Barrow, Alaska-N.A.'s northern most town

[M II A II R II K]

Barrow

Here's a map of the location of Barrow, Alaska for those of us not familiar with the area

Barrow's population was 4,581 in 2000. Alaska natives make up 64% of the population.

A little info about Barrow

Barrow, the northernmost community in North America, is located on the Chukchi Sea coast, 10 miles south of Point Barrow from which it takes its name. It lies 725 air miles from Anchorage.

History

Archaeological sites in the area indicate habitation from 500 to 900 A.D. Inupiat traditionally depend on subsistence marine mammal hunting, supplemented by inland hunting and fishing. Archaeological remains of sixteen dwelling mounds from the Birnirk culture exist today. Barrow was named for Sir John Barrow, 2nd Secretary of the British Admiralty. Barrow's Eskimo name is known as Ukpeagvik (place where owls are hunted.)

Culture

The majority of residents are Inupiat Eskimos. Traditional marine mammal hunts and other subsistence practices are an active part of the culture. Bowhead, gray, killer and beluga whales migrate near Barrow each summer. Sale, importation, and possession of alcohol are banned in the community.

Economy

Barrow is the economic center of the North Slope Borough, the city's primary employer, and numerous businesses provide support services to oil field operations. State and federal agencies also provide employment. The midnight sun has attracted tourism, and arts and crafts provide some cash income. Five residents hold commercial fishing permits. Many resident rely upon subsistence food sources: whale, seal, polar bear, walrus, duck, caribou and grayling and whitefish are harvested from the coast or nearby rivers and lakes.

Climate

The climate of Barrow is arctic. Precipitation is light, averaging 5 inches, with annual snowfall of 20 inches. Temperatures range from -56 to 78, averaging 40 during summer. The sun does not set between May 10th and August 2nd. each summer, and does not rise between Nov. 18th and January 24th each winter. The daily minimum temperature is below freezing 324 days of the year. Prevailing winds are easterly and average 12 MPH. The Chukchi Sea is typically ice free from mid-June through October.

Brrhhh?.Looks like a cuddly place!

Spring Whaling

[M. Brown]

First pics i have seen of Barrow.

[M II A II R II K]

First time I even heard of Barrow before I first found this thread

[urbanguy]

Oh wow talk about johnny come lately i just noticed that there were threads below the subforum haha i guess i could scroll down more often!

[Allan]

Nice pics. Too cold for me up there though. I think I'll stay down here where it's warmer during the winter months.

[urbanguy]

^haha and wheres that? If its Detroit going by your avatar i know it gets cold there too

[Allan]

^haha and wheres that? If its Detroit going by your avatar i know it gets cold there too

It gets cold in Detroit, but not nearly as cold as it gets there. According to weather.com, the high in Barrow today is going to be a toasty -28 degrees! I think I'll stick to Detroit's weather...the coldest it's ever gotten here is only -15.

[urbanguy]

Yikes! yeah no fricken way!

[Wendell FOX]

I remember one time in school when we were playing a form of Trivia Pursuit, one of the questions was "What is the northernmost city in the US?" I thought it was Fairbanks, Alaska, but it turned out that the lowly town of 4000 was considered a "city"!

[urbanguy]

^Yeah there should be a cut off for what one would be considered a city 4,000 is like a town or village hehe

[Wendell FOX]

It's interesting how different regions perceive "city" differently - here we have places like Dundas, Ontario which have 10K people and are regularly referred to as hick towns by the locals, yet in the Yukon Dawson, with 2K people, is a "city". Same with Alaska I guess, though Anchorage with almost 10* the population of any other city should get a "megaloposis" title.

[urbanguy]

^Man Anchorage is the New York City of the North!

[monsoon]

[urbanguy]

^Ouch well atleast it was during the warmer months and damn thats some distance too!

[monsoon]

[Cotuit]

Oh wow talk about johnny come lately i just noticed that there were threads below the subforum haha i guess i could scroll down more often!

Duh, me too, what an idiot!

Bet Swiss Miss does some swift business up there.