the spit called Nuuk in Inupiaq, which separates Port Clarence Bay (see also Port Clarence, Alaska) and Grantley Harbor, at the outlet of the Imuruk Basin.

History
The Inupiat had a fishing camp called Nuuk 32 km south of Teller in the early 19th century. The 1825-28 Beechey expedition found three camps with a total of some 400 inhabitants and a winter camp site with burial grounds in a roughly 10 mi radius around the later site of Teller on September 1, 1827.

An expedition from the Western Union telegraph spent the winter at the present site of Teller in 1866 and 1867; they called it Libbyville or Libby Station. When the United States Government introduced reindeer herding in Alaska, the Teller Reindeer Station operated from 1892 to 1900 at a nearby site. A group of experienced Sami reindeer herders and families were brought in to train the Inupiat. The station was named for United States Senator and Secretary of the Interior Henry Moore Teller in 1892 by Sheldon Jackson.

Teller was established in 1900 after the Bluestone Placer Mine discovery 25 km to the south. It took its name from the reindeer herding station. During the boom years in the early 20th century, Teller had a population of about 5,000 and was a major regional trading center. Natives from Diomede, Wales, Mary's Igloo, and King Island came to trade there.

The Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church built Teller Mission across the harbor from Teller in 1900. The mission was renamed Brevig Mission in 1903, after the Reverend T.L. Brevig, who also served briefly as Teller's first postmaster, a post to which he was appointed April 2, 1900.

The dirigible Norge detoured to Teller on its first flight over the North Pole from Norway to Nome in 1926. Many present residents of Teller came from Mary's Igloo. Mary's Igloo is now a summer fishing camp and has no permanent residents.

Today, Teller is an Inupiat village that depends on subsistence hunting and fishing.

Geography
Teller is located on a spit 116 km northwest of Nome on the Seward Peninsula.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.1 sqmi, of which 1.9 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (9.00%) is water.

Climate
Teller has a continental subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc), although its climate nearly qualifies as a tundra climate (Köppen: ETs).

Climate Change
All of Teller's public and commercial buildings and two-thirds of Teller's occupied homes are at the Townsite, a low-lying sand spit that is surrounded on three sides by water. Since the turn of the century damaging storms have been coming more often, the storms have been getting bigger, and the flooding has been getting worse. Teller has been forced to relocate its airport and landfill four miles uphill over the past three decades to escape intense erosion. Point Spencer, visible as a crescent shape in the satellite image, is the northernmost natural harbor on the West coast of North America. Point Spencer protects Teller from many Bering Sea storms, but when sustained wind and waves come out of the WSW, Teller is inundated with storm driven coastal flooding. In September 2005 Federal disaster (DR-1618) struck Teller. All infrastructure on the spit, including the school, power plant, clinic, and homes, were impacted by flooding. During the worst part of the storm, the main road flooded, splitting the town in two. Community members were evacuated to higher ground on boats. A storm in May 2009 damaged Teller's seawall; no funding was available to repair it. A storm in November 2011 washed out the remaining portion of Teller's seawall, breached the School's sewage lagoon and flooded downtown streets with knee-deep flood waters contaminated with human waste. That same storm completely destroyed a newly constructed $6.5 million electrical intertie between Teller and Brevig Mission. To date, Teller has been unable to secure funding to repair the seawall.

Teller's Tribal Leaders aren't standing still in the face of Climate Change. The Teller Environmental Adaptation and Mitigation - TEAM Housing project, aims to construct eight new homes and move 32 existing homes from at-risk locations to a safer location nearby, inland and uphill. Bering Straits Regional Housing Authority (BSRHA) will begin the project by constructing a fifteen-acre gravel pad in the Spring of 2024. Construction and relocation will follow. If they are able to move swiftly enough, then Teller's historically marginalized predominately low-income Native homeowners will be able to get out of the way of Climate Change before it strikes again.

Demographics
Teller first appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. The census bureau erroneously reported the name as Fuller. It reported correctly as Teller since 1920. It was formally incorporated in 1963.

As of the census of 2000, there were 268 people, 76 households, and 61 families residing in the city. The population density was 139.9 PD/sqmi. There were 87 housing units at an average density of 45.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 7.46% White and 92.54% Native American. 0.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 76 households, 53.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.53 and the average family size was 3.80.

In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 41.4% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 15.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 135.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 134.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,000, and the median income for a family was $20,000. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $8,617. About 33.9% of families and 37.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 45.0% of those under the age of 18 and 27.8% of those 65 or over.

Education
Teller is served by the Bering Strait School District. James C. Isabell School serves grades Pre-K through 12.

Notable Person

 * Libby Riddles (born 1956), dog musher, author

title: Teller, Alaska