Utqiagvik, Alaska

**Utqiaġvik** (; ,  ), officially known as the **City of Utqiaġvik** and as **Barrow** () until 2016, is a city in Alaska. It is the northernmost city of the United States of America and one of the northernmost cities in the world. It is located on the north coast of Alaska along the Arctic Ocean and is the administrative capital of the North Slope Borough. It is about 1,300 miles or 2,100 kilometers from the North Pole. Its antipode is located in Antarctica.

## Climate

Utqiagvik experiences a tundra climate with long, very cold winters and short, cool summers. Temperatures are below freezing from early October until late May. The high temperature is above freezing for only about 138 days per year, and there are temperatures at or below  on an average of 145 days per year. Freezing temperatures and snowfall can happen during any month of the year.

Because Utqiagvik is located above the Arctic Circle, there are some days when the sun never rises and some days when the sun never sets. When the sun sets on November 18 or 19, it will stay below the horizon for about 65 days, until January 22 or 23. This phenomenon is called polar night. The opposite, midnight sun, occurs during the summer. When the sun rises on May 10 or 11, it will remain above the horizon until August 1 or 2.

Winters are extremely cold and dry with temperatures at or below -40°F/C sometimes occurring. Summers in Utqiagvik are cool with temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. There are on average 26 days per year above 50°F (10°C) and around 5 days above 60°F (18°C). Temperatures above 70°F are rare. The average yearly temperature in Utqiagvik is . The highest temperature recorded in Utqiagvik was  on July 13, 1993 and the lowest temperature was  on February 4, 1924. Utqiagvik is warming quickly due to being in the Arctic. The Arctic region is warming at rate three times the global mean.
Smoothed data from NOAA shows that Utqiagvik has warmed by more than 11°F since 1976 with average autumn temperature warming at a staggering 18°F (10°C).

## Transportation

Although Utqiagvik is in North America, it is isolated from any other city. There is no road connecting Utqiagvik and other places in Alaska, which makes it impossible to drive into or out of the city. Therefore, the only way to get there is by plane. It is also possible to get there by boat, but only during a few months in the summer as the ocean is frozen for most of the year.

## Other websites

- _In Alaska, Melting Ice Could Erode Way of Life_  September 17, 2013 PBS NewsHour

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Utqiaġvik
- **native name lang**: ik
- **other name**: Barrow
- **settlement type**: City
- **image skyline**: Barrow Alaska.jpg
- **image caption**: Street view of Utqiagvik in July 2008: This street, like all the others in Utqiagvik, has been left unpaved due to the prevalence of permafrost.
- **motto**: The Northernmost American City
- **pushpin label**: Utqiagvik
- **pushpin map**: Alaska
- **pushpin map caption**: Location within Alaska
- **pushpin relief**: yes
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: United States
- **subdivision type1**: U.S. state, State
- **subdivision name1**: Alaska
- **subdivision type2**: List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska, Borough
- **subdivision name2**: North Slope Borough, Alaska, North Slope
- **established title**: Platted
- **established title1**: Municipal corporation, Incorporated
- **established date1**: June 8, 1959
- **area total sq mi**: 21.48
- **area land sq mi**: 18.77
- **area water sq mi**: 2.71
- **area total km2**: 55.63
- **area land km2**: 48.61
- **area water km2**: 7.01
- **unit pref**: Imperial
- **elevation ft**: 10
- **population as of**: 2020 United States Census, 2020
- **population total**: 4927
- **population density sq mi**: 262.49
- **population density km2**: 101.35
- **timezone**: Alaska Time Zone, Alaska (AKST)
- **utc offset**: −9
- **timezone dst**: AKDT
- **utc offset dst**: −8
- **postal code type**: ZIP code
- **postal code**: 99723
- **area code type**: North American Numbering Plan, Area code
- **area code**: Area code 907, 907
- **blank name**: Federal Information Processing Standards, FIPS code
- **blank info**: 02-05200
- **blank1 name**: Geographic Names Information System, GNIS ID
- **blank1 info**: 1398635