moving to Nome Advice (Fairbanks: new home, employment, buy)

[Graham_Cracker]

Hello folks. I haven't posted on this forum for awhile so it is very nice to meet everyone here. I am just trying to get some basic words of advice for a trip to Nome. I am debating in the next couple of months of coming up to Nome for a bit to try and move there on a permanent basis. I've lived in Fairbanks before for a few years and used to work for a fishing company off the coast,but I guess what I am looking for is ANY advice on what to do to make it up in Nome. I don't really have any job lines up there and no place yet. I am a skilled mechanic and open water diver for what it is worth up there, but other then that I am coming up there to start fresh after a divorce. After all said and done I would be coming up there with a constant income of about 2100 a month even before finding any sort of work due to VA benefits. What draws me to Nome is the isolation of the town and the chance to put myself back together and rebuild the person that I know I am. I do not know if a mechanic or diver is really even needed much in Nome as that is why I figured I would ask here. I still have at minimum 2 or so months before I head out so i got plenty of time adjust my thinking to reality as it were.

[Frostnip]

I've never been to Nome, so I can't help you there, but the VA benefits put you in a better spot than most Alaska hopefuls. If you're looking for isolation and peace to get your head together, you might look for employment at a wilderness lodge, especially if you're open to places other than just Nome. I should think that someone who's handy and has some prior Alaska experience, plus veteran status, would put you ahead of the average applicant. If you're not planning to head up for a few months, you'd be arriving more as we head into the fall shoulder season, which isn't necessarily a bad thing - the college kid employees will be going back to school, and places like that do need off-season caretakers. Plus, lots of hunting seasons later in the year. These types of positions generally provide room and board as part of their compensation , so you could sock away your VA benefits and save up for future plans.

coolworks.com and jobs.alaska.gov are good places to start.

Good luck!

[Graham_Cracker]

My plan is to move up there and stay there if the local population and cost of living will have me. I don't really know what to expect on those front, so thats why I posted here. I dont mind the isolation and/or hard work to live. I just wanna go somewhere where I can start new and try to find a new home. I've read alot about Nome and from what I've researched the town seems like it would be a good fit for me, but reading only gives you somewhat of an idea. Some of my family think I'll go up there for a month or 2 then come back down. I however am pretty dedicated to changing my life in a radical way and Nome is sort of my spot to do it in if i can. Otherwise yeah I would go look at the lodges, but considering everything I am losing in this divorce I don't think I wanna be in a place where I have to ALWAYS be happy

[stiffnecked]

If you want to move to Nome this is the time of year to do it. Mining season is starting up and mechanics and divers are always needed. Most jobs are NOT advertised. It's all about getting out there and talking to folks, networking if you will. Housing is tight during the season. Again you'll have to ask around.

As long as you don't spend all your free time in the bars you'll do fine. Lots of area to explore. Plenty to keep you busy. I spent four summers in Nome mining and I am glad I did. Nome

[RexLan]

If you're getting that kind of $$ from VA I believe you have a 100% disability - PTSD or ??.

That said, Nome is the last chit hole on the planet you want to be in ... a real chit hole.

Look into some small communities in the Rock Mountain areas. A much better outcome and assistance is nearby.

[Graham_Cracker]

Well I don't really drink at all so that's not going to be an issue. I am cutting back to a more simpler diet that is still healthy so the cost of food up there wont mess with me. A far as my VA stuff. Yes I am at 100%. Not going to go into detail about it here but I am as sane as the next Veteran that you know more then likely (unless you know a crazy chuck type then disregard ). I looked up airfair and apparently with a month notice it is like 400 bucks give or take to get up there. So from what I am gathering from alot of sources is you really just have to take the plunge and go up there to find out if you can stay up there huh? Any advice then on the type of clothing to pack? I know the season I will be coming into will be june/july, but if i stay of course i have the winter to contend with and i know clothing up there is outrageously priced at the stores. Besides being a mechanic and a diver I am also a certified computer tech, but I figure in Nome computers and such may not be all that in demand lol. Curse of being infantry when i was in the Army. We get out and realize we have to get job skills so we go crazy lol. One BIG thing I was wondering was how anyone can get firearms up there. I have a 30-30 i use here in Oregon for hunting and would love to bring it up there with me, but I am not sure if I have to do a me to me mailing sort of thing. Any advice from someone who lives there would be awesome. Thanks again everyone who has put feed back in here as it is helping alot

[Graham_Cracker]

disregard the question about the rifle. I just spoke with alaskian airlines and they said I could put it on the plane as long as it is in a hardcase with locks and declared

[Frostnip]

As far as getting winter stuff (and almost anything else that's spendy in shops), online shopping is your friend. My Amazon Prime membership has paid for itself every year in shipping costs easily. Honestly, most new people overthink winter gear. It's just a matter of breathable layers and a waterproof shell. Nome isn't even very cold, compared to, say, Fairbanks.

Probably the easiest, if not the cheapest, way to handle most guns is to mail them to a licensed dealer in Nome and pickup there. Stuff that's legal in Canada can be taken through Canada - God bless anyone who can work out what is and isn't allowed, though. I don't mess with it. (ETA: just saw your new post - yes, if you're flying from the US to the US, that works too.)

You sound like a do-er with a lot of practical skills and that type does well up here. I'd say open a backup savings account, and once it has enough money in it to "save" you if things don't work out for whatever reason (airfare to somewhere friendly, enough to live on for a few months, etc.) come on up. If it doesn't work out you can always try something else, no huge loss, just an adventure.

Take RexLan's posts with a grain of salt - he doesn't live in Alaska, hasn't been here recently, and has taken lately to low-key trolling this forum for some reason.

[Tominftl]

Get a good electric blanket. Buy an instant pot.

[Graham_Cracker]

So in otherwords dress like I did when I was out in the boats fishing . That's simple enough. I survived for a year in a tepee in the oregon woods on my own so at least I know all about layers over bulking up lol. As far as the backup goes yeah. I expect to get up there and get a life going, but at the same time I also am going to have an extra airfare worth with only a 2 week notice in case I need it. I know alot of people like to come up there and leave during the winter, but that is not what I am aiming for. I am coming up there with the intention of becoming a contributing member of your small community. I don't spend much if any time at bars or churches lol. I just wanna come up there and focus on being a better person and working hard to earn the respect of the locals. I am pretty much starting over from nothing as I am going through a divorce that is taking everything (including my 4 children) from me, other then my tools and the clothes I will have on my back. I dont know if it has been done before with so little in possessions, but I figure all I need is once chance to show someone I am a hard worker and things hopefully can change for the better.