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Shishmaref is a tiny town of 466 people in Nome Census Area, Alaska. Summer highs average 62°F and winter highs 4°F, with about 64 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $109k and rent runs about $950 a month.
466people
$109kTypical home
$950/moRent
62° / 4°Summer / winter
64"Snow
125Sunny days
113Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 466
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 202 people per sq mi
- 535 mi to Fairbanks, AK
- Has its own stores and services
Money
- Typical home $109k (≈$690/mo)
- Median rent $950/mo
- Median household income $61k
- Property tax about 3.0% of value
- 23.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 62°F
- Winter highs around 4°F
- Dry summers (dew point 44°F)
- 125 sunny days a year (32 totally clear)
- 240 cloudy days a year
- 53 of 90 winter days are gray
- 113 days a year with rain or snow
- 64" of snow a year
- 21 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 140 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- High violent crime (1119 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (655 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 33
- 56% of households have kids
- 10% are 65 or older
- 11% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 2% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 6 min
- 44% walk or take transit to work
- 95 mi to DRG airport
- 602 mi to ANC (major hub)
- 89% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1986
- 91% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 16 ft
- Right on the coast
- 72 mi to a big lake
- No golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- Few or no sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- Few or no coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- No museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 5% of Alaska districts (reading)
- 107 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 111 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 399 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 108 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Nome Census Area: R+14 in 2024
- Alaska: R+14 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- Very low tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- High earthquake risk
- Very low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Very low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk