Utqavik, Alaska may seem like it is on the other end of the universe, but it too is an American city with an incredible story and incredible scenery.
Utqiavik,or Barrow, Alaska is a town on the northern coast of Alaska. While still in America, this place feels so far removed from the rest of civilization with its extreme conditions and living situations among its over 4,000 residents. From May 11 to July 31 the sun doesn’t set in Utqiavik, meaning there is constant sunlight.
However, this is contrasted by its period from November 18 to January 22, where the sun doesn’t rise and Utqiavik is in constant darkness. Despite the extreme conditions, life goes on in Utqiavik just as it would any other American city.
Businesses like restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, and schools stay open year-round, and there is even a high school football team that calls Utqiavik home. That doesn’t mean that life isn’t drastically different here, however, as it is far removed physically from the rest of the United States and even from much of Alaska, with the only way of reaching the town from the outside being by plane.
Another threat that locals to Utqiavik have to consider is polar bears. Polar bears are actually the only animal in the world that will actively hunt human beings as their prey, so many locals will bring shotguns with them when venturing on the outskirts of the town. America is a unique place, however, and the diversity of each place we experience in this country with places like Utqiavik is what makes the country so unique.
