Three years ago, we answered some FAQs about our new home. Now that we’ve moved even further north, it seemed like it was time to revisit these questions.
Where did you move again? Iqaluit?
Inuvik. Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut, 2,842 km away. Iqaluit is further south than Inuvik – it’s actually even further south than Tulita! “Inu” means people and “vik” means place, so Inuvik essentially means “people place”.
Are there roads there?
Yes! We can drive south down the Dempster Highway towards Dawson City and beyond, or north on the new Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk Highway towards Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic Ocean.
Are you north of the Arctic Circle?
We sure are! You can even drive there from here.
Are there trees there?
Yes, but just barely. They end shortly out of town and then it’s pure tundra.
Is it flat there?
Inuvik is in a river delta, so it’s pretty flat. There are some rolling hills, but nothing huge. The nearest mountain range is the Richardson Mountains, near the Yukon border. You can see them from here on a clear day.
Is the ground permafrost?
Still yup.
Are there polar bears there?
We’re right at the edge of their range. It’s very uncommon for them to come anywhere near town – they occasionally end up near Tuk, but it’s pretty rare. We’re in one of the few areas in Canada where technically all three species of bears could run into each other. In fact, the island north of us is where the first grizzly-polar bear hybrid was found.
