North Pole, Alaska

Categories: Cities in Alaska

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North Pole is a city located in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. As of 2004,the population of the city is 1,675. The name "North Pole" is often applied to the entire area bounded by Fort Wainwright, Two Rivers, Alaska, and the Chena River Flood Control Project.

Despite the name, the city is about 1,700 miles south of Earth's geographic North Pole.

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The Santa Claus of North Pole, Alaska

The city is a summertime attraction for tourists visiting nearby Fairbanks, and traveling to and from the Alaska Highway and Valdez. Its biggest attraction is a gift shop named Santa Claus House with a giant fiberglass statue of Santa Claus outside. Prior to Christmas each year, the USPS post office in North Pole receives hundreds of letters to Santa Claus, and thousands more from people wanting the town's postmark on their holiday greeting cards to their families. It advertises the ZIP code 99705 as the zip code of Santa.

Holiday-themed streets in North Pole include Santa Claus Lane, St. Nicholas Drive, Snowman Lane, and Kris Kringle Drive. Street lights in the city are decorated in a candy cane motif, and many local businesses have similar decorations.

Contrary to what some children might think, Santa Claus is not the mayor, nor are the resident elves. The current (early 2004) mayor is Jeff Jacobson, who recently sent a letter (and a lump of coal) to U.S. Senator John McCain about a comment he made regarding why the city's "elves" needed money for a pork barrel project. [1]

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Geography

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North Pole is located at 64°45'4" North, 147°21'7" West (64.751048, -147.351969)1. It is situated 13 miles to the southeast of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.9 km² (4.2 mi²). 10.9 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.47% water. The city is located to the north and east of the Tanana River, though access to the river is not easily made due to the extensive system of levees. Beaver Springs Slough meanders through the heart of the city, emptying into Chena Slough.

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Demographics

As of 2004, there are 1,675 people, 652 households, and 431 families residing in the city. The population density is 149.3/km² (373.6/mi²). There are 653 housing units at an average density of 60.0/km² (155.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 80.96% White, 5.67% Black or African American, 3.57% Native American, 2.61% Asian, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 1.15% from other races, and 5.61% from two or more races. 3.76% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 652 households out of which 40.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% are married couples living together, 11.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% are non-families. 26.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 4.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.19.

In the city the population is spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 13.2% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 115.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $42,563.99, and the median income for a family is $54,993. Males have a median income of $32,917 versus $27,240 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,426. 6.7% of the population and 5.12% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.0% of those under the age of 18 and 22.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

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History

The area that is now North Pole was homesteaded in 1944 by Bon V. Davis. Dahl and Gaske Development Company later purchased the Davis homestead, subdivided it, and named it North Pole, in hopes of attracting a toy manufacturer to the area. The City of North Pole was incorporated on January 15, 1953.

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Economy

The city is home to two major oil refineries (connected to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System) and an oil-fired power plant. Many local residents are employed at the nearby Eielson Air Force Base.

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External links