Point Hope is situated in
North Slope Borough near the tip of Point Hope peninsula, a large gravel spit that forms the western-most extension of the northwest Alaska coast. Point Hope peninsula is one of the oldest continuously occupied Inupiat Eskimo areas in Alaska. Several settlements have existed on the peninsula over the past 2,500 years.
During the early 1970s, the village relocated to a new site just east of the old village, because of erosion and periodic storm-surge flooding.
Most Point Hope residents are Tikeraqmuit Inupiat Eskimos. The villagers are dependent upon marine subsistence. Many residents also manufacture whalebone masks, baleen baskets, ivory carvings, and other Native crafts.