Wainwright, Alaska

Wainwright
Ulġuniq
Wainwright during the summer months with the Arctic Ocean in the background
Wainwright
Location in Alaska
Coordinates: 70°38′50″N 160°00′58″W / 70.64722°N 160.01611°W / 70.64722; -160.01611
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
BoroughNorth Slope
IncorporatedDecember 31, 1962
Government
  MayorCheryl Panik
  State senatorDonny Olson (D)
  State rep.Robyn Burke (D)
Area
  Total
28.04 sq mi (72.61 km2)
  Land10.31 sq mi (26.71 km2)
  Water17.72 sq mi (45.90 km2)
Elevation
33 ft (10 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
628
  Density60.89/sq mi (23.51/km2)
Time zoneUTC−9 (Alaska (AKST))
  Summer (DST)UTC−8 (AKDT)
ZIP code
99782
Area code907
FIPS code02-82750
GNIS feature ID2418869

Wainwright (/ˈwnrt/; Ulġuniq in Iñupiaq), also known as Ulguniq or Kuuk, is a city in North Slope Borough, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 628, making it the third largest city in the North Slope Borough, up from 556 in 2010. The community was named after Wainwright Lagoon, which in turn was named after Lt. John Wainwright, an officer under Capt. F. W. Beechey, who were the first non-native people to travel to the lagoon in 1826. An unincorporated area known as Wainwright Inlet by 1890, Wainwright was founded as an incorporated municipality in 1904.