Atqasuk is inland from the Arctic Ocean and is located on the Meade River, about 60 miles southwest of Barrow. Atqasuk is an Iñupiat hunting and fishing ground. Abandoned sod houses, an old cellar and gravesite near the village provide evidence of an early settlement here.

During World War II, coal was mined in the community and freighted to Barrow. During the next 10 years, the village existed under the name of Meade River. Although the population dwindled in the 1960s, former residents from Barrow moved to the community in the 1970s and re-established the village under the name of Atqasuk.

Atqasuk's residents rely heavily on subsistence and enjoy berry picking, hunting caribou, ptarmigan, ducks and geese. They also fish for grayling, burbot, salmon and whitefish in the Meade River.

Atqasuk Corporation is the Village Corporation established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Act of 1971. Atqasuk Corporation owns approximately 73,000 acres of surface lands in and around the community.