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The Coldest Places People Actually Call Home
Communities thriving in Earth's most frozen frontiers.
Philip Saparov
December 10, 2025
In partnership with
Greetings, seeker of extremes and hidden truths—
What’s it like to live where darkness lasts for weeks and the air freezes your breath mid-sentence?
While most of us dodge a brisk breeze, others thrive in temperatures that would shut down entire cities. In this edition, we venture into Earth’s coldest inhabited places—where survival becomes innovation, and routine defies the laws of comfort.
These aren’t just icy outposts—they’re previews of a future where cold may become the new refuge.
Let’s step into the freeze.
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At an average winter temperature of -58°F (-50°C), Oymyakon holds the record as the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. Located in the Russian Far East, this village of fewer than 1,000 people redefines resilience.
Daily routines here would stun most of us. Cars must be kept running all day or they'll freeze solid. Indoor plumbing? Forget it—most homes rely on outhouses because pipes can’t survive the permafrost. And yet, people here live full lives, raising families, attending school, and herding reindeer.
What keeps them going? A deep cultural toughness—and a high-fat, protein-rich diet of raw fish (stroganina), horse meat, and soup that keeps metabolisms burning hot.
🔎 Coldest fact: In 1933, Oymyakon hit -89.9°F (-67.7°C)—a temperature so low that eyelashes can freeze shut in seconds.
Further west lies Norilsk—a city of 180,000 residents, making it the largest settlement above the Arctic Circle. Winter lasts 9 months, and temperatures plunge to -40°F, yet this industrial city never sleeps.
Founded as a Soviet gulag outpost, Norilsk now houses one of the world’s biggest nickel and palladium mining operations. Despite its isolation and 45-day-long polar nights, residents enjoy theaters, sports centers, and even malls—most connected by underground tunnels to escape the cold.
The environmental cost is steep: Norilsk is one of the most polluted cities in the world. But its people have forged a life where few others could, drawn by economic opportunity and hardened by history.
🏭 Surprising stat: Norilsk contributes 20% of the world’s nickel production—all mined under frozen earth.
Yellowknife, the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories, sits beside the icy Great Slave Lake. With winter lows dipping below -40°F, it could be bleak—but instead, it’s quietly booming.
A haven for those seeking both solitude and opportunity, Yellowknife combines northern grit with Canadian charm. Modern infrastructure, reliable internet, and renewable energy programs keep things running, while the annual Snowking Festival turns frozen landscapes into giant ice castles and art installations.
Despite long, frigid nights, locals find light in music, community, and culture. Tourism is rising thanks to aurora-chasers and adventure-seekers willing to brave the bite.
✨ Cool curiosity: Great Slave Lake is North America’s deepest lake and freezes hard enough to support a seasonal ice highway.
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If you think cold only happens near the poles, meet La Rinconada—nestled in the Peruvian Andes at 16,700 feet. It’s not just cold (often below freezing year-round), it’s oxygen-starved. But 50,000 people call this mining town home.
Living conditions are harsh. With no plumbing or trash collection and limited electricity, survival depends on the nearby gold mine, where labor is grueling and often informal. Yet, economic necessity draws people here from across the country.
Unlike the Arctic cold, the chill here is compounded by altitude, making daily life feel like a permanent Everest base camp.
⛰️ Staggering stat: La Rinconada is the highest permanent human settlement on Earth—and one of the coldest outside the Arctic.
At the very top of the U.S., Barrow (recently renamed Utqiaġvik) is a true Arctic outpost. Temperatures average -20°F in winter, but the darkness is what hits hardest: the sun sets in late November and doesn’t rise again for 65 days.
Yet, this Inupiat community thrives. The locals rely on traditional hunting and fishing, supported by modern tech. And while climate change is dramatically altering sea ice patterns, they are also at the forefront of adaptation.
Scientists, anthropologists, and climate researchers regularly travel here to study a way of life—and an environment—that may soon disappear.
🌘 Intriguing note: During the 65-day polar night, the twilight glow is so persistent that it seems like dusk for weeks on end.
Living in extreme cold isn’t just about endurance—it’s about systems. The countries that manage it best combine policy, infrastructure, and cultural design.
🇫🇮 Finland tops global rankings in both cold adaptation and quality of life. From geothermal district heating to passive house design, energy-efficient living is the norm.
🇮🇸 Iceland leverages volcanoes for clean geothermal energy, keeping homes toasty even in winter storms.
🇨🇦 Canada invests in remote connectivity, keeping even the northernmost communities linked to healthcare, education, and emergency services.
Global warming is forcing more countries to reckon with erratic cold spells. Learning from these cold experts might soon become essential.
💡 Unexpected insight: Finland has underground city centers in its coldest towns—entire shopping complexes, gyms, and pools shielded from the frost.
Here’s a twist: as global warming accelerates, cold regions may become more attractive. Milder winters in the Arctic and sub-Arctic zones could make them newly viable for farming, tourism, and settlement—especially as heat and drought affect southern regions.
Consider this:
📈 Siberia could gain 15–25% more arable land by 2080.
🏘️ Northern towns in Canada are quietly preparing for climate migration.
🧊 Greenland is opening up land once locked in ice, with mining and development interest rising.
The places once deemed too cold may soon be among the most livable on Earth—a shift that could upend global geopolitics, real estate, and resource access.
🚨 Big prediction: Over 500 million people may migrate poleward by 2100 as equatorial regions overheat.
From the silent tundras of Russia to the gold-lined heights of Peru, the human spirit proves astonishingly adaptable.
As you consider where to live, invest, or travel, let these frozen corners remind you: the edges of human habitability are evolving. And sometimes, the harshest places hide the richest insights.
Stay warm, stay curious—and keep expanding your view of what’s possible.
Warm regards,
Shane Fulmer
Founder, WorldPopulationReview.com
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