What life is really like in an Alaskan town that won’t see the sun again until January 23

• Utqiaġvik, Alaska, the northernmost town in the US, experiences darkness from November to January every year.
• The phenomenon is called a polar night.
• The sun won’t rise in Utqiaġvik again until January 23.

The town of Utqiaġvik, Alaska – the northernmost town in the US – experiences a polar night every year, beginning in mid-November and ending in mid-January. That means that once the sun sets in November, residents won’t see daylight for two months.

Utqiaġvik, known as Barrow until 2016, is a remote town at the tip of Alaska, surrounded by wilderness tundra and not accessible by road. The average high temperature remains below zero from December through March.

Utqiaġvik has a population of about 4,000 and is home to the Iñupiat people, as well as many scientists who have come to the area for work.

Keep reading to find out more about what life is like in Utqiaġvik during the dark winter months.

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Utqiaġvik is located at the top of Alaska, about 500 miles from Fairbanks.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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People often call the town "the top of the world," given its location at the northern tip of Alaska.

Source: YouTube

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It's location 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, near the North Pole, causes it to experience a phenomenon called polar night.

Source: Arctic Today

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This extended period of darkness, which occurs when the sun's disk doesn't rise above the horizon, happens once a year and lasts for more than two months.

Source: KTUU

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The sun sets in November and doesn't rise again until January.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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And in mid-May, the sun rises and does not set again for about 80 days.

Source: KTUU

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In the winter, temperatures in Utqiaġvik often dip well below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

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And the town is no stranger to weather phenomena — look at this "fogbow," for example.

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The high winds and cold temperatures get dangerous in the winter — if you go outside without gloves on, fingers can get frostbitten within minutes.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Adults generally don't ever let children go outside unsupervised.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Given the town's remote location, it only had a population of around 4,400 in 2017.

Source: City Data

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It is only accessible by airplane — there aren't any roads in and out of town.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Utqiaġvik residents have been known to use dog sleds to get around town.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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They were largely replaced by snowmobiles in the 1960s.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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There are four grocery stores in town, and given the town's isolated location, food is often marked up dramatically because it has to be flown in.

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Some food doesn’t make it through the extreme weather. This entire palette of soda had to be thrown away when it froze. It was delivered in -50 degree temperatures.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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At a local supermarket, a single bottle of cranberry juice goes for almost $10…

Source: "One Day in Barrow, Alaska"

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… and cereal costs a whopping $14 for two boxes.

Source: "One Day in Barrow, Alaska"

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More than half of Barrow workers are government employees, and the median household income is about $83,000, allowing families to afford the cost of living.

Source: "One Square Mile", US Census Bureau

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For a family, spending $500 a week on groceries "is almost nothing."

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Many rely on food like whale blubber to get them through.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Dinners for this family often consist of sweet rolls, fish, and rice.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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They eat rice with almost every meal, including breakfast sometimes.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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The town has several restaurants. One resident speculates that people in town don't like to cook.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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In addition to high prices at the supermarket, meal prices at local restaurants are also remarkably steep. A plate of nachos at this restaurant goes for a cool $19.00

Source: TripAdvisor

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Similarly, gas prices are exorbitantly high. Gas was $6.50 per gallon in 2016.

Source: Tour of Barrow, Alaska

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Church is also big in Utqiaġvik when the weather is good. Not many people show up when the temperature drops to -35 degrees, but attendance is high when it's above -20 degrees.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Life in such a dark and isolated place can cause problems. Police say that suicide, depression, and substance abuse is common.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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This cop says that "it can be extremely difficult to live here if you're not from here." He's from Oregon and says he misses trees, mountains, and hills.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Because of the darkness in the winter, it can be hard to tell the days apart. Some people call the police station to ask what day or time it is.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Of course, the sky isn't completely dark during the polar night. Civil twilight, which ranges from six to three hours in a day, allows enough light for you to see objects outside. And the northern lights and full moons can also help light up the dark sky.

Source: Weather.com

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Although some people still refer to the town as Barrow, the town’s official name was changed back to its historic name, Utqiaġvik, to reflect the town’s ancestral Iñupiaq language.

Source: NPR

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And the town still has a tight-knit community — this teacher says she's related in some way to 80% to 90% of her students.

Source: "One Square Mile"

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The town is home to Barrow High School, which had a student population of 224 kids for the 2017-2018 school year.

Source: Alaska Department of Education

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Like many American high schools, Barrow High School has a football team.

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The team now practices on artificial turf that is more conducive to the extreme weather conditions.

Source: Alaska Air Blog

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Utqiaġvik also draws people to work on its Air Force base…

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… and to work in the environmental science field, since the town is home to the Barrow Arctic Research Center.

Source: Eu-Interact

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Despite its challenges, locals say Utqiaġvik is a good place to raise a family. The teacher told the documentary crew: "I'm glad my kids have graduated from here and have been raised in this community. It's part of their heritage."

Source: "One Square Mile"

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Tourism is also relatively popular in Utqiaġvik — people come to learn about the indigenous Iñupiat people, the town's history of whaling, and life in the Alaskan Arctic.

Source: TripAdvisor

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Visitors fly into Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport, which offers connecting flights to a few local airports.

Source: AirNav

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The departure and arrivals board at the airport is far more simple than one you'd find in a big city.

Source: AirNav

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Once they've arrived in town, visitors can take tours of the tundra offered by a local hotel ...

Source: TripAdvisor

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... visit the Iñupiat Heritage Center ...

Source: TripAdvisor

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... and learn about the area's whaling history. This iconic arch is made of whalebones and is a symbol of the town's relationship with whaling and the sea.

Source: TripAdvisor, Atlas Obscura

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One of the town's landmarks is this sign that emphasizes just how remote Utqiaġvik really is. You can see that Seattle is 1,960 miles away.

Source: TripAdvisor

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In late January, after over two full months of relative darkness, the sun finally rises again.

Source: YouTube

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Though subtle, the year's first sunrise marks the welcome return of sunlight for the majority of the next year.

Source: YouTube

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Residents and visitors can enjoy sun and blue skies once more.

Source: TripAdvisor