Browse / United States / Alaska / Ambler
Ambler
Alaskacity
Ambler
Total population
182
Median home value
$96,900
Bachelor's+
Median income
$40,556
Founded
1971
Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.
City facts
Facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Overview
Ambler is a city in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ambler had a population of 274. The city is located in the large Iñupiaq language speaking region of Alaska, and the local dialect is known as the Ambler dialect. As of 1999, over 91% of the community speaks and understands the language, with many young children actively learning the language in school. It has important relationships with the "hub" city of Kotzebue, Alaska and has important relationships with Maniilaq Health Association.
Read more on WikipediaHistory & geography
History
The community was named for a tributary of the Kobuk River, which was named for Dr. James M. Ambler, who died of starvation after his ship was trapped in the Arctic ice in 1881. Ambler was permanently settled in 1958 when people from Shungnak and Kobuk moved downstream because of the variety of fish, wild game and spruce trees in the area. An archaeological site is located nearby at Onion Portage. A post office was established in 1963 First Post Master was Sarah Tickett. The city was incorporated in 1971. The story of the prophet Maniilaq states that he predicted in the future a great whale would swim upriver and arrive at Ambler. Founding fathers were Harry Tickett, Truman Cleveland, Nelson Greist Sr, Mark Cleveland, Tommy Lee, Charlie Douglas and Tommy Douglas. Current 2023 Ambler IRA President Miles Cleveland Sr.
Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
Demographics & economy
Race & ethnicity
Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.
Geography
Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.
Climate
Current forecast
Forecast for Ambler, AK from NOAA NWS API.
Air quality
Industrial & pollution facilities
Natural hazard risk
Health (adults)
Age-adjusted prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES (latest release).
Walkability
Amenities nearby
Wildlife & biodiversity
Most-observed species
- Wood FrogLithobates sylvaticus (LeConte, 1825) · Amphibia6
- Common RavenCorvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves6
- Boreal ChickadeePoecile hudsonicus (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves5
- Willow PtarmiganLagopus lagopus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves3
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte, 1825 · Aves3
- Gray JayPerisoreus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves3
- White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves3
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves3
Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Schools
Largest nearby schools
- Ambler SchoolOther · Ambler · 57 students · 19:1 ratio
Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).
Earthquake history
Most recent
- M 3.5 — 2026-09-2241 km NE of Ambler, Alaska
- M 2.6 — 2026-08-2260 km NNE of Kobuk, Alaska
- M 2.9 — 2026-08-0463 km S of Shungnak, Alaska
- M 3 — 2026-07-2654 km NNW of Ambler, Alaska
- M 2.7 — 2026-05-2379 km NNW of Ambler, Alaska
- M 3 — 2026-03-1462 km S of Shungnak, Alaska
Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).
Photos
Sights & places nearby
Notable people from here
Nearby places in Alaska
- Shungnak24.7 mi away · pop. 147
- Kobuk28.9 mi away · pop. 101
- Selawik67 mi away · pop. 412
- Kiana69.2 mi away · pop. 437
- Noorvik87 mi away · pop. 748
- Huslia105.2 mi away · pop. 51
- Buckland118 mi away · pop. 533
- Kotzebue125.6 mi away · pop. 2,984
- Noatak140.6 mi away · pop. 786
- Alatna142 mi away · pop. 11
- Red Dog Mine147.4 mi away
- Allakaket149.1 mi away · pop. 167
Geography & sun
Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.
Nearby airports
Public attention
Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.
Books about Ambler
Search results from Open Library.
Recent natural events nearby
Ground air-quality sensors
Recently spotted species
Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).
Nearest stream gauge
Live readings from USGS NWIS · measured 2026-10-05 16:00 UTC.
Events
Gallery
Sources
- • Wikipedia
- • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
- • NOAA National Weather Service
- • Wikidata
- • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
- • USGS NWIS (water data)
- • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
- • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
- • iNaturalist
- • CDC PLACES
- • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
- • Wikipedia Pageviews API
- • Open Library