| Fairbanks is located in the heart
of Alaska's Interior, on the banks of the Chena River in the Tanana Valley
and is Alaska's second largest city. By air, Fairbanks is 45 minutes from
Anchorage and 3 hours from Seattle. It lies 358 road miles north of Anchorage.
Winter temperatures average -12; summer temperatures average 61.
Temperatures have been recorded as low as -78 in mid-winter, and as high
as 93 in summer. Average annual precipitation is 11.3 inches. Ice fog is
common during the winter. Fairbanks experiences 21 hours of daylight between
May 10th and Aug. 2nd each summer, and less than 4 hours of daylight between
Nov. 18th and Jan. 24th each winter.
Koyukon Athabascans have lived in the area for thousands of years. In 1901, Capt. E.T. Barnette established a trading post on the Chena River. A year later, gold was discovered 16 miles north of the post. The town grew as the Chena steamboat landing brought many prospectors during the Pedro Dome gold rush. Fairbanks was named after Indiana Senator Charles Fairbanks, who later became vice president. By 1910, the official population had grown to 3,541, although more than 6,000 miners lived and worked their claims on creeks north of town. By 1915, it was becoming a bustling little town. Today, Fairbanks is a transportation hub able to serve North Slope oil fields and Arctic villages. Fairbanks is a modern, bustling city. Twelve radio stations, three commercial TV stations, A public Broadcasting System operated by the University of Alaska and of course cable TV. Fairbanks has one daily newspaper, the Fairbanks Daily News Miner; churches, 31 public schools, eight private schools and a regional library. Alaska Railroad has daily passenger service between Fairbanks and Anchorage with stop over privileges at Denali National Park during summer. The train departs Fairbanks at 8:15 a.m. and arrives in Anchorage at 8:15 p.m.. |
First photograph of Fairbanks, 1902
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