Adventurer heads to one of Earth's 'coldest, darkest and most isolated' towns
An explorer who has visited every country in the world has been left chilled by a trip to one of the coldest and darkest towns in the world.
Drew Binsky has been to 197 countries, but few experiences will have been as odd as when he visited the most northern city in the United States. In his YouTube film, called Visiting America's Most Remote Town (24 Hours of Darkness), he heads to Utqiaġvik.
The Alaskan city is incredibly isolated, with no roads connecting it to the outside and a thick layer of ice stopping ships from docking all the year round. It means the only way residents, visitors and supplies can get in and out is on the daily flight from Anchorage.
“The one and only way that people here can get food, medical supplies and Amazon packages is through this airport. If it wasn’t for this airport, the people would literally starve to death," Drew explained.
Have you visited a far flung place? We'd love to hear about it Email [email protected]
Woman claims she was thrown off flight for having a mimosa in airport bar
As you might expect, the laborious means of transport means that even basic goods are very expensive. The supermarket may look like one found near Drew's home in Arizona, but a bottle of Gatorade costs $7 there rather than $1.99.
What makes the city, formerly known as Barrow, particularly eerie is the winter darkness, which descends during the heart of winter for 30 straight days. When Drew visited he found the town pitch black and freezing.
“Not only is Barrow the northernmost town in America but it’s also one of the coldest, darkest and most isolated settlements on Earth. During the winter months, it rarely gets above -25 degrees, and it’s completely dark outside for 30 straight days," he said.
“It is so cold here that the houses are built on permafrost, which basically means that the ground is covered in ice year-round. It’s so cold here that the pipes for the plumbing have to go above the ground.”
The town is completely dark for 30 days straight a year (AP)Because of historical issues with alcohol, there are no bars in Utqiaġvik. There is a cannabis shop however, as it's legal to buy the substance in Alaska.
The town, which is above the Arctic Circle, is not only the most northern place in the United States, it’s one of the most northerly in the world. And the city’s geography is weird. Only 2.6% of the Earth's surface lies as far or farther from the equator as Utqiagvik, which has a dessert climate due to the tiny amount of rain that falls there each year.
Drew said: “I am actually closer in proximity to Tokyo than I am to New York City. That is wild!”
Drew was amazed by what he found in the town (Drew Binsky/YouTube)In the most recent census, which was taken in 2020, the city’s population was a little shy of 5,000, which marked an increase of about 700 since the previous poll a decade earlier. It is the 12th most populous town in Alaska, which highlights just how sparse a place it is.
The name Barrow was derived from nearby Point Barrow because it was easier for non-native Alaskan residents to pronounce than the Inupiat name. It was formally changed to Utqiaġvik in 2016, when residents voted in a referendum to change it from its colonial name.
As well as a supermarket, Utqiaġvik has a college, five restaurants, a police station and a bank. But its one petrol station still doesn’t take credit cards. The remoteness of the city and the long periods of winter darkness aren’t reflected in the people, though.
You can soon book 'neighbour-free seats' from £16 to get more room on flights
Drew said their warmth and their great sense of humour – they are “always cracking jokes”. He added: “Everyone is so friendly. They don’t take life too seriously, and that’s an amazing thing.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
