Barrow, Alaska - Geography

Geography

Barrow is located at 71°17′44″N 156°45′59″W / 71.29556°N 156.76639°W / 71.29556; -156.76639. It is the only U.S. city on the continent of North America with an antipode on uninhabited dry land. The antipode is in Antarctica at 71°17′44″S 23°14′1″E / 71.29556°S 23.23361°E / -71.29556; 23.23361. Barrow is roughly 1,300 miles (2,100 km) south of the North Pole. Only 5.3% of the Earth's surface lies as far from the Equator as Barrow.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21 sq mi (54 km2). 18 sq mi (47 km2) of it is land and 3 sq mi (8 km2) of it is water. The total area is 14% water. The predominant land type in Barrow is tundra, which sits on permafrost that is as much as 1,300 feet (400 m) in depth.

Barrow is surrounded by the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska.

The city of Barrow is divided, basically, into three sections, which can be classified as south, central, and north.

• The southernmost of the sections, also referred to as the south section, is the second largest of the three, and acts basically as downtown. This area includes Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport, Barrow High School, North Slope Borough School District, Fred Ipalook Elementary School, Samuel Simmonds regional hospital, Eben Hopson Middle School, as well as several restaurants, hotels and motels, the Barrow clerk's office, a Wells Fargo bank, and a large quantity of houses.
• The Central section is the largest of the three. This is the main housing area for the city of Barrow. This area is separated from the south section by a series of lakes, with three small dirt roads connecting the two. This area, in addition to the houses, includes Tuzzy Consortium Library, the Inupiat Heritage Center, and a few small restaurants.
• The north section is the smallest and most isolated of the three sections. It is connected to the central section only by Stevenson Street, a small, one-lane dirt road. The north section is centered around Ilisagvik College. This area also includes a small broadcasting station, which is run by the college students.