Funny Town Names In Alaska

Courtyard by Marriott

June 1, 2026

As I try to figure out at 7 AM if I can get two more hours of sleep I looked up “funny Alaska town names”:

Chicken: Reportedly named because the founders wanted to name it after the state bird (Ptarmigan), but no one could agree on how to spell it.

Unalaska: Sounds like an anti-Alaska statement, but it’s actually a simplified anglicized version of the native Aleut word Agunalaksh.

Deadhorse: A grim but literal name, supposedly named after an unfortunate horse that passed away on the Dalton Highway during the early pioneer days.

North Pole: A town where it is "Christmas year-round," featuring street names like St. Nicholas Drive and candy cane-striped streetlights.

Nome: Famously born from a cartography typo. A surveyor had written "? Name" on a map near the unlabeled settlement, and mapmakers back in Washington, D.C., read it as "Nome".

Talkeetna: A quirky, funky town known for its dramatic mountain views and for having a cat as its honorary mayor.

Coldfoot: Named by gold rush prospectors who got cold feet and turned back before making it through the harsh northern wilderness.

The article I used did not mention Fox, Alaska!!

Fox is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Fox had a population of 406.

Fox first appeared on the 1950 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It did not appear again until 1980 when it was made a census-designated place (CDP).

As of 2007, there were 353 people, 119 households, and 71 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 22.1 inhabitants per square mile (8.5/km2). There were 159 housing units at an average density of 11.7 per square mile (4.5/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.67% White, 8.00% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 1.33% from other races, and 2.67% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 119 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $51,176, and the median income for a family was $64,107. Males had a median income of $39,297 versus $22,273 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,689. None of the families and 8.7% of the population were living below the poverty line.

Fox is home to several restaurants popular with Fairbanksans. One of these, the Howling Dog Saloon, was originally situated in Ester, but moved to Fox in the early 1970s. Across from this saloon is the Silver Gulch Brewery. The Turtle Club restaurant and bar is nearby. There is also a small general store/gas station.