Geographical North Pole, Alaska

The city of North Pole can be found in the Alaska" target="_blank">Fairbanks North Star Borough of Alaska. It was founded in 1953 and is now a part of the Fairbanks MSA. The city's population increased from 2,117 in 2010 to 2,243 in the 2020 census,[2] according to official figures. City is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of the Arctic Circle and 1,700 miles (4,100 kilometers) south of Earth's geographic North Pole, despite its name.

Description [ edit ]

East of the Richardson Highway and the end of Fifth Avenue stands the iconic "Welcome to North Pole" sign.

Located on the Richardson Highway, the city serves as a stopover for summer visitors en route to or from Fairbanks, the Alaska Highway, or Valdez. The two oil refineries that provided North Pole with its other major industry, before tourism, have closed due to sulfolane contamination in the town's groundwater. Flint Hills Resources' larger refinery was an important source of jet fuel for Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The refinery's entry and exit points on the Alaska Railroad cause tanker car traffic that frequently cuts the city in half.

The Santa Claus House is North Pole's most popular tourist destination and the modern incarnation of a trading post (gift shop) that was first opened in the area's early days. Outside of the Santa Claus House is the largest fiberglass statue of Santa Claus in the world. There's a herd of domesticated reindeer waiting outside.

Hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa Claus and thousands more from people who want the North Pole postmark on their Christmas cards to family and friends flood the USPS post office in North Pole every year just before the holiday. The Santa Fe, New Mexico, ZIP code of 99705 is promoted. Any correspondence sent to 1 Santa Claus Lane is also answered by a community program. [4]

Santa Claus Lane, St. Nick's Way, and Frosty's Way are just a few of the North Pole streets Kris Kringle Drive, Snowman Lane, and St. Nicholas Drive Many shops and even some of the city's street lights have been decked out in a candy cane theme for the holidays. The city's emergency vehicles, including firetrucks and ambulances, are all painted a bright red. The North Pole Babes in Toyland (NPBT) are a local all-female flat-track Roller Derby team whose skater names are all variations on "Skater" and "North Pole."

Home prices in North Pole, at a median of $211,184, are among the lowest in all of Alaska. [5]

History [ edit ]

Richardson Freeway's primary off-ramp for the North Pole Harry Markley Badger (1869-1965), an early settler of Fairbanks, established a farm on what is now Badger Road, a loop road off the Richardson between Fairbanks and North Pole. Santa Claus Lane, one of many Christmassy thoroughfares in North Pole, is the name of the road once you enter the city limits.

Between Ladd Field and 26 Mile Field, to the south of Fairbanks on Richardson Highway, a wide variety of homesteads, both subdivided and unsubdivided, were developed in the 1940s and 1950s.

North Pole's central city was homesteaded by Bon V in 1944. In addition to Bernice Davis T. Neil Davis, their son, fictionalized their homestead life in 1997's Battling Against Success. As part of its branch line to Eielson Air Force Base, the Alaska Railroad built a siding on the Davis homestead and appropriately named it Davis. The name was temporarily attached to the developing town.

It was in 1952 that the Dahl and Gaske Development Company acquired the Davis farm, renamed the area North Pole in the hopes of luring a toy manufacturer to the area, and began subdividing the land. On January 15, 1953, land from the Davis homestead and the neighboring James Ford homestead was used to form what is now the City of North Pole. Ford was elected the city's first mayor, and Everett Dahl was among the charter council's first officials.

Conrad B. was one of the original council members. Miller Miller, a newcomer to Fairbanks since 1949, established a trading post in the area of the highway in 1952. Over the years, the business transformed into the well-known Santa Claus House that visitors enjoy today. [6] The building also served as the first post office in North Pole for nearly two decades. Lucius Cunningham and his family also ran a local trading post. Before the current four-lane Richardson Highway was built in the 1970s, Davis Subdivision, the town's de facto downtown, relied heavily on these two companies to support itself economically.

In August of 1977, operations began at the Earth Resources refinery, which is now run by Flint Hills Resources. Several Golden Valley Electric Association-operated feeder pipelines run mostly along the Laurence Road section line, connecting it to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Along Richardson Highway, a large enclosed shopping mall known as North Pole Plaza was built in the years following its completion. Separate high schools were built, and subdivisions were built in formerly rural areas just outside the city, but this was all before the real estate market experienced a temporary collapse in the 1980s.

