Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Caribou walk across a gravel pad at Kuparuk, 45 miles away from Prudhoe Bay, with oilfield facilities in the background.
Caribou walk across a gravel pad at Kuparuk, 45 miles away from Prudhoe Bay, with oilfield facilities in the background.
Location in North Slope Borough and the state of Alaska
Location in North Slope Borough and the state of Alaska
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska is located in Alaska
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Location in the United States of America
Coordinates: 70°19′32″N 148°42′41″W / 70.32556°N 148.71139°W / 70.32556; -148.71139
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughNorth Slope
Government
 • Borough mayorHarry K. Brower, Jr.[citation needed]
 • State senatorDonny Olson (D)[citation needed]
 • State rep.Tom Baker (R)[citation needed]
Area
 • Total569.89 sq mi (1,476.00 km2)
 • Land390.42 sq mi (1,011.17 km2)
 • Water179.47 sq mi (464.83 km2)
Elevation26 ft (8 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,310
 • Density3.36/sq mi (1.30/km2)
Time zoneUTC-9 (Alaska (AKST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99734
Area code907 (Local exchange prefix: 659)
FIPS code02-64380
GNIS feature ID2419192[2]

Prudhoe Bay /ˈprd/ is a census-designated place (CDP) located in North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 1,310 people, down from 2,174 residents in the 2010 census, and up from just 5 residents in 2000; however, at any given time, several thousand transient workers support the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field. The airport, lodging and general store are located in Deadhorse, and the rigs and processing facilities are located on scattered gravel pads laid atop the tundra. 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 the Dalton Highway. As the bay itself is still 10 miles further north through a security checkpoint, open water is not visible from the highway. A few tourists, arriving by bus or their own vehicles after a two-day ride up the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks, come to see the tundra, the Arctic Ocean and the midnight sun, staying in lodgings assembled from modular 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 Sir John Franklin after his classmate Captain Algernon Percy, Baron Prudhoe. Franklin traveled westerly along the coast from the mouth of the Mackenzie River in Canada almost to Point Barrow.[3]

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
  3. ^ Sullivan, Walter. "Our Last Great Wilderness". American Heritage. Retrieved February 21, 2019.