Welcome to North Pole!
Fun Local Attractions »
NP Facts & Figures »
Restaurants & Shopping »
NP History »
There is so much to see and do in North Pole, Alaska! From driving down Santa Claus Lane, adorned with red and white striped light posts, to an evening stroll down the Beaver Slough Nature Trail, there's something for everyone in North Pole!
North Pole boasts a wide variety of services, activities, restaurants, and houses of worship, many of which are within a few moments walking distance of Santaland RV Park. We would be more than happy to provide you with information and directions to any or all of these locations.
Fun Local Attractions
- Visit Santa Claus House, est. 1952 (next door to Santaland RV Park)! Have your picture taken with Santa (Memorial Day through Labor Day), browse the Interior's largest gift shop, and enjoy a myriad of antique toy displays and local memorabilia. Home of the Original Letter From Santa.
- Enjoy a leisurely evening stroll down the Beaver Slough Nature Trail (access from Santaland RV Park).
- Visit Dasher and Blitzen, two members of Santa's reindeer team, at their corral at Santaland RV Park.
- Stop by the North Pole Visitor's Center - a log cabin with a unique sod roof. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day.
- Visit the North Pole Senior Center. Enjoy one of the Center's famous "Senior Breakfasts" or stop by for a fun game of Bingo with the locals. All visitors welcome.
- Stop by the North Pole Farmer's Market on Santa Claus Lane.
- Take a picture of the official North Pole "pole" at the 5th Avenue park.
- Enjoy a picnic at Terry Miller Memorial Park.
- Join us at Santaland RV Park for twice weekly evening socials, "Christmas Cocoa at the Park," featuring hot cocoa, cookies, candy canes, marshmallows, friendly conversation, and even occasional surprise appearances by Blitzen the reindeer!
- Visit KJNP (King Jesus North Pole), a mission-style radio and television station. Tours available.
- View Eielson Air Force Base - just a short drive from North Pole, EAFB is the site of international Cope Thunder training exercises and an alternate landing site for US space shuttles. EAFB provides tours as available.
- Visit Chena Lakes Recreation Area and enjoy camping, boating, swimming, biking, fishing, and picnic facilities in summer; cross country skiing, mushing, and snowmachining in winter. On your way, view the flood control project!
- Kids ready to play? Visit one of three area playgrounds, all within walking distance of Santaland RV Park!
About North Pole
Population: How many elves does Santa
really have, you ask? Within the city limits of North Pole, there are 1,646. Yet, if you add in every elf living within a 15 mile radius of the city, that number jumps to 30,440!*
Climate: North Pole is home to some of Alaska's most extreme temperatures - from a record high of 95 in the summer to a record low of -78 in the winter!** On the average, however, summers in North Pole are generally mild and quite comfortable. We do recommend dressing in layers while visiting. Don't forget to bring a light jacket - but don't forget those shorts, either! You'll also find North Pole's climate to be quite dry; our average precipitation is 11.2 inches.*
Sunshine: Alaska's midnight sun shines beautifully in North Pole, Alaska! On June 21 (the longest day of the year) we celebrate Summer Solstice with 21 hours and 49 minutes of sunlight! On the other end of the spectrum, however, is the shortest day of the year - December 21 - when we enjoy a mere 3 hours and 42 minutes of sunlight. (It makes for a rather short day!)*
City Facts: North Pole, Alaska, is a Home Rule Charter city. North Pole was incorporated on January 16, 1953, and proudly celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2003. Governed by a strong mayor and 6 city council members, North Pole operates on an annual budget of 3 million dollars.* North Pole is also unique not only for its name and location, but also because it is one of the few cities in Alaska with a city sales tax (4%).
*Source: City of North Pole
**Source: National Weather Service
Restaurants, including...
American Sit Down - Food Factory, Dalman's, Elf's Den
Chinese - Pagoda, Fire Wok
Fast Food - McDonald's, Taco Bell, Subway
Mexican - Mambo Grill
Pizza - Great Alaska Pizza Company, Pizza Hut, North Pole Pizza Depot
Thai - Thai Cuisine
And more!
Shopping, including...
Santa Claus House
Alaska Thumbnail Sketch
Ben Franklin Crafts
Safeway
And more!
A Short History of North Pole
The story of North Pole begins with Bon V. and Bernice Davis, who arrived in Alaska from Colorado following the Great Depression. Choosing a homestead south of Fairbanks, Bon patented his new property on April 4, 1949. Other families soon began moving into the area, which had been newly dubbed "Davis." Davis was ideal for many reasons, including the fact that there was no ice-fog in the winter and that water could be found close to the surface (Davis,
Stories of North Pole, Alaska).
In time, Bon V. Davis sold sections of his homestead to Dahl and Gaske Development Company. Dahl and Gaske subdivided the property and raised the prices, building houses on many of the lots and selling them on an installment plan. And this is where the name "North Pole" comes in...
According to popular lore (and the "official" story of the city of North Pole), Dahl and Gaske thought the settlement's name of "Davis" should be changed to "North Pole." They anticipated attracting a toy manufacturer - and possibly even a Northern Christmas-themed amusement park - by changing the name.
One of the old-timers, though, remembers the story a little differently. Nell Miller recalls that, even in those days, the temperature in the small community outside Fairbanks was always about 10 degrees colder than the rest of the Interior. For that reason, many in Fairbanks began calling the small community "North Pole," in reference to the weather.
Either way - and it was most likely a combination of both - the name "North Pole" stuck and North Pole was incorporated as a Home Rule city on January 16, 1953. The first city council had five members, who appointed a mayor pro tem. Meetings were held irregularly, mainly "whenever two or more council members felt like arguing" (Davis,
Stories of North Pole, Alaska).
The community's first post office was housed in Santa Claus House. Service could be unpredictable, however, as anyone going into Fairbanks would be coaxed into taking the outgoing mail with them and dropping it off at the Fairbanks post office. They would then bring back the mail for the North Pole residents, dropping it into a large basket that folks would riffle through at their leisure, looking for any mail that might have their name upon it. In time, though, actual post office boxes were installed within Santa Claus House. North Pole was granted its own cancellation stamp in 1954 (Davis,
Stories of North Pole, Alaska).
North Pole soon began to grow very quickly. In addition to Santa Claus House, residents could shop at the North Pole Trading Post (formerly located across from Terry Miller Memorial Park). Numerous churches began, so many, in fact, that it prompted Bon V. Davis to comment, "So, with the combined number of churches nearby, if there be anyone in North Pole or thereabout who fails to get to Heaven, it will be his own fault and not because there are no churches and dedicated people near trying to show and assist along the way" (Davis,
Stories of North Pole, Alaska). North Pole was even able to boast of its own radio and television studios, KJNP (King Jesus North Pole).
Today, North Pole continues to grow. It enjoys a comfortable position south of Fairbanks, situated between both Ft. Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base. An elementary school, junior high, and high school are all located within city limits, as well as a public library, numerous parks, and many thriving businesses.
From the candy cane street lights, to the holiday-themed street names (Santa Claus Lane, St. Nicholas Drive, Kris Kringle), North Pole is truly unique locale. Yes, there's Christmas, Florida. And Santa Claus, Indiana. And even North Pole, Colorado. However, only one is the
real home of
Santa Claus - and
that's North Pole, Alaska. Welcome!
Source Information from:
Davis, Bon V. Stories of North Pole, Alaska Copyright 1972
Miller Family History
