Utqiaġvik dates to 1959, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #25 of 41 in Alaska. What drives it
Most of Utqiaġvik was built recently: 0.3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Its Register listings are the Point Barrow Refuge Station and the Utkeagvik Church Manse. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1955 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1901.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Utqiaġvik’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Utqiaġvik is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #25 of 41 in Alaska. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Utqiaġvik’s overall grade.
Alaska towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Alaska town has 3.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Utqiaġvik’s 4.2 sits near the middle of its state (63% of Alaska towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1959.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to C. The pre-1940 share (±0.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
Archaeological sites in the area indicate the Iñupiat lived around Utqiagvik as far back as 500 AD. Remains of 16 sod dwelling mounds, from the Birnirk culture of about 800 AD, can be seen on the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Located on a slight rise above the high-water mark, they risk being lost to erosion.
Bill Streever, who chairs the North Slope Science Initiative's Science Technical Advisory Panel, wrote in his 2009 book Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places:
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1959, according to Wikidata. Utqiaġvik’s post office opened in 1901, and the census of 1880 counted 225 people here.
How does Utqiaġvik rank for history?
Utqiaġvik is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #25 of 41 in Alaska. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Utqiaġvik?
Two places: the Point Barrow Refuge Station (listed 1980) and the Utkeagvik Church Manse (1983).
How old are the homes in Utqiaġvik?
0.3% of Utqiaġvik’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 0.3% for an Alaska town; the median home was built in 1985.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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