Barrow (housing, rent, vacation)

[stiffnecked]

I'll admit it's been a few years since I lived up there. At the time we paid $700 for a 1 bedroom over in the 12 plexes. Okay, that was 24 years ago. Housing was tight back then. I answered a domestic call over in E Plex and there were 8 filipino's living in a 1 bedroom. Two of them had bunk beds in the big pantry closet by the front door. They said they were each paying the tenant $400 a month. It was plain crazy....

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by stiffnecked

I'll admit it's been a few years since I lived up there. At the time we paid $700 for a 1 bedroom over in the 12 plexes. Okay, that was 24 years ago. Housing was tight back then. I answered a domestic call over in E Plex and there were 8 filipino's living in a 1 bedroom. Two of them had bunk beds in the big pantry closet by the front door. They said they were each paying the tenant $400 a month. It was plain crazy....

It got even worse than that for awhile! It peaked in maybe 1997. But then they built something like 300 housing units, mostly duplexes, out at the southeastern end of Browerville. And at about the same time there must have been nearly 100 private units built around town too.

Blamo... the housing market went from one extreme to the other. There were vacant houses all over town! Another factor is that the population here went from just under 5000 to now being officially estimated at 4065. So 20% of the population in 2000 has moved elsewhere!

The North Slope Borough, and therefore Barrow, is much more sensitive to the price of oil than anywhere other than a Senate Finance Committee meeting while the Legislature is in session. :-)

It might be that Barrow will now be headed towards another serge; and as I made reference jokingly in another thread, some of the potential is not only mind boggling, but absolutely frightening. They are drilling for oil now on all sides of Barrow except on land to the west (which will also happen soon enough). If there is so much as even one producable field discovered, Barrow will feel a huge effect. But if there were to be another giant field discovered it would have astronomical effects. And if the Arctic ice cap actually does melt as is being predicted in 40-50 years, it is impossible to imagine the shift of economic influence as Barrow becomes a major seaport serving the northern half of Alaska.

Few people here would welcome such change. But there are some other changes that would be welcome. I know of two projects that would bring major computer industry to the North Slope. If either of them fly it will change the nature of life here almost as much as oil has, but probably with almost none of the same negatives.

[CometVoyager]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

Not so many that you'd need to worry, much.

It only takes one hungry Polar Bear! To Ruin your whole life!

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by CometVoyager

It only takes one hungry Polar Bear! To Ruin your whole life!

The danger of a comet hitting you on the head is similar, so the entire surface of the earth should be avoided!

Next time you hear of a polar bear on the beach in front of Barrow in the summer, be sure to let us know about it! In the dark of night it might avoid being shot and be able to sneak up on a tourist! :-)

On the other hand, we all make a regular habit of telling tourists not to hike down the beach towards Point Barrow. That's not a good idea. Walking south of town is relatively safe, but north of town is not.

[RMD3819]

Is Browerville a separate town or a neighborhood of Barrow?

[Rance]

Or is it a suburb of Barrow?

[stiffnecked]

Yes, a suburb. I wonder what NARL and Point Barrow would be considered?

[Rance]

Bedroom communities?

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by Rance

Bedroom communities?

NARL is an industrial complex, with very few bedrooms (transient quarters and the dormatory at the Ilisagvik College).

Point Barrow has no buildings. No people have lived at Nuvuk since the 1930s.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by RMD3819

Is Browerville a separate town or a neighborhood of Barrow?

Browerville is an integral part of the town of Barrow.

I would guess that there are about twice as many people living on the Browerville side compare to the Ukpeagvik (Barrow) side. But the difference today is that almost everyone on the Barrow side visits the Browerville side every day or two, while those who live in Browerville generally need not come to the Barrow side but maybe once every week or two.

In the past decade or so virtually all new construction has been in Browerville, and hence much of the necessary infrastructure of the City of Barrow is now in Browerville. The new Post Office, the Library and the Inupiat Heritage Center complex, the new AC store, the Middle School and the Senior Center are all examples. Construction is about to begin on a new Hospital, which is also located in Browerville. The only gas station is also in Browerville.

So it isn't a case of Browerville being a suburb or bedroom community. It's just that the City of Barrow surrounds a lagoon, and one side is called Barrow and the other side is called Browerville.

Note that up until the 1990's it would have been correct to think of Browerville as a suburb, but that hasn't been true for about a decade or so now.