For many years, people have thought of the North Pole as the traditional home of Santa Claus. This wintry locale is a remote region that few people have reached and no one can live in. It is a powerful image, of a village hidden deep within the coldest part of the planet.
The tradition appears to have begun in the mid-1800s, likely came from an answer given to curious children, that Santa must live somewhere impossible to reach during his off season. Thus, the remote North Pole was selected, and the tradition born.
Several variations of the North Pole exist, of course. Many northern countries claim Santa actually lives in their region. The Lapland region of Finland, as the source of domesticated reindeer, often indicates that Santa must live there. The Santa Claus Village in that region is a popular tourist attraction. Canada has declared that Santa's home is in their jurisdiction, and the Canadian postal code is H0H 0H0. A series of small mountains in Canada are also called the Christmas Mountains. As for the United States, Alaska has a city called North Pole whose zip code is considered the official Santa mailing address as well.
The United States also has a tradition of monitoring the North Pole every year, announcing the tracking of Santa on his delivery route. This tradition started from a time that a newspaper misprinted an Air Force base's phone number in an ad for a store to "call Santa" and the base commander had the phone answered with information on Santa's location.
This has spread to an effort including multiple websites and social media, and publicized announcements and phone work. The Canadian Air Force designates an honor guard to "escort" Santa through restricted airspace and also reports information on his flight and destinations. Everyone tries to get in on helping Santa through his route.