Utqiaġvik, Alaska, United States

🇺🇸 Utqiaġvik, also 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 the country's northernmost land. Utqiagvik 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 Claytonia tuberosa ("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 post office was established in 1901 helping the name "Barrow" to become dominant.

In an October 4, 2016, referendum, city voters narrowly approved changing its name to Utqiaġvik which became official on December 1. 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 Ukpiaġvik, which comes from ukpik "snowy owl" and is translated as "the place where snowy owls are hunted". A spelling which is a variant of this name was adopted by the Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation when it was established in 1973.

History: Prehistory to the 20th century Archaeological 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, can be seen on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Located on a slight rise above the high-water mark, they are at risk of 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: Barrow, like most communities in Alaska, looks temporary, like a pioneer settlement. It is not. Barrow is among the oldest permanent settlements in the United States. Hundreds of years before the European Arctic explorers showed up… Barrow was more or less where it is now, a natural hunting place at the base of a peninsula that pokes out into the Beaufort Sea… Yankee whalers sailed here, learning about the bowhead whale from Iñupiat hunters… Later, the military came, setting up a radar station, and in 1947 a science centre was founded at Barrow.

British Royal Navy officers came to the area to explore and map the Arctic coastline of North America. The US acquired Alaska in 1867. 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 for use in 1896 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 In 1935, famous humorist Will Rogers and pilot Wiley Post made an unplanned stop at Walakpa Bay, 15 mi (24 km) 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 which is now called the Rogers-Post Site. Another memorial is located in Utqiagvik, where the airport was renamed as 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 (previously, Native Village of Barrow), which is a federally recognised 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 (IRA) 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 traditional heating sources such as whale blubber.

The Barrow Duck-In was a civil disobedience event that occurred in the spring of 1961.

The residents of the North Slope were the only Native people to vote on 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 the 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 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 which is 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. The library was named after Evelyn Tuzroyluk Higbee, an important leader in the community.

Traditional clothing at Iñupiat Heritage Center in Utqiagvik

Utqiagvik, like many communities in Alaska has enacted a "damp" law, prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages. It allows for import, possession, and consumption of such beverages.

In 1988, Utqiagvik became the centre of worldwide media attention when three California gray whales became trapped in the ice offshore. After a two-week rescue effort (Operation Breakthrough), 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 1,300 mi (2,100 km) south of the North Pole. Only 2.6% of the Earth's surface lies as far or farther from the equator as Utqiagvik.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21 sq mi (54 km²), of which 3 sq mi (7.8 km²) are covered by water (14% of the total area). The predominant land type in Utqiagvik is tundra, which is formed over a permafrost layer that is as much as 1,300 ft (400 m) deep.

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 of the sections, 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, 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 in recent years, many businesses have opened or moved to this area. Browerville is separated from the south section by a series of lagoons, with two connecting dirt roads. This area in addition to the houses 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 is the smallest and most isolated of the three sections, known to the residents as NARL because it was originally the site of the Naval Arctic Research Lab. It is connected to the central section only by Stevenson Street which is a two-lane dirt road. The NARL facility was transferred by the federal government to the North Slope Borough, which adapted it for use as Iḷisaġvik College. This area also includes a small broadcasting station, which is run by the college students.

An ancient 5.0 mi (8 km)-sized crater, Avak, is situated near Utqiagvik.

Economy Utqiagvik is the economic centre of the North Slope Borough, the city's primary employer. Many businesses provide support services to oil field operations. State and federal agencies are employers. The midnight sun has attracted tourism, and arts and crafts provide some cash income. Because transporting food to the city is very expensive, many residents continue to rely upon subsistence food sources. Whale, seal, polar bear, walrus, waterfowl, caribou, and fish are harvested from the coast or nearby rivers and lakes. Utqiagvik is the headquarters of the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, one of the Alaska Native corporations set up following the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971 to manage revenues and invest in development for their people in the region.

Culture: Special events • Kivgiq, the Messenger Feast, in more recent times has been held almost every year, but "officially" is held every two or three years in late January or early February, at the discretion of the North Slope Borough mayor. Kivgiq is an international event that attracts visitors from around the Arctic Circle. • Piuraagiaqta, the Spring Festival, celebrates breaking a path in the ice for boats to hunt whales. Held in mid-April, it includes many outdoor activities. • Nalukataq, the Blanket Toss Celebration, is held on multiple days beginning in the third week of June to celebrate each successful spring whale hunt. • July 4, Independence Day, in Utqiagvik is time for Eskimo games, such as the two-foot high kick and ear pull, with the winners going on to compete at the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. • Whaling generally happens during the second week of October. • Qitik, Eskimo Games, also known as Christmas Games, are held from December 26 through January 1.

