North Slope Borough, Alaska

North Slope Borough, Alaska
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Alaska
Alaska's location in the U.S.
Incorporated	July 2, 1972
Seat	Barrow
Largest city	Barrow
Area
• Total	94,796 sq mi (245,521 km2)
• Land	88,695 sq mi (229,719 km2)
• Water	6,101 sq mi (15,802 km2), 6.4%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	9,687
• Density	0.1/sq mi (0/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Alaska: UTC-9/-8
Website	www.north-slope.org

The Anaktuvuk River flows North toward the Arctic Ocean. Much of the North Slope borough is characterized by vast, uninhabited gently rolling tundra.

North Slope Borough is a borough located largely in the North Slope region of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,430. The borough seat is Barrow. Since 2011 the mayor is Charlotte Brower.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 94,796 square miles (245,520 km²), of which 88,695 square miles (229,720 km²) is land and 6,101 square miles (15,800 km²) (6.4%) is water. The borough is larger than 39 states.

Its western coastline is along the Chukchi Sea, while its eastern shores (beyond Point Barrow) are on the Beaufort Sea.

The North Slope Borough is the largest county-level political subdivision in the United States by area, with a larger land area than that of the state of Utah (itself the 13th largest state in the nation). Although the adjacent Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area is larger in area, it has no borough-level government. The borough is also the fourth-least densely populated county-level entity in the United States (the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area is the least densely populated county-level entity).

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

• Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska - southeast
• Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska - southwest

It also shares its eastern border with Yukon, Canada, which has no subdivisions.

National protected areas

Map of northern Alaska showing location of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, (ANWR), and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA).

• Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (part of the Chukchi Sea unit)
  • Cape Lisburne
  • Cape Thompson
• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (part)
  • Mollie Beattie Wilderness (part)
• Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (part)
  • Gates of the Arctic Wilderness (part)
• Noatak National Preserve (part)
  • Noatak Wilderness (part)

Other federal areas

• National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1960	2,133		—
1970	2,663		24.8%
1980	4,199		57.7%
1990	5,979		42.4%
2000	7,385		23.5%
2010	9,430		27.7%
Est. 2015	9,687		2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2015

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,385 people, 2,109 households, and 1,524 families residing in the borough. The population density was 12.03 square miles (31.2 km²) per person. There were 2,538 housing units at an average density of 35 square miles (91 km²) per unit. The racial makeup of the borough was 17.09% White, 0.72% Black or African American, 68.38% Native American, mostly Inuit, 5.92% Asian, 0.84% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 6.55% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.84% reported speaking Iñupiaq or "Eskimo" at home, while 4.21% reported speaking Tagalog.

There were 2,109 households out of which 48.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 18.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.70% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.45 and the average family size was 4.05.

In the borough the population was spread out with 38.2% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 18.10% from 45 to 64, and 4.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 112.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 113.90 males.

Politics

The current mayor, Charlotte Brower, was re-elected in 2014. In 2015 she was fined by the Alaska Public Offices Commission for campaign finance violations. Her office is currently under investigation for donation policy violations. Her husband, Eugene Brower, was mayor in the 1980s before pleading guilty to tax evasion.

Communities

• Alpine
• Anaktuvuk Pass
• Atqasuk
• Barrow
• Deadhorse
• Kaktovik
• Nuiqsut
• Point Hope
• Point Lay
• Prudhoe Bay
• Sagwon
• Umiat
• Wainwright

See also

• Iñupiat
• Inuit
• Eskimo
• Nalukataq -- traditional blanket toss celebrations
• List of airports in Alaska

External links

• North-Slope.org - Official Borough Website
• Borough map, 2000 census: Alaska Department of Labor
• Borough map, 2010 census: Alaska Department of Labor