 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "North Pole, Alaska" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
North Pole, Alaska | |
|---|---|
| City of North Pole | |
 A January 2011 aerial view of North Pole, looking north, with theTanana River to the southwest of it | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Motto: "Where the Spirit of Christmas Lives Year Round!" | |
 Location withinFairbanks North Star Borough and the U.S. state ofAlaska | |
| Coordinates:64°45′04″N147°21′07″W / 64.75111°N 147.35194°W /64.75111; -147.35194 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Fairbanks North Star |
| Incorporated | January 15, 1953 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule city |
| • Mayor | Larry Terch |
| • Boroughmayor | Bryce J. Ward |
| • State senator | Robert Myers (R) |
| • State rep. | Mike Prax (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.10 sq mi (10.62 km2) |
| • Land | 4.08 sq mi (10.58 km2) |
| • Water | 0.015 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 482 ft (147 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,243 |
| • Density | 550/sq mi (212/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP code | 99705 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-55910 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1407230 |
| Website | www |
North Pole is a small city in theFairbanks North Star Borough,Alaska, United States. Incorporated in 1953, it is part of the Fairbanksmetropolitan statistical area. As of the2020 census, the city had a population of 2,243,[2] up from 2,117 in 2010.[3] Despite its name, the city is about 1,700 miles (2,700 km) south of Earth's geographicNorth Pole and 125 miles (201 km) south of theArctic Circle.
The city is a summertime attraction for tourists visiting nearby Fairbanks and, due to its location on theRichardson Highway, those traveling to and from theAlaska Highway andValdez. North Pole was home to two oil refineries, the town's major industry aside from tourism, but closed because ofsulfolane contamination in groundwater. The larger refinery, operated byFlint Hills Resources, was a major source of jet fuel forTed Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Tanker car traffic on theAlaska Railroad, entering and leaving the refinery, frequently bisects the city.
North Pole's biggest attraction is a gift shop named Santa Claus House, the modern-day incarnation of a trading post (gift shop) established in the town's early days. The Santa Claus House is known for the world's largest fiberglass statue ofSanta Claus outside. A small group of domesticatedreindeer are just outside.
BeforeChristmas each year, theUSPSpost office in North Pole receives hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa Claus, and thousands more from people wanting the town'spostmark on their Christmasgreeting cards to their families. It advertises theZIP code 99705 as the ZIP code of Santa. A community program also responds to letters addressed to 1 Santa Claus Lane.[4]
Christmas-themed streets in North Pole include Santa Claus Lane, St. Nicholas Drive, Snowman Lane, and Kris Kringle Drive. Street lights in the city are decorated in acandy cane motif, and many local businesses have similar decorations. The city's firetrucks and ambulances are all red, while the police cars are green and white. The city also has an all-female flat-trackRoller Derby league, the North Pole Babes in Toyland (NPBT), whose athletes have Christmas and North Pole-inspired Skater names.
North Pole has some of the least expensive residential real estate in Alaska; the median home price there is $211,184 in 2014.[5][when?]
The Richardson Highway south of Fairbanks led to an assortment of subdivided and unsubdivided homesteads betweenLadd Field and26 Mile Field in the 1940s and 1950s.
The area that formed the central city of North Pole was homesteaded in 1944 by Bon V. and Bernice Davis. Their son,T. Neil Davis, wroteBattling Against Success in 1997, a fictionalized account of homestead life. The Alaska Railroad established a siding on the Davis homestead as part of its branch line toEielson Air Force Base, naming the siding Davis. This name temporarily became associated with the fledgling settlement.
In 1952, Dahl and Gaske Development Company purchased the Davis homestead, subdivided it, and renamed it North Pole, in hopes of attracting a toy manufacturer to the area. The City of North Pole was incorporated on January 15, 1953, from portions of the Davis homestead and the adjacent homestead of James Ford. Ford was named the first mayor, with Everett Dahl serving on the first city council.
Another member of that first council was Conrad B. Miller. Miller, who came to Fairbanks in 1949, opened a trading post along the highway in 1952.[6] The business became known as the Santa Claus House and evolved over the years into the current roadside attraction.[6] The business was also home to North Pole's first post office, serving in that capacity for almost 20 years. Another trading post in the community was operated by Lucius Cunningham and his family. The town's economy largely depended on these two businesses until the 1970s, when the current four-lane Richardson Highway was built, bypassing Davis Subdivision, which was effectively its downtown.
The Earth Resources refinery (now operated byFlint Hills Resources) began operations in August 1977. It is connected to theTrans-Alaska Pipeline System by several feeder pipelines operated by Golden Valley Electric Association, mostly following along the Laurence Roadsection line. The years after its construction saw the construction of the North Pole Plaza, a large enclosed shopping mall along the Richardson Highway. A standalone high school and increased subdivision development in previously rural areas immediately outside the city followed before the real estate market temporarily collapsed during the 1980s.