Sport: Football On August 19, 2006, the Whalers of Barrow High School played the first official football game in the Arctic against Delta Junction High School. Barrow High School recorded its first win two weeks later; the coaches and players celebrated the historic win by jumping into the Arctic Ocean, just 100 yd (91 m) from the makeshift dirt field.

On August 17, 2007, the Whalers football team played their first game of the season on their new artificial-turf field. The historic game which was attended by former Miami Dolphins player Larry Csonka, was the first live Internet broadcast of a sporting event in the United States from north of the Arctic Circle.

Since the team's formation, it has gathered a record of 33–24, and most recently, the team reached the semifinal round of the Alaskan State Small School Football Championship.

In 2017, The Barrow High School football team won their first ever state championship with a win against the Homer Mariners 20–14.

Basketball In 2015, the Barrow High School boys' basketball team won the Alaska Class 3A State Championship with a 50–40 victory over two-time defending state champion, Monroe Catholic. The Whalers' team was led by 5-star recruit Kamaka Hepa. As a 6'7" freshman he was regarded as one of the top basketball recruits in the country. He was ranked as the #21 ranked basketball recruit in the country by ESPN for the class of 2018. Hepa transferred to Jefferson High School in Portland, Oregon, for his junior year. By October 2017, at 6'8" tall, he had committed to go to the University of Texas.

The Whalers' boys' basketball team finished the 2014–2015 season with a 24–3 record, the highest win percentage in school history. Guard Travis Adams was a standout as well. Coach Jeremy Arnhart's teams won 186 games in 10 seasons. In 2015, the Barrow High School girls' team also easily won the ACS tournament.

Education Iḷisaġvik College which is a two-year college and the only tribal college in Alaska, is located in Utqiagvik. The school offers associate's degrees in accounting, allied health, business and management, construction technology, dental health therapy, Indigenous education, information technology, Iñupiaq studies, liberal arts, and office management. It also offers a bachelor's degree in business administration. The school additionally offers adult education courses for GED preparation and certificates in various programs. Local students may attend University of Alaska Fairbanks, and other colleges in Alaska and in other states in the country.

Media: Radio KBRW (AM)/KBRW-FM radio station broadcasts in Utqiagvik on 680 kHz AM and 91.9 MHz FM. KBRW is also broadcast via FM repeaters in all of the North Slope Borough villages, from Kaktovik to Point Hope.

Media: Print The Arctic Sounder is a newspaper published weekly by Alaska Media, LLC, which covers news of interest to the North Slope Borough, which includes Utqiagvik, and the Northwest Arctic Borough, which includes Kotzebue in north-western Alaska.

Transport The roads in Utqiagvik are unpaved due to the permafrost, and no roads connect the city to the rest of Alaska. Utqiagvik is served by Alaska Airlines with passenger jet service at the Wiley Post–Will Rogers Memorial Airport from Anchorage and Fairbanks. New service between Fairbanks and Anchorage began from Era Aviation on June 1, 2009. Freight arrives by air cargo year round and by ocean-going marine barges during the annual summer sealift.

Utqiagvik is the transportation hub for the North Slope Borough's Arctic coastal villages. Multiple jet aircraft, with service from Deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay), Fairbanks, and Anchorage provide daily mail, cargo, and passenger services, which connect with smaller single- and twin-engined general aviation aircraft that provide regular service to other villages, from Kaktovik in the east to Point Hope in the west. The town is also served by several radio taxi services, most using small four-wheel drive vehicles.

Health care Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital which is located in the City of Utqiagvik, is the primary healthcare facility for the North Slope region of Alaska. Individuals in need of medical care in the city are able to access the hospital by road. Because no roads lead in or out of Utqiagvik, though, individuals in surrounding communities and towns (including Point Hope, Prudhoe Bay, and Wainwright) must be airlifted in by plane, helicopter, or air ambulance. The facility operates continuously, and is the northernmost hospital or medical facility in the United States.