(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Barrow Alaska is a city in the North Slope Borough of Alaska. Barrow is the northernmost settlement on the North American mainland and one of the northernmost towns of more than 2,000 residents in the world. Nearby Point Barrow is the northernmost point of the United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 4,218.

Climate
Due to its extreme location far north of the Arctic Circle, Barrow's climate is extremely cold and dry.

Winters are dangerously cold, and summers are cool even at their warmest. With the Arctic Ocean to the north, east, and west, and level tundra stretching 200 miles to the south, there are no natural wind barriers to assist in stilling the wind, permitting the lowering of temperatures by radiation, and no downslope drainage area to aid the flow of cold air to lower levels. Consequently, temperature inversions in the lower levels of the atmosphere are not as marked as those observed at stations in the central interior.

Temperatures remain below the freezing point through most of the year, with the daily maxima reaching higher than 32 degrees on an average of only 109 days a year. Freezing temperatures have been observed every month of the year. February is generally the coldest month and March temperatures are but little higher than those observed in the winter months. In April, temperatures begin a general upward trend, with May becoming the definite transitional period from winter to the summer season. July is the warmest month of the year and the frequency of minimum temperatures of 32 degrees or less are about one day out of two for July and August. During late July or early August, the Arctic Ocean is usually ice-free for the first time in summer. The end of the short summer is reached in September. By November about half of the daily mean temperatures are zero or below, and Barrow definitely returns to the clutches of winter cold.

At 12:50 p.m. on November 18, the sun dips below the horizon and is not seen again until 11:51 a.m. on January 24. Then the amount of possible sunshine each day increases by never less than 9 minutes per day. By 1:06 a.m. on May 10th the possible sunshine has increased to 24 hours per day. The sun remains visible from that time to August 2, when it again sets for 1 hour and 25 minutes. The decrease in hours of sunshine is as rapid as the increase.

Variation of wind speed during the year is small, with the fall months being windiest. Extreme winds in the upper 40s and low 50s have been recorded for all months.

History
Before it was Barrow, Barrow was known as Ukpiagvik. The name means "place where owls are hunted" in Inupiaq. Archaeological sites in the area indicate the Inupiat lived around Barrow as far back as 500. Some remains of 16 dwelling mounds from the Birnirk culture of about 800 are still in evidence today.

Barrow takes its current name from Point Barrow, which was named for Sir John Barrow of the British Admiralty in 1825. British Navy officers were in the area to explore and map the Arctic coastline of North America. The United States Army established a meteorological and magnetic research station at Barrow in 1881, and the Cape Smythe Whaling and Trading Station was established in 1893.

By 1888 there was a Presbyterian church at Barrow, and in 1901, a United States Post Office was opened.

In 1935, the famous humorist Will Rogers and pilot Wiley Post made a planned stop 25 km (15 miles) south of Barrow on an air trip. After they took off again, their plane stalled and plunged into a river, killing them both. Two monuments are located at the crash site. Barrow's airport is named Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport in their memory.

The residents of the area cast the lone vote in opposition to passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which passed in December 1971. In 1972, the North Slope Borough was established. The borough used millions of dollars in new revenues to create roads, sanitation services, water and electrical services, and health and educational services in the area.

In 1986, the North Slope Borough created the North Slope Higher Education Center, which later became Ilisagvik College, gaining accreditation in 2003. The two-year college is dedicated to providing an education based on the Inupiat culture.