At the point where the Richardson meets Badger Road and Santa Claus Lane, an interchange was built in the early 1990s. The interchange and a nearby frontage road intersection were served by three consecutive roundabouts built during the late 2000s along the northern section of Santa Claus Lane. The Richardson Highway and Dawson Road, located on the outskirts of the city, recently got a new interchange. These renovations removed several at-grade entrances to the Richardson, which had a long history of fatal accidents.

Lake Beaver, located in North Pole, Alaska

Several North Pole Middle School students were arrested by police on April 22, 2006, on suspicion of plotting a school shooting similar to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. British journalist Jon Ronson made a documentary called Death in Santaland about the town and the thwarted school shooting plot that aired on More 4 in 2007.

When it comes to city government, things haven't always gone smoothly. Former mayor Jeff Jacobson was criticized for also working as a full-time teacher at North Pole Middle School. As far back as 2004, he communicated his displeasure with U. S Senator John McCain was confronted about a remark he made about why the city's "elves" needed funding for a recreation project that he saw as a pork barrel project. [8]

Michael Welch serves as the current mayor of North Pole. Municipal elections take place every October, and the council's six members serve staggered three-year terms. Santa Claus (2019–2022), Aino Welch (2020–2023), DeJohn Cromer (2020–2023), David Skipps (2021–2024), and Anton Keller (2021–2024) are the 2022 members of the city council.

After Koch Industries shut down the Flint Hills Resources Refinery in North Pole, Alaska in 2014, Americans for Prosperity swiftly halted an advertising campaign in the state. [11]

Geography [ edit ]

There's a welcome sign at 64 750695, -147 329935

The geographic North Pole is situated at 64°45′04″N 147°21′07″W / [[64]]75111°N 147.35194°W / [[64]]75111; -147.35194 ( 64°45′04″N 147°21′07″W / [[64]]75111°N 147.35194°W / [[64]]75111; -147.35194164°45′04″N 147°21′07″W / [[64]]75111°N 147.35194°W / [[64]]75111; -147.35194 ) Southeast of Fairbanks, on the Richardson Highway, 13 kilometers can be found this location. Approximately 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) separate the city from the geographic North Pole of Earth.

The city has an area of 4, according to the United States Census Bureau. There are 4 square miles (10 km2) in the area, 2 of which are The land area is 2 square miles (11 km2), while the water area is 0. 0.04 square miles 10 km2) (0 water (47. Access to the Tanana River is difficult due to the city's extensive levee system, which is located to the north and east of the river. The city's central area is traversed by Beaver Springs Slough, which eventually empties into Chena Slough.

North Pole is the recommended city name for all of ZIP Code 99705,[12] which stretches between Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base, and between the Chena River and the Tanana River, including the census-designated places of Badger, which spans subdivisions connecting the eastern edge of Fairbanks and North Pole, and Moose Creek

Climate [ edit ]

Subarctic conditions prevail at the North Pole (Köppen Dfc). There is almost no seasonal lag effect from solar radiation on the cold temperatures at the North Pole. There is so much snow and ice in the North Pole that the Santa Claus House has to be closed during the week in January and February. North Pole, like the rest of Alaska's interior, is landlocked and shielded from marine influences by mountain ranges, so it experiences little seasonal lag and much greater seasonal temperature swings than coastal areas like Anchorage. Temperatures in the winter can drop by tens of degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and they typically stay below zero from November 5 through March 18. In contrast, the summers regularly feature highs in the seventies, eighties, and on rare occasions the nineties.

Demographics [ edit ]

The North Pole made its initial appearance on a U. S Census as a city, having been incorporated as such in 1953. In 1960, 615 people were counted,[15] but in 1970, that number was revised down to 358. [16]

There were 1,570 residents, 605 households, and 381 families in the city as of the United States Census in 2000. It had a population density of 373. Population Density: 6.06/sq. km. (144/km2) 2/km2) Across 155 square kilometers, there were 653 dwelling units. A population density of 4.0 /km2 (60 0/km2) Eighty-one percent of the population was comprised of people of different races. 0% White, 5 There are 7% people of African ancestry, 3 There are 6 percent Native Americans, 2 6% Asian, 0 5% Polynesian, 1 We have 2% people of color, 5% Asians, and 0% 6 percent of the population is multiracial. There were 3 people who identified as Hispanic or Latino. Just eight percent

Six hundred and five families were counted, with 38 Only 5% of the population consisted of people under the age of 18, while 47% Just nine percent of households consisted of married 4% of all households consisted of a woman living alone, and 26% of all households had no male head of Only nine percent belonged to families 26 Only nine percent of all households consisted of single people, and four Six percent of households included an elderly person aged 65 or older who lived alone. The typical family consisted of just two people. 58 people, with 3 people per family on average. 19

