North Slope Borough, America's most northern region.

• Author: Barbour, Tracy
• Position: REGIONAL REVIEW

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Alaska's North Slope Borough occupies the most northern and coldest section of the state and of North America. Bordered by the foothills of the Brooks Range to the south and the Arctic Ocean on the north and west, it is the state's largest land-based borough. In fact, 15 percent of Alaska's land mass lies in this region, all of which is located above the Arctic Circle.

The borough features 89,000 square miles of tundra, an abundance of wildlife and the extremes of arctic weather. Throughout the year, temperatures can range from a cool 60 degrees to a bone-chilling 40 below. During summer, the sun remains above the horizon for 84 days. In the winter, it disappears for 67 days, although there is a midday glow from over the horizon.

In 2006, the North Slope Borough had an estimated 6,807 residents. More than three- quarters of them identify themselves as Alaska Natives, with the majority being Inupiat Eskimos. More than half of the North Slope's population resides in Barrow. The rest live in the smaller villages of Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Kaktovik, Nuiqsut, Point Hope, Point Lay and Wainwright.

The North Slope region, which is about the size of Oregon, contains the highly debated Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It also encompasses the National Petroleum Reserve--Alaska and Prndhoe Bay. Prndhoe Bay covers more than 550 miles and is the nation's largest oil field with respect to recoverable oil. Petroleum extracted from the region is transferred south via the trans-Alaska oil pipeline to Valdez on the Pacific Ocean.

A DISTINCTIVE PLACE

The North Slope Borough is one of the most unique regions of Alaska. In the Prudhoe Bay oil field area, essentially people work and then go home to somewhere else. North Slope oil fields are a major employer, providing employment to more than 10,000 workers in 2006. These workers rotated in and out of oil work sites from Anchorage, other areas of the state and the Lower 48.

The oil patch is the region's most dynamic sector, and there is a record number of people working on the "Slope," as the area is often called. Thousands of temporary workers support Prudhoe Bay, but just five actually live there, according to the 2000 Census. The workers and companies supporting Prudhoe Bay receive airport services, lodging, a general store and other facilities in nearby Deadhorse. North Slope workers earn some of the highest wages Alaska.

Interestingly, the population of the areas that make up the...