Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

Prudhoe Bay
Sagavanirktok
—  CDP  —
HMS Tireless on Prudhoe Bay
Prudhoe Bay
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Alaska
Borough North Slope
Area
 • Total 558.0 sq mi (1,445.3 km2)
 • Land 416.3 sq mi (1,078.1 km2)
 • Water 141.8 sq mi (367.2 km2)
Elevation 30 ft (9 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 2,174
 • Density 3.9/sq mi (1.5/km2)
Time zone Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
 • Summer (DST) AKDT (UTC-8)
Area code(s) 907
FIPS code 02-64380
GNIS feature ID 1865563

Prudhoe Bay or Sagavanirktok ( /ˈprd/) is a census-designated place (CDP) located in North Slope Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 2,174 people; however, at any given time several thousand transient workers support the Prudhoe Bay oil field. The airport, lodging, and general store are located at Deadhorse; 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.

Prudhoe Bay is the unofficial northern terminus of the Pan-American Highway. A few tourists, arriving by bus 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.

Prudhoe Bay was named in 1826 by British explorer Sir John Franklin after his classmate Captain Algernon Percy, Baron Prudhoe.

Contents

Geography

Prudhoe Bay is located at .[1]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 558.0 square miles (1,445 km2), of which, 416.3 square miles (1,078 km2) of it is land and 141.8 square miles (367 km2) of it is water. The total area is 25.40% water.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census[2], there was one household in the town, consisting of one married couple with three children. There was one housing unit.

Prudhoe Bay oil field

Prudhoe Bay is adjacent to the largest oil field in the United States.

See also

References

External links