An interchange was constructed along the Richardson, where the highway intersects with the eastern end of Badger Road and the northern end of Santa Claus Lane, during the early 1990s. In the late 2000s, the northern portion of Santa Claus Lane was rebuilt to accommodate three consecutiveroundabouts, serving the interchange and a nearby frontage road intersection. Another interchange was constructed on the Richardson at Dawson Road, at the far eastern edge of city limits. These improvements eliminated a number of at-grade access points to the Richardson, which had accumulated a decades-long history of serious accidents.
.jpg)
On April 22, 2006, police arrested several students at North Pole Middle School for allegedly plotting aschool shooting.[7]Death in Santaland, a documentary about the town and the foiled school shooting plot, was made by the British journalistJon Ronson and broadcast on the television channelMore 4 in 2007.
The city government has had an often contentious history. A past mayor, Jeff Jacobson, was criticized for maintaining his full-time mayor's job while at the same time working full-time as a teacher at North Pole Middle School. In 2004, Jacobson sent a letter and a lump of coal to U.S. SenatorJohn McCain about a comment he made regarding why the city's "elves" needed money for a recreation project that he considered apork barrel project.[8]
The current mayor of North Pole is Michael Welch.[9] The city council consists of six members serving staggered three-year terms, with municipal elections held each October.[10] In 2022, the city council consists ofSanta Claus (2019–2022), Aino Welch (2020–2023), DeJohn Cromer (2020–2023), David Skipps (2021–2024), and Anton Keller (2021–2024).
In 2014,Americans for Prosperity quickly pulled an ad campaign in Alaska afterKoch Industries closed the Flint Hills Resources Refinery in North Pole.[11]
North Pole is located at64°45′04″N147°21′07″W / 64.75111°N 147.35194°W /64.75111; -147.35194 (64°45′04″N147°21′07″W / 64.75111°N 147.35194°W /64.75111; -147.35194).[3] It is 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Fairbanks on theRichardson Highway. The city is about 1,700 mi (2,700 km) south of Earth's geographic North Pole.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), of which 4.2 square miles (11 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.47%) is water. The city is to the north and east of theTanana River, though access to the river is not easy due to the extensive system oflevees. Beaver Springs Slough meanders through the heart of the city, emptying into Chena Slough.
North Pole is the recommended city name for all ofZIP Code 99705,[12] which stretches betweenFort Wainwright andEielson Air Force Base, and between theChena River and theTanana River, including thecensus-designated places ofBadger, which spans subdivisions connecting the eastern edge of Fairbanks and North Pole, andMoose Creek.
_-_NORTH_POLE%2c_AK.svg)
North Pole has asubarctic climate (KöppenDfc). Temperatures in North Pole are heavily affected by the amount of sunlight with littleseasonal lag effect fromsolar radiation. Due to being landlocked and protected by mountain ranges from marine influences, North Pole has littleseasonal lag and greater seasonal temperature swings than areas along the coast such asAnchorage, with winters that can dip to many tens of degrees below zero Fahrenheit with average lows remaining below 0 from November 5 to March 18, and summers that see many days in the 70s, 80s, and on occasion, even 90s F.
Extreme temperatures range from −67 °F (−55 °C) on January 5–6, 1975 up to 95 °F (35 °C) on June 15, 1969, and June 25, 1983; the record cold daily maximum is −62 °F (−52 °C), set on January 6, 1975, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 66 °F (19 °C) on June 22, 1987.[13] The coldest day of the year averaged −40 °F (−40 °C) in the 2001 to 2020 normals, while the warmest night average was at 59 °F (15 °C).[13] The coldest has been January 1971 with a mean temperature of −36.1 °F (−37.8 °C), while the warmest month was June 2004 at 65.1 °F (18.4 °C); the annual mean temperature has ranged from 20.5 °F (−6.4 °C) in 1975 to 32.1 °F (0.1 °C) in 2019.[13] North Pole has about 238.8 days a year with nighttime temperatures below 32 °F (0 °C), and 114.7 days a year with nighttime temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C).[14]
