Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks is a city in the state of Alaska. It is the largest city in the interior region and the second most populous city in Alaska, with over 32,000 people living there according to the 2020 census. The city is located very far north, just south of the Arctic Circle, making it one of the coldest places in the United States.

The city began in 1901 when a man named E. T. Barnette set up a trading post by the Chena River. Gold was found nearby, which brought many people to the area. This led to quick growth, and Fairbanks became an official city in 1903. Over the years, Fairbanks has been important for building military sites and supporting the oil industry after the discovery of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field.

Today, Fairbanks is known for its very cold winters. It is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the main campus of the University of Alaska system. The city also has an important airport, the Fairbanks International Airport, and it remains a center for industry and education in northern Alaska.

History

Main article: History of Fairbanks, Alaska

Alaska Native presence

Athabascan peoples have lived near Fairbanks for thousands of years. People from Athabascan and other Alaska Native communities are still important to Fairbanks today.

Archaeologists found an old camp at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that is about 3,500 years old. Evidence shows that Native people hunted and fished there in different seasons. Other sites near Fort Wainwright are even older, dating back more than 10,000 years.

European settlers

Captain E. T. Barnette started Fairbanks in August 1901 while traveling to Tanacross. His steamboat got stuck near the Chena River, and he decided to stay. Gold prospectors came soon after, and the town grew around Barnette’s trading post. It was named after Charles W. Fairbanks, a vice president of the United States.

In the early days, farming was important. Farms grew many crops, especially near roads named after early farmers. Farming had challenges but stayed part of life in Fairbanks.

The building of Ladd Army Airfield in 1939 helped Fairbanks grow, and it continued to grow after World War II. New roads and railroads also helped connect Fairbanks to other places.

Railroad history

The Alaska Railroad connects Fairbanks with towns in Southcentral Alaska. It started when miners wanted a railroad to reach their mines north of Fairbanks. The Tanana Valley Railroad began in 1905 and later became part of the Alaska Railroad. In 1923, President Warren G. Harding helped finish a line to Nenana. Today, the railroad carries both passengers and freight, with a new terminal opened in 2005.

Road history

Airport Way is the main road running east to west in Fairbanks, linking Fort Wainwright and the Fairbanks International Airport.

Fairbanks became a travel center in Interior Alaska, with many roads, railroads, and air connections. People first reached Fairbanks by steamboat. The Richardson Highway was built in 1910, later improved for cars, and finally paved in 1957. More roads, like the Steese Highway and the Alaska Highway, were added to connect Fairbanks to other areas. Paving of city streets began in the 1950s, changing gravel roads to asphalt.

Geography

Topography

Fairbanks is in the middle of the Tanana Valley. It sits next to the Chena River, close to where it joins the Tanana River. To the north are hills that grow into the White Mountains and the Yukon River. The south side of Fairbanks is the Tanana River, with flat, wet land called the Tanana Flats going south for over 100 miles until it meets the Alaska Range. Sometimes you can see these mountains from the city on clear days. East and west of Fairbanks are low valleys split by ridges of hills that rise up to 3,000 feet above sea level.

The Tanana Valley has many little streams and rivers that flow into the Tanana River. In Fairbanks, the Chena River moves southwest until it joins the Tanana. A small waterway named Noyes Slough makes Garden Island, which is linked to the city by bridges and roads with water passing under them.

The United States Census Bureau says Fairbanks covers 32.7 square miles. Most of this is land, with a tiny bit being water.

Location

Fairbanks is very far north, close to 16 degrees north of the U.S.-Canada border. It is at about the same latitude as cities like Skellefteå in Sweden and Reykjavík, Iceland, just south of the Arctic Circle. Because of this, Fairbanks has the "Midnight Sun" in summer, when the sun hardly sets.

Climate

Fairbanks has very cold, long winters and short, warm summers. Snow is usual from October through May, with the most snow usually in November and December. The city is one of the coldest places in the United States with at least 10,000 people.

Temperatures in Fairbanks can change a lot. Winters often have very cold days, while summers can feel quite warm. The city sees the northern lights, called the aurora borealis, on many clear nights during winter. The amount of daylight changes a lot through the year, with very short days in winter and almost constant daylight in summer.