Prudhoe Bay, Alaska | |
|---|---|
 Caribou walk across a gravel pad at Kuparuk, 45 miles (72 km) away from Prudhoe Bay, with oilfield facilities in the background. | |
 Location inNorth Slope Borough and the state ofAlaska | |
  Prudhoe Bay, Alaska Location in theUnited States of America | |
| Coordinates:70°19′32″N148°42′41″W / 70.32556°N 148.71139°W /70.32556; -148.71139 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | North Slope |
| Government | |
| • Boroughmayor | Harry K. Brower, Jr.[citation needed] |
| • State senator | Donny Olson (D)[citation needed] |
| • State rep. | Robyn Burke (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 569.89 sq mi (1,476.00 km2) |
| • Land | 390.42 sq mi (1,011.17 km2) |
| • Water | 179.47 sq mi (464.83 km2) |
| Elevation | 26 ft (8 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,310 |
| • Density | 3.36/sq mi (1.30/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-9 (Alaska (AKST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP code | 99734 |
| Area code | 907(Local exchange prefix: 659) |
| FIPS code | 02-64380 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2419192[2] |
Prudhoe Bay/ˈpruːdoʊ/ is acensus-designated place (CDP) located inNorth Slope Borough in the U.S. state ofAlaska. As of the2020 census, the population of the CDP was 1,310 people, down from 2,174 residents in the2010 census, and up from just 5 residents in2000; however, at any given time, several thousand transient workers support thePrudhoe Bay Oil Field. Theairport, lodging andgeneral store are located inDeadhorse, and the rigs and processing facilities are located on scattered gravel pads laid atop thetundra. It is only during winter that the surface is hard enough to support heavy equipment, and new construction happens at that time.
Overland access is by theDalton Highway. As the bay itself is still 10 miles (16 km) further north through a security checkpoint, open water is not visible from the highway. A fewtourists, arriving by bus or their own vehicles after a two-day ride up the Dalton Highway fromFairbanks, come to see the tundra, theArctic Ocean and themidnight sun, staying in lodgings assembled frommodular buildings. Tours must be arranged in advance to see the Arctic Ocean and the bay itself.
Prudhoe Bay was named in 1826 by British explorer SirJohn Franklin after his classmateCaptain Algernon Percy, Baron Prudhoe. Franklin traveled westerly along the coast from the mouth of theMackenzie River in Canada almost toPoint Barrow.[3]
Prudhoe Bay is located on theSagavanirktok River.[4]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 558.0 sq mi (1,445 km2) of which, 416.3 sq mi (1,078 km2) is land and 141.8 sq mi (367 km2) is water. The total area is 25.40% water.
Prudhoe Bay, along with similar communities on the North Slope of Alaska, features atundra climate (KöppenET). Winters are long and frigid, and because the area is above the Arctic Circle, the sun does not rise during several weeks of each winter. Summers bring long daylight hours, with 24 hours of daylight during some summer weeks, but are still cool, being mostly between 45 and 55 °F (7 and 13 °C) and sometimes dropping to the freezing point.
| Climate data for Prudhoe Bay, Alaska | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 36 (2) | 39 (4) | 34 (1) | 43 (6) | 55 (13) | 83 (28) | 82 (28) | 80 (27) | 67 (19) | 45 (7) | 39 (4) | 34 (1) | 83 (28) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 19 (−7) | 17 (−8) | 16 (−9) | 28 (−2) | 43 (6) | 65 (18) | 74 (23) | 69 (21) | 56 (13) | 37 (3) | 24 (−4) | 20 (−7) | 77 (25) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | −11.9 (−24.4) | −10.1 (−23.4) | −5.2 (−20.7) | 10.1 (−12.2) | 28.8 (−1.8) | 45.2 (7.3) | 55.4 (13.0) | 51.0 (10.6) | 38.3 (3.5) | 21.0 (−6.1) | 0.9 (−17.3) | −6.6 (−21.4) | 18.1 (−7.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | −18.0 (−27.8) | −17.2 (−27.3) | −12.8 (−24.9) | 2.7 (−16.3) | 23.9 (−4.5) | 39.0 (3.9) | 47.8 (8.8) | 44.3 (6.8) | 33.6 (0.9) | 15.4 (−9.2) | −5.1 (−20.6) | −12.9 (−24.9) | 11.7 (−11.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −24.0 (−31.1) | −24.3 (−31.3) | −20.3 (−29.1) | −4.8 (−20.4) | 19.0 (−7.2) | 32.7 (0.4) | 39.7 (4.3) | 37.5 (3.1) | 28.9 (−1.7) | 9.7 (−12.4) | −11.0 (−23.9) | −19.2 (−28.4) | 5.3 (−14.8) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −44 (−42) | −47 (−44) | −43 (−42) | −30 (−34) | −1 (−18) | 25 (−4) | 31 (−1) | 29 (−2) | 17 (−8) | −13 (−25) | −30 (−34) | −38 (−39) | −50 (−46) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −62 (−52) | −57 (−49) | −54 (−48) | −47 (−44) | −19 (−28) | 18 (−8) | 28 (−2) | 23 (−5) | 1 (−17) | −30 (−34) | −45 (−43) | −47 (−44) | −62 (−52) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.20 (5.1) | 0.17 (4.3) | 0.14 (3.6) | 0.08 (2.0) | 0.09 (2.3) | 0.39 (9.9) | 0.68 (17) | 1.14 (29) | 0.61 (15) | 0.38 (9.7) | 0.18 (4.6) | 0.20 (5.1) | 4.26 (107.6) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.8 (7.1) | 2.4 (6.1) | 2.7 (6.9) | 1.7 (4.3) | 1.4 (3.6) | 1.0 (2.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 3.5 (8.9) | 9.3 (24) | 4.3 (11) | 3.5 (8.9) | 33.1 (84) |
| Source:Desert Research Institute | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 49 | — | |
| 1980 | 50 | 2.0% | |
| 1990 | 47 | −6.0% | |
| 2000 | 5 | −89.4% | |
| 2010 | 2,174 | 43,380.0% | |
| 2020 | 1,310 | −39.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] | |||
Prudhoe Bay first appeared on the 1970 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980.
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As of the2010 United States Census, there were 2,174 people living in the CDP. The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.0% White, 1.9% Black, 7.5% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from some other race and 1.6% from two or more races. 4.0% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Prudhoe Bay is classified as an isolated town/sub-regional center. It is found in EMS Region 6A in the North Slope Region. Emergency services have limited highway, coastal and airport access. Emergency service is provided by a paidemergency medical services unit and Fairweather Deadhorse Medical Clinic. Auxiliary health care is provided by oil company medical staff and the Greater Prudhoe Bay Fire Dept. Individuals requiring hospital care are usually transported to the nearest hospital/medical center, Sammuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital, inUtqiaġvik. Because no roads connect Prudhoe Bay to Utqiaġvik, patients are transported by helicopter or air ambulance (a flight of approximately 45 minutes).[6]
Media related toPrudhoe Bay, Alaska at Wikimedia Commons
Municipalities and communities ofNorth Slope Borough, Alaska,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