| Climate data for North Pole, Alaska (1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1968–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 55 (13) | 49 (9) | 60 (16) | 76 (24) | 86 (30) | 95 (35) | 91 (33) | 92 (33) | 77 (25) | 74 (23) | 50 (10) | 47 (8) | 95 (35) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 29.3 (−1.5) | 35.6 (2.0) | 47.5 (8.6) | 62.2 (16.8) | 76.3 (24.6) | 84.8 (29.3) | 85.0 (29.4) | 80.3 (26.8) | 69.1 (20.6) | 54.5 (12.5) | 31.0 (−0.6) | 29.2 (−1.6) | 87.2 (30.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | −1.6 (−18.7) | 11.6 (−11.3) | 26.1 (−3.3) | 46.3 (7.9) | 61.7 (16.5) | 71.5 (21.9) | 72.6 (22.6) | 65.9 (18.8) | 54.6 (12.6) | 32.9 (0.5) | 9.8 (−12.3) | 1.8 (−16.8) | 37.8 (3.2) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | −8.7 (−22.6) | 1.5 (−16.9) | 13.2 (−10.4) | 34.4 (1.3) | 49.5 (9.7) | 60.1 (15.6) | 62.3 (16.8) | 56.2 (13.4) | 45.0 (7.2) | 25.7 (−3.5) | 3.1 (−16.1) | −5.1 (−20.6) | 28.1 (−2.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −15.8 (−26.6) | −8.6 (−22.6) | −0.3 (−17.9) | 22.5 (−5.3) | 37.2 (2.9) | 48.6 (9.2) | 52.1 (11.2) | 46.6 (8.1) | 35.5 (1.9) | 18.5 (−7.5) | −3.6 (−19.8) | −12.1 (−24.5) | 18.4 (−7.6) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −48.0 (−44.4) | −38.1 (−38.9) | −28.9 (−33.8) | −4.7 (−20.4) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 34.4 (1.3) | 39.2 (4.0) | 30.7 (−0.7) | 19.4 (−7.0) | −7.0 (−21.7) | −29.8 (−34.3) | −40.1 (−40.1) | −50.8 (−46.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −67 (−55) | −59 (−51) | −52 (−47) | −32 (−36) | 6 (−14) | 22 (−6) | 31 (−1) | 21 (−6) | −1 (−18) | −41 (−41) | −51 (−46) | −62 (−52) | −67 (−55) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.48 (12) | 0.44 (11) | 0.32 (8.1) | 0.34 (8.6) | 0.66 (17) | 1.91 (49) | 2.62 (67) | 2.61 (66) | 1.42 (36) | 0.96 (24) | 0.61 (15) | 0.48 (12) | 12.85 (326) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 9.4 (24) | 7.2 (18) | 5.1 (13) | 1.6 (4.1) | 0.4 (1.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.6 (4.1) | 7.7 (20) | 11.8 (30) | 9.2 (23) | 54.0 (137) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 inch) | 6.6 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 4.4 | 9.3 | 10.3 | 12.7 | 9.5 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 6.6 | 86.7 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 8.6 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 6.9 | 10.0 | 8.8 | 48.5 |
| Source: NOAA[13][14] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 615 | — | |
| 1970 | 265 | −56.9% | |
| 1980 | 724 | 173.2% | |
| 1990 | 1,456 | 101.1% | |
| 2000 | 1,570 | 7.8% | |
| 2010 | 2,117 | 34.8% | |
| 2020 | 2,243 | 6.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[15] | |||
North Pole first appeared on the 1960 U.S. Census as a city, 7 years after it formally incorporated in 1953. The census of 1960 reported a figure of 615,[16] but the 1970 census reported the 1960 figure as 358.[17]
As of the2000 United States census,[18] there were 1,570 people, 605 households, and 381 families residing in the city. The population density was 373.6 inhabitants per square mile (144.2/km2). There were 653 housing units at an average density of 155.4 units per square mile (60.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 81.0%White, 5.7%Black orAfrican American, 3.6%Native American, 2.6%Asian, 0.5%Pacific Islander, 1.2% fromother races, and 5.6% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 3.8% of the population.
There were 605 households, of which 38.5% had children under 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 13.2% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 29. For every 100 females, there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,583, and the median income for a family was $54,583. Males had a median income of $32,917 versus $27,240 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $21,426. About 6.2% of families and 8.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 9.0% of those under 18 and 22.6% of those 65 or over.
North Pole is the mostRepublican-leaning area in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. In 2008 House District 11, which comprises the North Pole area, gaveJohn McCain 7,736 votes (78.4% of the total) toBarack Obama's 1,924 (19.5%). In the2010 gubernatorial election, RepublicanSean Parnell received 5,727 votes (76.8%) to DemocratEthan Berkowitz's 1,451 (19.5%). RepublicanJoe Miller received 57.3% of North Pole's vote in his failed bid against incumbent U.S. SenatorLisa Murkowski's write-in campaign.
The city is in theFairbanks North Star Borough School District. North Pole Elementary School, North Pole Middle School, and North Pole High School are within the city limits. The middle and high schools also share an attendance area with students from Midnight Sun Elementary,Ticasuk Brown Elementary, andTwo Rivers Elementary.[20]
64°45′04″N147°21′07″W / 64.75111°N 147.35194°W /64.75111; -147.35194
Municipalities and communities ofFairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
Juneau (capital) | ||
| Topics |  | |
| Society | ||
| Regions | ||
| Largest cities pop. over 25,000 | ||
| Smaller cities pop. over 2,000 | ||
| Boroughs | ||
| Native corporations |
| |
| Census Areas | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