With only 29, the city's population was not densely concentrated. Eight percent of the population is under the age of eighteen, 13 Among those ages 18–24, 2 18% between the ages of 25 and 44, 3% 45–64 year olds make up 5%, and those 65 and older make up 5%. The percentage of people aged 65 and up was 2%. Average ages ranged from 29 to 41. That is equal to 110 men for every 100 women. 7 males There were 115 adult women for every 100 males. 2 males

Median household income in the city was $44,583, and median family income was ,583. The median income for males was $32,917 while the median income for females was $27,240. Its per-person income was $21,426. About 6 Only 2% of households and 8% of children There were 7% of people living in poverty, and 9 Zero percent of the younger generation (aged 18-22) Six percent of the elderly

Politics [ edit ]

The Fairbanks North Star Borough's North Pole has the most Republican voters. In 2008, John McCain received 7,736 votes (78%) in House District 11, which includes the North Pole area. Barack Obama received 1,924 votes (19 5%) The Republican Sean Parnell won the 2010 gubernatorial election with 5,727 votes (76 to Democrat Ethan Berkowitz's 1,451 (19. 5%) Joe Miller, a Republican, won 57 The North Pole only accounted for 3% of his total vote, and he lost to the incumbent U S The write-in bid of Senator Lisa Murkowski

Education [ edit ]

Fairbanks North Star Borough Schools serve the city. Within North Pole proper you'll find North Pole Elementary, North Pole Middle, and North Pole High. Students from Midnight Sun Elementary, Ticasuk Brown Elementary, and Two Rivers Elementary also attend both the middle and high schools. [19]

Individuals of note [ edit ]

Here in town, we have a landmark known as the Santa Claus House.

• North Pole native and North Pole High School alum Daryn Colledge (born 1982) is a guard in the National Football League.
• Goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings and former member of the Washington Capitals, Pheonix Copley (born 1992). [21]
• At age 20, Terry Miller (1942-1989) entered politics, and he served on the first Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly. He served as Alaska's Lieutenant Governor from 1978 until 1982, and later as Senate President, under Governor Jay Hammond.
• Mike W. Miller (born in 1951) is Terry Miller's brother and a politician in his own right. He served for 18 years in the Alaska Legislature and later as the state's Commissioner of Administration under Governor Frank Murkowski.
• TV painter Bob Ross (1942-1995) often mentioned in episodes that he spent over a decade in North Pole, and that the area's natural beauty served as a major source of inspiration for his work[22].
• Rapper Intuition (real name: Lee Shaner; born 1981) is a popular American performer.
• Gene Therriault (born in 1960) succeeded Mike Miller in both the Alaska House of Representatives and the Alaska Senate; both Therriault and Miller had previously served as president of the Alaska Senate[23].
• Thomas Patrick O'Connor, better known as Santa Claus, was born in 1947 and is a former congressional candidate and mayor pro tem of the city of Santa Claus.

As depicted in the mass media [ edit ]

• New Avengers, a Marvel Comics series, depicted the destruction of the town in the "the Collective" story arc, which ran from the spring of 2006 to the fall of 2006.
• In July 2006, a local family had their dream home built in just one week on the ABC reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This episode served as both the season premiere and the catalyst for the show's ambitious plan to rebuild a house in every state.
• North Pole, Alaska was the final stop for artist David Choe's Thumbs Up tour in 2007. , Season 2
• In Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries, Jon Ronson recounts his travels around town and his interviews with locals regarding the April 2006 attempted middle school shooting.

References [ edit ]

Extra reading [ edit ]

• According to Davis, Bon V. (1972) Tales from Alaska's North Pole University level: self-published 43 pp
• William G. Lewis "Bill" (1993) Cold Cash or 40 Years in the Arctic August House, Inc., Little Rock 104 pp
• Betty Stroup and Patricia Wise, editors (1997) North Pole, Alaska - Geographical Self-Portrait Alaska Geographic Alliance, Juneau/Fairbanks (Alaska Department of Education/University of Alaska Fairbanks). 24 pp
• When Jan Thacker's 1992 book "The Art of the Novel" Every Day Is Christmas, A Countdown Fairbanks: independent publication 141 pp

Hyperlinks to other sites [ edit ]

• North Pole, City
• The Chamber of Commerce of the North Pole

Coordinates: 64°45′04″N 147°21′07″W / [[64]]75111°N 147.35194°W / [[64]]75111; -147.35194164°45′04″N 147°21′07″W / [[64]]75111°N 147.35194°W / [[64]]75111; -147.35194