thumb|right|alt=Rolling green tundra hills and a river on the North Slope|The Anaktuvuk River flows North toward the Arctic Ocean. Much of the North Slope Borough is characterized by vast, uninhabited gently rolling tundra.

The North Slope Borough is the northernmost borough in the US state of Alaska and, thus, the northernmost county or equivalent of the United States as a whole. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,031. The borough seat and largest city, comprising nearly half of the borough’s population, is Utqiaġvik (known as Barrow from 1901 to 2016), the northernmost settlement in the United States.

History

The borough was established in 1972 by an election of the majority Indigenous people in the region, following Congressional passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Most are Inupiat. The borough was named for the Alaska North Slope basin. In 1974, it adopted a Home Rule Charter, enabling it to exercise any legitimate governmental power. The borough has first-class status and exercises the powers of planning, zoning, taxation, and schools.

In 2020, the airline Ravn Alaska went into bankruptcy and ended operations. The government of North Slope Borough attempted to take control of the airline's assets to keep flights and shipments coming to the community, but the Alaska Attorney General stated that the borough did not have that authority.

Government

The borough is governed by an eleven-member assembly, elected to staggered three-year terms, which meets monthly. Representation on the assembly is apportioned among the various communities; Utqiaġvik is allotted six seats, Nuiqsut, Point Hope, and Wainwright one seat apiece, while the remaining two seats combine two communities; Anaktuvuk Pass with Kaktovik and Atqasuk with Point Lay. The borough's executive and administrative powers are vested in a mayor, who is limited to two consecutive three-year terms.

Mayors

  • 1972–1980: Eben Hopson (died in office)
  • 1980–1981: Jacob Anaġi Adams, Sr.
  • 1981–1984: Eugene Brower
  • 1984–1990: George Ahmaogak, Sr.
  • 1990–1993: Jeslie Kaleak
  • 1993–1996: George Ahmaogak, Sr.
  • 1996–1999: Benjamin Nageak
  • 1999–2005: George Ahmaogak, Sr.
  • 2005–2011: Edward Itta
  • 2011–2016: Charlotte Brower
  • 2016–2023: Harry Brower, Jr.
  • 2023–present: Josiah Patkotak

Politics

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North Slope Borough has generally hosted competitive elections, it has only backed a Democrat for president three times since 1980.

Former mayor Eugene Brower, Charlotte Brower's husband, was convicted of tax evasion involving contractor kickbacks in the 1980s.

Former mayor George Ahmaogak had billed the Borough for a family vacation in Hawaii.

Edward Itta succeeded George Ahmaogak and served two terms, 2005–2011.

In July 2016, Harry K. Brower Jr., Charlotte Brower's brother-in-law, was first elected in a run-off election to serve the rest of Charlotte Brower's second term.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , of which is land and (6.4%) is water. The borough is larger than 39 states.

Its western coastline is along the Chukchi Sea, while its eastern shores (beyond Point Barrow) are on the Beaufort Sea.

The North Slope Borough is the largest county-level political subdivision in the United States by area, with a larger land area than the state of Utah, the 13th-largest state in the nation. Although the adjacent Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area is larger in area, it has no borough-level government. The borough is the fourth-least densely populated county-level entity in the United States. The Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area is the least densely populated county-level entity.

Adjacent boroughs and census areas

  • Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska – southeast
  • Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska – southwest

It shares its eastern border with Yukon, Canada, which has no subdivisions.

National protected areas

thumb|400px|Map of northern Alaska showing location of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPRA).

  • Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (part of the Chukchi Sea unit)
  • Cape Lisburne
  • Cape Thompson
  • Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (part)
  • Mollie Beattie Wilderness (part)
  • Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve (part)
  • Gates of the Arctic Wilderness (part)
  • Noatak National Preserve (part)
  • Noatak Wilderness (part)

Other federal areas

  • National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska

Major highway

Due to the extreme north and wilderness, the only major road connecting the North Slope with the rest of the state is AK-11, which runs parallel to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. All roads in the North Slope Borough are closed to the public, unless it is maintained by the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (Alaska DOT&PF)

Demographics