Editing Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

{{short description|Census-designated place in Alaska}}
{{For|the town in the United Kingdom|Prudhoe}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
|other_name               = 
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place|CDP]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Prudhoe Bay w Caribou FWS.jpg
|imagesize                = 265px
|image_caption            = [[Caribou]] walk across a gravel pad at Kuparuk, {{convert|45|mi}} away from Prudhoe Bay, with oilfield facilities in the background.
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = 
|image_map                = Map of Alaska highlighting North Slope Borough.svg
|mapsize                  = 
|map_caption              = Location in [[North Slope Borough, Alaska|North Slope Borough]] and the state of [[Alaska]]
<!-- Maps -->
|pushpin_map              = Alaska
|pushpin_relief           = yes
|pushpin_mapsize          = 265
| pushpin_map_caption     = Location in the [[United States|United States of America]]
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Alaska]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of boroughs and census areas in Alaska|Borough]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[North Slope Borough, Alaska|North Slope]]
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = Borough [[mayor]]
|leader_name              = Harry K. Brower, Jr.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
|leader_title1            = [[Alaska Senate|State senator]]
|leader_name1             = [[Donny Olson]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]){{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
|leader_title2            = [[Alaska House of Representatives|State rep.]]
|leader_name2             = [[Robyn Burke]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|established_title        = 
|established_date         = 
<!-- Area -->
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_02.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 29, 2021}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 1476.00
|area_land_km2            = 1011.17
|area_water_km2           = 464.83
|area_total_sq_mi         = 569.89
|area_land_sq_mi          = 390.42
|area_water_sq_mi         = 179.47
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 1310
|population_density_km2   = 1.30
|population_density_sq_mi = 3.36
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
| pop_est_as_of            = 
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Alaska Time Zone|Alaska (AKST)]]
|utc_offset               = -9
|timezone_DST             = AKDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -8
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 26
|coordinates              = {{coord|70|19|32|N|148|42|41|W|region:US-AK|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 99734
|area_code                = [[Area code 907|907]] {{small|([[Local exchange]] prefix: 659)}}
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 02-64380
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2419192<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2419192}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|unit_pref                = Imperial
}}

'''Prudhoe Bay''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|r|uː|d|oʊ}} is town located in [[North Slope Borough, Alaska|North Slope Borough]] in the U.S. state of [[Alaska]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population of the CDP was 1,310 people, down from 2,174 residents in the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], and up from just 5 residents in [[2000 United States census|2000]]; however, at any given time, several thousand transient workers support the [[Prudhoe Bay Oil Field]]. The [[Deadhorse Airport|airport]], lodging and [[general store]] are located in [[Deadhorse, Alaska|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 {{convert|10|mi}} further north through a security checkpoint, open water is not visible from the highway. A few [[tourist]]s, arriving by bus or their own vehicles after a two-day ride up the Dalton Highway from [[Fairbanks, Alaska|Fairbanks]], come to see the tundra, the [[Arctic Ocean]] and the [[midnight sun]], staying in lodgings assembled from [[modular building]]s. 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 [[Baron Prudhoe|Captain Algernon Percy, Baron Prudhoe]]. Franklin traveled westerly along the coast from the mouth of the [[Mackenzie River]] in Canada almost to [[Point Barrow]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Walter |title=Our Last Great Wilderness |url=https://www.americanheritage.com/our-last-great-wilderness |website=American Heritage |access-date=February 21, 2019}}</ref>

==Geography==
Prudhoe Bay is located on the [[Sagavanirktok River]].<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|558.0|sqmi|abbr=on}} of which, {{convert|416.3|sqmi|abbr=on}} is land and {{convert|141.8|sqmi|abbr=on}} is water. The total area is 25.40% water.

==Climate==
Prudhoe Bay, along with similar communities on the North Slope of Alaska, features a [[tundra climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''ET''). 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 {{convert|45|and|55|F}} and sometimes dropping to the freezing point.

