Buckland, AK

Buckland is a close-knit Iñupiaq village of around 550 people tucked along the winding Buckland River in northwest Alaska. Located about 75 miles southeast of Kotzebue and just south of the Arctic Circle, it offers a genuine look at rural bush living. The river sits at the heart of daily life here, acting as a travel route for boats in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter, along with offering great seasonal fishing.

ATTRSumithamarasekara / CC BY-SA 3.0

For families, the local K-12 school serves as a lively community hub, hosting everything from basketball games to local gatherings. Daily life moves with the Arctic seasons, with residents regularly heading out onto the surrounding tundra to hunt caribou, catch salmon, and gather wild berries. It is a quiet, welcoming community where neighbors look out for one another and traditional subsistence living remains strong.