Wainwright Alaska Map

About Wainwright, Alaska

Wainwright is a locality in North Slope, Alaska, United States. It is a small community with a population of 628. The population density is 23.5 people per km². Wainwright is located at 70.6582°N, 159.9852°W. It observes the Alaska Time (America/Anchorage) timezone. Wainwright is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 99782.

Wainwright sits upon a vast, treeless expanse of tundra where the horizon stretches into an infinite, pale gray seam between earth and sky. It lies 509.9 miles north-northwest of College, AK (from College, AK: bearing 327°T), and is situated 86.0 miles west-southwest of Utqiaġvik. The landscape around Wainwright is defined by the low, sweeping contours of the earth, where the permafrost dictates the growth of mosses and hardy grasses that shift color with the passing seasons. Three miles away, the Kuk River winds toward the coast, its waters reflecting the subarctic light that lingers during the long summer days, casting a bruised, violet glow over the Kuk River Valley. Far to the south, the solitary rise of Pingorarok Hill breaks the monotony of the flat terrain, serving as a distant landmark in a country where the immense scale of the wilderness dwarfs every human endeavor.

Life in Wainwright carries the steady, resilient pulse of an Iñupiat heritage that has endured in this harsh climate for generations. The economy remains deeply rooted in subsistence practices, with families harvesting the bounty of the land and the nearby Wainwright Inlet to sustain themselves through the deep, dark winters. Small bush planes serve as the vital arteries of the region, connecting the people to the wider world while the local school stands as a central pillar for the younger generation. The character of the place is marked by a quiet, collective endurance, where the sound of an engine in the distance or the sudden appearance of a raven against the snow defines the rhythm of an ordinary day.

About This Wainwright Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Wainwright, Alaska. Coordinates: 70.658232, -159.985214. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Wainwright includes the ZIP code (99782), telephone area code (907), county seat of North Slope, and school district assignment (North Slope Borough School District).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.