Utqiagvik, Alaska
Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow, is the borough seat and largest city of the North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Located north of the Arctic Circle, it is one of the northernmost cities and towns in the world and the northernmost in the United States, with nearby Point Barrow as the country's northernmost point.
Utqiaġvik's population was 4,927 at the 2020 census, an increase from 4,212 in 2010. It is the 12th-most populated city in Alaska.
Name
The location has been home to the Iñupiat, an indigenous Inuit ethnic group, for more than 1,500 years. The city's Iñupiaq name refers to a place for gathering wild roots. It is derived from the Iñupiat word utqiq, also used for the Eskimo potato. The name was first recorded by European explorers in 1853 as "Ot-ki-a-wing" by Commander Rochfort Maguire, Royal Navy. John Simpson's native map dated 1855 has the name "Otkiawik", which was later misprinted on a British Admiralty chart as "Otkiovik."The former name Barrow was derived from Point Barrow and was originally a general designation because non-native Alaskan residents found it easier to pronounce than the Inupiat name. Point Barrow was named after Sir John Barrow of the British Admiralty by explorer Frederick William Beechey in 1825. A U.S. post office was established in 1901, which helped the name "Barrow" to become dominant.
Following a referendum approved by residents on October 6, 2016, the city's name was formally changed from Barrow to Utqiaġvik on December 1, 2016. City Council member Qaiyaan Harcharek said the name change supports the use of the Iñupiaq language and is part of a decolonization process.
Another recorded Iñupiaq name is , which comes from ukpik "snowy owl" and is translated as "the place where snowy owls are hunted". A spelling variant of this name was adopted by the Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation when it was established in 1973.
History
Prehistory to the 20th century
sites in the area indicate the Iñupiat lived around Utqiagvik as far back as 500 AD. Remains of 16 sod dwelling mounds, from the Birnirk culture of about 800 AD, can be seen on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Located on a slight rise above the high-water mark, they risk being lost to erosion.Bill Streever, who chairs the North Slope Science Initiative's Science Technical Advisory Panel, wrote in his 2009 book Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places:
British Royal Navy officers came to the area to explore and map the Arctic coastline of North America. The US acquired Alaska in 1867 by purchasing it from Russia. The United States Army established a meteorological and magnetic research station at Utqiagvik in 1881.
In 1888, a Presbyterian church was built by United States missionaries at Utqiagvik. The church is still in use today. In 1889, a whaling supply and rescue station was built. It is the oldest wood-frame building in Utqiagvik and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The rescue station was converted in 1896 for use as the retail Cape Smythe Whaling and Trading Station. In the late 20th century, the building was used as Brower's Cafe.
20th century to the present
A United States Post Office was opened in 1901.In 1935, famous humorist Will Rogers and pilot Wiley Post made an unplanned stop at Walakpa Bay, south of Utqiagvik, en route to the city. As they took off again, their plane stalled and plunged into a river, killing them both. Two memorials have been erected at the location, now called the Rogers–Post Site. Another memorial is located in Utqiagvik, where the airport was renamed the Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport in their honor.
In 1940, the Indigenous Iñupiat organized as the Native Village of Barrow Iñupiat Traditional Government, a federally recognized Alaska Native Iñupiat "tribal entity" as listed by the US Bureau of Indian Affairs around 2003. They wrote a constitution and by-laws under the provisions of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. An IRA corporation was also created.
Utqiagvik was incorporated as a first-class city under the name Barrow in 1958. Natural gas lines were brought to the town in 1965, eliminating the need for traditional heating sources such as whale blubber.
The Barrow Duck-In was a civil disobedience event that occurred in the spring of 1961. During the Duck-in, the Iñupiat protested a federal hunting ban on ducks, which threatened their livelihood and access to food security.
The residents of the North Slope were the only Native people to vote on the acceptance of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; they rejected it. The Act was passed in December 1971 and, despite their opposition, became law. The Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation is a for-profit village corporation established under the Act.
In 1972, the North Slope Borough was established. The borough has built sanitation facilities, water and electrical utilities, roads, and fire departments, and has established health and educational services in Utqiagvik and the villages of the North Slope with millions of dollars in new revenues from the settlement and later oil revenues.
In 1986, the North Slope Borough created the North Slope Higher Education Center. Renamed Iḷisaġvik College, it is an accredited two-year college providing education based on the Iñupiat culture and the needs of the North Slope Borough.
The Tuzzy Consortium Library, in the Iñupiat Heritage Center, serves the communities of the North Slope Borough and functions as the academic library for Iḷisaġvik College. It was named after Evelyn Tuzroyluk Higbee, an influential community leader.
Utqiagvik, like many communities in Alaska, has enacted a "damp" law prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages. However, the import, possession, and consumption of such beverages are still allowed. In 1994, residents voted to also ban the import and possession of alcohol; this was repealed the following year.
In 1988, Utqiagvik became the center of worldwide media attention when three California gray whales became trapped in the ice offshore. After a two-week rescue effort, a Soviet icebreaker freed two of the whales. Journalist Tom Rose details the rescue, and the media frenzy that accompanied it, in his 1989 book Freeing The Whales. The movie Big Miracle is based on the rescue and was released on February 3, 2012.
Geography
Utqiagvik is roughly south of the North Pole. Only 2.6% of the Earth's surface lies as far or farther north from the equator as Utqiagvik.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which are covered by water. The predominant land type in Utqiagvik is tundra, which is formed over a permafrost layer that is as deep as.
Utqiagvik is surrounded by the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska.
The city of Utqiagvik has three sections, which can be classified as south, central, and north. They are known to residents as Utqiagvik, Browerville, and NARL, respectively.
