Kaktovik, AK

Kaktovik is a tight-knit Iñupiat village of around 280 residents on Barter Island, perched along Alaska's northern coast by the Beaufort Sea. Bordering the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the community is rooted in traditional subsistence whaling and fishing. Families are served by the local Harold Kaveolook School, and the area is well known for polar bears wandering the coastline. It offers a very quiet, remote lifestyle shaped by Arctic wilderness and strong neighborhood bonds.