Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks is a city in the state of Alaska, and it is the largest city in the interior region of the state. It is also 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. Soon after, gold was found nearby, which brought many people to the area looking to make their fortune. This led to a quick growth in the city, and it became an official city in 1903. Over the years, Fairbanks has served many important roles, including being a base for building military sites and later supporting the oil industry after the discovery of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field.

Today, Fairbanks is known for its very cold winters and 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 continues to be a center for both industry and education in northern Alaska.

History

Main article: History of Fairbanks, Alaska

Alaska Native presence

Athabascan peoples have lived on, traveled through, and taken care of the land around Fairbanks for thousands of years. People from Athabascan and other Alaska Native communities still play an important role in Fairbanks today.

Archaeologists found an old camp at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that is about 3,500 years old, with even older remains deeper down. Evidence from the site shows that Native people hunted and fished there during different seasons. Other sites near Fort Wainwright are even older, dating back more than 10,000 years. Arrowheads found at the university match ones from Asia, suggesting how people first came to North America across the Bering Strait.

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 there. Gold prospectors soon arrived, 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, the area was important for farming. Farms produced many crops, especially around the roads named after early farmers. Even though farming faced challenges, it remained a part of life in Fairbanks.

The building of Ladd Army Airfield in 1939 brought growth to Fairbanks, continuing after World War II. The area also saw changes with new roads and railroads that helped connect Fairbanks to other places.

Railroad history

The Alaska Railroad connects Fairbanks with towns in Southcentral Alaska. It began with miners wanting a railroad to reach their mines north of Fairbanks. The Tanana Valley Railroad started in 1905 and later became part of the Alaska Railroad. In 1923, President Warren G. Harding helped complete a line to Nenana. Today, the railroad serves 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 center for travel in Interior Alaska, with many roads, railroads, and air connections. At first, people 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 located in the central Tanana Valley, sitting along the Chena River near where it meets the Tanana River. To the north of the city are hills that gradually rise to become the White Mountains and the Yukon River. The southern edge of Fairbanks is marked by the Tanana River, with flat, marshy land called the Tanana Flats stretching south for over 100 miles until it meets the Alaska Range, which can sometimes be seen from the city on clear days. East and west of Fairbanks are low valleys separated by ridges of hills that reach up to 3,000 feet above sea level.

The Tanana Valley has many small streams and rivers that flow into the Tanana River. In Fairbanks, the Chena River moves southwest until it joins the Tanana. A small waterway called Noyes Slough creates Garden Island, which is connected to the rest of the city by bridges and roads with water passing underneath.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Fairbanks covers an area of 32.7 square miles; most of this is land, with a small portion being water.

Location

Fairbanks lies very far to the north, close to 16 degrees north of the U.S.-Canada border. It shares similar latitude to cities like Skellefteå in Sweden and Reykjavík, Iceland, just south of the Arctic Circle. Because of this position, Fairbanks experiences the "Midnight Sun" during summer, when the sun barely sets.

Climate

Fairbanks has a climate with very cold, long winters and short, warm summers. Snow is common from October through May, with the most snow usually falling in November and December. The city is known for being the coldest in the United States among places with at least 10,000 people.

Temperatures in Fairbanks can vary widely. Winters often bring very cold days, while summers can feel quite warm. The city sees the northern lights, known as the aurora borealis, on many clear nights during winter. The amount of daylight changes dramatically through the year, with very short days in winter and almost constant daylight in summer.