Presently, the International, Alaskan, and Barrow Whaling Commissions allot each subsistence community a given number of whales to hunt each season. These decisions are made with cooperation of peoples in native and scientific communities around the circumpolar world. We have about 28 miles of connected roads, but don't have any roads to or from Barrow. Jet service is provided by a few carriers, but only one jet serves passengers. The majority of air traffic transports huge amounts of cargo for the expanding community.
Smaller airplanes transport people and goods from other villages around Alaska.
In the summer, the sun shines for 24 hours and continues to do so for 82 days. Of course, what goes up, must come down. Winter months will show no sun for 56 days, with the last glimpse of the sun in early November. Temperatures are actually not as cold as they are in more interior regions of Alaska. Because the native-owned Arctic Slope Regional Corporation privately owns more than 5,500,000 acres of land, Barrow's economy is booming.