Original from Tik Tok account @map_nerd... THIS IS PART 2 OF 2 on Diomede...
Diomede (Inaliq) is one of the most isolated towns in the USA. Residents rely on a weekly helicopter or skiplane for mail and supplies. There’s a school, laundromat, church, and a general store, but for most big things you have to fly to Nome.
Most who live on Diomede have ancestors who have lived there for over 3000 years (the native Inupiat). Many are known for extraordinary ivory carvings and marine hunting skills. They can easily handle a polar bear.
Until Russia built a military base on their island (Big Diomede) during World War 2, BOTH islands had towns with their residents closely related, traveling back and forth to visit each other. There are even stories of relatives meeting on the ice under fog during the war. After World War 2, those on the Russian side were moved to mainland Russia and Big Diomede is no longer inhabited (except for a weather slash border station and this amazing downed war plane. Today, there are families that grew up exclusively on either side, who once lived only a couple miles away from each other on two islands in the bering sea they call home.
