Home sweet Nome

With a winner approaching Nome in just a matter of days, I turn my thoughts back to the town that I called home for over 6 years of my life, and left just 6 months ago. For those of you who don’t know much about Nome, its population is about 3500 and it’s the economical hub of the region. Most state social services are headquartered out of the town, as is the major hospital and to get out of Alaska from a village in the area, you’ve got to fly one of the 3 or 4 charter airlines into Nome. There are 13 bars and 13 churches in Nome, and as one of the only places in the area where alcohol is legal, both types of establishments are frequently visited by out of town guests.

Nome is very hospitable, especially during Iditarod season. The Nome visitors center for weeks before the race is appealing to the residents for open beds. Its not just the tourists that run out of places to stay during the end of the race, but often mushers and their families will be sleeping on someone’s couch after they complete their 1,000 mile trek. Veteran mushers might have a “Nome buddy”; a family that they call on every year for housing and a hot meal. Brothers Ramey & Cim Smyth stay every year with the station manager of the radio station that I worked at, and Robert Sorlie stayed with the local chiropractor. We even had a rookie musher’s family staying at our house last year. The family was nervous with excitement to see Dad come in underneath the burled arch finish line after completing such a grueling race.

Mushers are treated like rockstars in Nome, afterall many of the tourists who have just spent thousands of dollars to come see the end of the race will often run into their favorite musher at one of the 5 good restraints in town. If you ever get the chance to visit Nome, you won’t be disappointed. Even though in the summer the town looks dusty from all the dirt roads, and there is a lot of abandoned vehicles and snowmachines sitting around, along with the condemned house or two… what you will find is a town that is full of people who are interesting, full of querks, and just about as friendly as you could ever imagine.