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Despite the low census figures, Prudhoe Bay is actually quite a busy place; at any moment, there are several thousand temporary workers running the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field or supporting it in some way. The airport, lodging, and General Store are clustered in a location called Deadhorse , while the rigs and processing facilities are located on scattered gravel "pads" laid on top of the Tundra . Winter is just as busy as summer, since only at that time is the surface hard enough to support heavy equipment, and so all new construction happens then. Commercial oil exploration started in Prudhoe Bay in the 1960's and the field was discovered in 1968 by Atlantic Richfield Company, but production did not begin until 1977 when the , the second largest. A small number of Tourist s, many arriving by bus after a two-day ride up the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks , come to see the tundra, the Arctic Ocean , and the Midnight Sun , staying in extremely basic lodgings assembled from "modular" buildings. GEOGRAPHY Prudhoe Bay is located at 70°19'32" North, 148°42'41" West (70.325490, -148.711387). According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 1,445.3 Km&2 (558.0 Mi&2 ). 1,078.1 km&2 (416.3 mi&2) of it is land and 367.2 km&2 (141.8 mi&2) of it is Water . The total area is 25.40% water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000 , there is one household in the town, consisting of one married couple between 25 and 44 and two boys and one girl under 18; the median age of the family is 12 years. One person is White , one is Native American , and three from two or more races. The income for this household is $90,957, or $19,880 per capita. The Population Density is 0.0/km&2. There is 1 housing unit. 2006 OIL SPILL On March 2, 2006, a worker for BP Exploration (Alaska) discovered a large oil spill in western Prudhoe Bay. At least 201,000 gallons spilled, making it the largest oil spill on Alaska's north slope to date. {Link without Title} EXTERNAL LINKS |
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