{{Weather box|width = auto
|collapsed =
|location = Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F=36
|Feb record high F=39
|Mar record high F=34
|Apr record high F=43
|May record high F=55
|Jun record high F=83
|Jul record high F=82
|Aug record high F=80
|Sep record high F=67
|Oct record high F=45
|Nov record high F=39
|Dec record high F=34
|Jan avg record high F = 19
|Feb avg record high F = 17
|Mar avg record high F = 16
|Apr avg record high F = 28
|May avg record high F = 43
|Jun avg record high F = 65
|Jul avg record high F = 74
|Aug avg record high F = 69
|Sep avg record high F = 56
|Oct avg record high F = 37
|Nov avg record high F = 24
|Dec avg record high F = 20
|year avg record high F = 77
|Jan high F=-11.9
|Feb high F=-10.1
|Mar high F=-5.2
|Apr high F=10.1
|May high F=28.8
|Jun high F=45.2
|Jul high F=55.4
|Aug high F=51.0
|Sep high F=38.3
|Oct high F=21.0
|Nov high F=0.9
|Dec high F=-6.6
|year high F=18.1

|Jan low F=-24.0
|Feb low F=-24.3
|Mar low F=-20.3
|Apr low F=-4.8
|May low F=19.0
|Jun low F=32.7
|Jul low F=39.7
|Aug low F=37.5
|Sep low F=28.9
|Oct low F=9.7
|Nov low F=-11.0
|Dec low F=-19.2
|year low F=5.3

|Jan mean F = -18.0
|Feb mean F = -17.2
|Mar mean F = -12.8
|Apr mean F = 2.7
|May mean F = 23.9
|Jun mean F = 39.0
|Jul mean F = 47.8
|Aug mean F = 44.3
|Sep mean F = 33.6
|Oct mean F = 15.4
|Nov mean F = -5.1
|Dec mean F = -12.9
|year mean F =

|Jan avg record low F = -44
|Feb avg record low F = -47
|Mar avg record low F = -43
|Apr avg record low F = -30
|May avg record low F = -1
|Jun avg record low F = 25
|Jul avg record low F = 31
|Aug avg record low F = 29
|Sep avg record low F = 17
|Oct avg record low F = -13
|Nov avg record low F = -30
|Dec avg record low F = -38
|year avg record low F = -50

|Jan record low F = -62
|Feb record low F = -57
|Mar record low F = -54
|Apr record low F = -47
|May record low F = -19
|Jun record low F = 18
|Jul record low F = 28
|Aug record low F = 23
|Sep record low F = 1
|Oct record low F = -30
|Nov record low F = -45
|Dec record low F = -47
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch =0.20
|Feb precipitation inch =0.17
|Mar precipitation inch =0.14
|Apr precipitation inch =0.08
|May precipitation inch =0.09
|Jun precipitation inch =0.39
|Jul precipitation inch =0.68
|Aug precipitation inch =1.14
|Sep precipitation inch =0.61
|Oct precipitation inch =0.38
|Nov precipitation inch =0.18
|Dec precipitation inch =0.20
|snow colour = 
|Jan snow inch=2.8
|Feb snow inch=2.4
|Mar snow inch=2.7
|Apr snow inch=1.7
|May snow inch=1.4
|Jun snow inch=1.0
|Jul snow inch=0.0
|Aug snow inch=0.5
|Sep snow inch=3.5
|Oct snow inch=9.3
|Nov snow inch=4.3
|Dec snow inch=3.5
|year snow inch=33.1
|source 1= [https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ak7780 Desert Research Institute]
}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Aerial View of Prudhoe Bay.jpg|thumb|left|July 2018 aerial view of Prudhoe Bay]]
{{US Census population
|1970= 49
|1980= 50
|1990= 47
|2000= 5
|2010= 2174
|2020= 1310
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
Prudhoe Bay first appeared on the 1970 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It was made a census-designated place (CDP) in 1980.

[[File:State-of-Alaska-Map.png|thumb|Map of Alaska, showing place names and the [[Trans-Alaska pipeline]] route in red]]
[[File:HMS Tireless (S88) in ice.jpg|thumb|{{HMS|Tireless|S88|6}} on Prudhoe Bay]]
As of the [[2010 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.

==Health care==
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 paid [[emergency 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, in [[Utqiaġvik]]. Because no roads connect Prudhoe Bay to Utqiaġvik, patients are transported by helicopter or air ambulance (a flight of approximately 45 minutes).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://articles.ktuu.com/2009-05-01/oil-drilling_24126440 |title=Far North - Prudhoe Bay - KTUU.com |access-date=October 22, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030102148/http://articles.ktuu.com/2009-05-01/oil-drilling_24126440 |archive-date=October 30, 2014 }} Far North - Prudhoe Bay Information</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Alaska}}
*[[2006 Alaskan oil spill]]
*[[Alaska Pipeline]]
*''[[Ice Road Truckers#Season 3 episodes|Ice Road Truckers]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Prudhoe Bay, Alaska}}
* [http://prudhoebay.com Prudhoe Bay information website]

{{North Slope Borough, Alaska}}
{{Alaska}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Alaska]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in North Slope Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Arctic Ocean]]
[[Category:Populated places of the Arctic United States]]
[[Category:Port settlements in the United States|Prud]]