- The southernmost section, known historically as the "Barrow side", is the oldest and second-largest of the three; it serves as downtown. This area includes Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport, Barrow High School, North Slope Borough School District, and Fred Ipalook Elementary School, as well as restaurants, hotels, the police station, the Utqiagvik City Hall, a Wells Fargo bank branch, and numerous houses.
- The central section is the largest of the three and is called Browerville. This has traditionally been a residential area for the City of Utqiagvik, but many businesses have opened or moved into this area in recent years. Browerville is separated from the south section by a series of lagoons, with two connecting dirt roads. In addition to houses, this area includes Tuzzy Consortium Library, the US Post Office, Eben Hopson Middle School, Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital, the Iñupiat Heritage Center, two grocery stores, one hotel, and two restaurants.
- The north section, the smallest and most isolated of the three, is known to residents as NARL because it was originally the site of the Naval Arctic Research Lab. It is only connected to the central section by Stevenson Street, a two-lane dirt road. The federal government transferred the NARL facility to the North Slope Borough, which adopted it as Iḷisaġvik College. This area also includes a small broadcasting station, run by the college students.
Climate
Owing to its location north of the Arctic Circle, Utqiagvik's climate is cold and dry, classified as a tundra climate. Winter weather can be hazardous because of the combination of cold and wind, while summers are cool even at their warmest. Weather observation records are available for Utqiagvik, dating back to the late 19th century. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Monitoring Lab operates in Utqiagvik. The United States Department of Energy has a climate observation site in Utqiagvik as part of its Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility.Despite the extreme northern location, temperatures at Utqiagvik are moderated by the surrounding topography. The Arctic Ocean is on three sides, and flat tundra stretches some to the south. No wind barriers or protected valleys exist where dense cold air can settle or form temperature inversions in the lower atmosphere, as commonly happens in the interior between the Brooks and the Alaska ranges.
Utqiagvik has the lowest average temperatures of cities in Alaska. Although Utqiagvik rarely records the lowest temperatures statewide during cold waves, extremely low wind chill and "white out" conditions from blowing snow are prevalent. Temperatures usually remain below freezing from early October through late May, and below from December through March. Rarely in winter there can be a brief thaw, but continuous sub-freezing temperatures for many months at a time are the rule. For example, in 2025 Utqiagvik had a thaw on January 24 but the year's second day above freezing did not come until June 6.
The high temperature reaches or tops the freezing point on an average of only 136 days per year, and 92 days have a maximum at or below. Freezing temperatures and snowfall can occur during any month of the year.
As of 2023, Utqiagvik falls within USDA Hardiness Zone 2B.
Regarding precipitation, Utqiagvik has a desert climate and averages less than "rainfall equivalent" per year. One inch of rain has an estimated water content equal to of snow. According to 1981−2010 normals, this includes of snow, compared to for Kuujjuaq in Nunavik, Quebec, or and for much warmer Juneau and Kodiak, Alaska, respectively. Even Sable Island, at around 44 degrees latitude and under the influence of the Gulf Stream, received, or 20 percent more snowfall than Utqiagvik. Snowfall in Utqiagvik has increased in recent years, with an average annual snowfall of according to the more recent 1991-2020 normals.
The annual first snow generally falls during the first week of October, when temperatures cease to rise above freezing during the day. October is usually the month with the heaviest snowfall, with measurable amounts occurring on over half the days and a 1991−2020 normal total accumulation of. Sunlight is around 6 hours per day by the end of October.
When the sun sets on November 18, it stays below the horizon until January 23, resulting in a polar night that lasts about 66 days. When the polar night starts, about 6 hours of civil twilight occur, with the amount decreasing each day during the first half of the polar night. On the winter solstice, civil twilight in Utqiagvik lasts 3 hours. After this, the amount of civil twilight increases each day to around 6 hours at the end of the polar night.
Particularly cold weather usually begins in January, and February is generally the coldest month, averaging. By March 1, the sun is up for 9 hours, and temperatures begin to warm, although winds are usually higher. Starting on March 23, astronomical night ceases to occur, with only daylight and twilight until the start of the midnight sun in May. This is also true from the end of the midnight sun at the beginning of August until September 22. April brings less extreme temperatures, with an average of, and on April 1, the sun is up for more than 14 hours. By May 1, the sun is up for 19 hours, and by May 10 or 11, the sun stays above the horizon for the entire day. This phenomenon is known as the midnight sun. The sun does not set for 83 days, until August 1 or 2. In May, temperatures are much warmer, averaging. On June 6, the daily mean temperature rises above freezing, and the normal daily mean temperature remains above freezing until September 21.
July is the year's warmest month, with an average temperature of. Beginning in mid-July, the Arctic Ocean is relatively ice-free until late October. The highest temperature recorded in Utqiagvik was on July 13, 1993, while the lowest was on February 3, 1924; the highest minimum was on August 5, 2023, while the lowest maximum was on January 3, 1975. On average, during the 1991 to 2020 reference period, the coldest winter maximum was and the warmest summer minimum was. Utqiagvik records an average 26 days per year where the high reaches at least. Temperatures above are rare but have been recorded in most years. Even in July and August, the low falls to or below the freezing mark on an average of 18 days.
In addition to its low temperatures and polar night, Utqiagvik is one of the cloudiest places on Earth. Owing to the prevailing easterly winds off the Arctic Ocean, it is completely overcast slightly more than 50% of the year. It is at least 70% overcast around 62% of the time. Cloud types are mainly low stratus and fog; cumuli forms are rare. Peak cloudiness occurs in August and September when the ocean is ice-free. Dense fog occurs an average of 65 days yearly, mostly in summer. Ice fog is very common during the winter months, especially when the temperature drops below.
Wind speed variation during the year is limited, with the fall days being windiest. Extreme winds from have been recorded every month. Winds average and are typically from the east.