RuralAlaska2021TelAlaska

Nuiqsut

The area around Nuiqsut has been the scene of subsistence food gathering, trading and nomadic contact between groups of coastal and inland Iñupiat (Eskimo) for centuries. The population of the Arctic region began to consolidate during the 20th century in communities such as Utqiaġvik, with the advent of schools, stores and health services. As a consequence, traditional sites, such as Nuiqsut, became largely unoccupied. However, in 1973- 74 under the auspices of the new regional corporation established by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, a number of families from Utqiaġvik, with roots in the Nuiqsut area, re-established the village. As a consequence, Nuiqsut has a very “modern,” planned appearance since it has been platted and constructed in very recent times. The population of Nuiqsut has shown a recent growth spurt due to the employment provided by the oil exploration and production facility development near the village. In 2010, there were 415 residents in Nuiqsut and a labor force of 224 in 2011, according to the state’s employment statistics. About 92 percent are Iñupiat. More than 55 percent of the work force is employed in the private sector, mostly by the Kuukpik village corporation and the construction industry. The North Slope Borough employs 30 percent of the local labor force and the School District employs another 9 percent. The subsistence hunting, fishing, and whaling activities remain a significant component of the local economy. Nuiqsut, with the recent development of the neighboring “Alpine” oil production facility just eight miles to the north, has become an even more active community. Its growth is supported by a number of modern public facilities. These include an elementary and high school complex, power generation plant, water and sewage treatment facilities, laundromat, a public health clinic, police station, fire station, a community teleconference center, and post office. There is also a general store, shops and a “camp,” or industrial hotel/cafeteria, owned and operated by the village corporation.

The telecommunications facilities serving Nuiqsut include a fully digital local exchange telephone service, local Internet, cellular telephone, cable TV, public radio broadcast and community-access public teleconferencing center. Interconnection with the regional and global telecommunications network is via satellite circuits, which currently present a limitation to the residents needing access to higher bandwidth services. The North Slope Borough, in coordination with the NSB School District, leases private circuits and maintains a long-distance network in order to provide distance education, telehealth and support for governmental service administration in the community. Transportation is provided by scheduled and chartered aircraft. These flights are from Utqiaġvik, Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse and Fairbanks. Surface transportation to Nuiqsut is possible during the winter months when an ice road is maintained between the community, via the Colville River, and the Alyeska Pipeline gravel highway to the east.