Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska | ||
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City | ||
Aerial view of downtown in 2020 Downtown at night along the Chena River | ||
GNIS feature ID 1401958 | | |
Website | www |
Fairbanks is a
In August 1901,
During the 1940s and 1950s, the city became a staging area for the construction of military depots during
Fairbanks is in the
Fairbanks is home to the
History
Native American presence
European settlers
Captain E. T. Barnette founded Fairbanks in August 1901 while headed to Tanacross (or Tanana Crossing, where the Valdez–Eagle trail crossed the Tanana River), where he intended to set up a trading post. The steamboat on which Barnette was a passenger, the Lavelle Young, ran aground while attempting to negotiate shallow water. Barnette, along with his party and supplies, were deposited along the banks of the Chena River 7 miles (11 km) upstream from its confluence with the Tanana River. The sight of smoke from the steamer's engines caught the attention of gold prospectors working in the hills to the north, most notably an Italian immigrant named Felice Pedroni (better known as Felix Pedro) and his partner Tom Gilmore. The two met Barnette where he disembarked and convinced him of the potential of the area. Barnette set up his trading post at the site, still intending to eventually make it to Tanacross.[15] Teams of gold prospectors soon congregated in and around the newly founded Fairbanks; they built drift mines, dredges, and lode mines in addition to panning and sluicing.[16]
After some urging by James Wickersham, who later moved the seat of the Third Division court from Eagle to Fairbanks, the settlement was named after Charles W. Fairbanks, a Republican senator from Indiana and later the twenty-sixth vice president of the United States, serving under Theodore Roosevelt during his second term.[17]
In these early years of settlement, the
The construction of
Fairbanks suffered from several floods in its first seven decades, whether from ice jams during spring breakup or heavy rainfall. The first bridge crossing the Chena River, a wooden structure built in 1904 to extend Turner Street northward to connect with the wagon roads leading to the gold mining camps, often washed out before a permanent bridge was constructed at Cushman Street in 1917 by the Alaska Road Commission.[22] On August 14, 1967, after record rainfall upstream, the Chena began to surge over its banks, flooding almost the entire town of Fairbanks overnight. This disaster led to the creation of the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project, which built and operates the 50-foot-high (15 m) Moose Creek Dam in the Chena River and accompanying 8-mile-long (13 km) spillway. The project was designed to prevent a repetition of the 1967 flood by being able to divert water in the Chena upstream from Fairbanks into the Tanana River, thus bypassing the city.[23]
Railroad history
After large-scale gold mining began north of Fairbanks, miners wanted to build a railroad from the steamboat docks on the Chena River to the mine sites in the hills north of the city. The result was the Tanana Mines Railroad, which started operations in September 1905, using what had been the first steam locomotive in the Yukon Territory.[24] In 1907, the railroad was reorganized and named the Tanana Valley Railroad. The railroad continued expanding until 1910, when the first gold boom began to falter and the introduction of automobiles into Fairbanks took business away from the railroad.[24] Despite these problems, railroad backers envisioned a rail line extending from Fairbanks to Seward on the Gulf of Alaska, home to the Alaska Central Railway.[25]
In 1914, the US Congress appropriated $35 million for construction of the Alaska Railroad system, but work was delayed by the outbreak of World War I.[26] Three years later, the Alaska Railroad purchased the Tanana Valley Railroad, which had suffered from the wartime economic problems.[26] Rail workers built a line extending northwest from Fairbanks, then south to Nenana, where President Warren G. Harding hammered in the ceremonial final spike in 1923.[26] The rail yards of the Tanana Valley Railroad were converted for use by the Alaska Railroad, and Fairbanks became the northern end of the line and its second-largest depot.[26]
From 1923 to 2004, the Alaska Railroad's Fairbanks terminal was in downtown Fairbanks, just north of the Chena River. In May 2005, the Alaska Railroad opened a new terminal northwest of downtown, and that terminal is in operation today.[27] In summer, the railroad operates tourist trains to and from Fairbanks, and it operates occasional passenger trains throughout the year. The majority of its business through Fairbanks is freight.[28] The railroad is planning an expansion of the rail line from Fairbanks to connect the city via rail with Delta Junction, about 100 miles (160 km) southeast.[29]
Road history
As the transportation hub for Interior Alaska, Fairbanks features extensive road, rail, and air connections to the rest of Alaska and
Fairbanks' road connections were improved in 1927, when the 161-mile (259 km) Steese Highway connected the city to the Yukon River at the gold-mining community of Circle.[33] In 1942, the Alaska Highway connected the Richardson Highway to the Canadian road system, allowing road travel from the rest of the United States to Fairbanks, which is considered the unofficial end of the highway. Because of World War II, civilian traffic was not permitted on the highway until 1948.[34]
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a series of roads were built to connect Fairbanks to the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. The
Until 1940, none of Fairbanks' surface streets were paved.[38] The outbreak of World War II interrupted plans to pave most of the city's roads, and a movement toward large-scale paving did not begin until 1953, when the city paved 30 blocks of streets.[39] During the late 1950s and the 1960s, the remainder of the city's streets were converted from gravel roads to asphalt surfaces.[40] Few have been repaved since that time; a 2008 survey of city streets indicated the average age of a street in Fairbanks was 31 years.[needs update][41]
Geography
Topography
Fairbanks is in the central Tanana Valley, straddling the Chena River near its confluence with the Tanana River. Immediately north of the city is a chain of hills that rises gradually until it reaches the White Mountains and the Yukon River. The city's southern border is the Tanana River. South of the river is the Tanana Flats, an area of marsh and bog that stretches for more than 100 miles (160 km) until it rises into the Alaska Range, which is visible from Fairbanks on clear days.[42] To the east and west are low valleys separated by ridges of hills up to 3,000 feet (910 m) above sea level.[43]
The Tanana Valley is crossed by many low streams and rivers that flow into the Tanana River. In Fairbanks, the Chena River flows southwest until it empties into the Tanana.[43] Noyes Slough, which heads and foots off the Chena River, creates Garden Island, a district connected to the rest of Fairbanks by bridges and culverted roads.[44]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 32.7 square miles (85 km2); 31.9 square miles (83 km2) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2) of it (2.48%) is water.
Location
The city is extremely far north, close to 16 degrees north of the Pacific border between the U.S. and Canada. It is on roughly the same parallel as the northern Swedish city of Skellefteå and Finnish city of Oulu, just south of the Arctic Circle. Because of this, the white night or "Midnight Sun" phenomenon occurs here around the summer solstice.[45][46] Due to its warm summers, Fairbanks is south of the arctic tree line.
Climate
Fairbanks's climate is classified as a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb),[47] with long, very cold winters and short, warm summers. October through February are the snowiest months, and there is usually additional snow from March to May. On average, the season's first accumulating snowfall and first inch of snow fall on October 1 and 11, respectively; the average last inch and last accumulating snowfall are respectively on March 29 and April 15, though there can be snow flurries in May.[48] The snowpack is established by October 18, on average, and remains until April 23.[49][48] Snow occasionally arrives early and in large amounts. On September 13, 1992, 8 inches (20 cm) of snow fell in the city, bending trees still laden with fall leaves. That September was also one of the snowiest on record, as 24 inches (61 cm) fell, compared to the 1991-2020 median of only a trace during the month.[48][50] November and December are the snowiest months, whilst in contrast, March and April are not very snowy, as these are typically very dry months in central Alaska. The snowiest season has been from July 1990 to June 1991 with 147.3 inches (3.74 m), whilst the least snowy was from July 1918 to June 1919 with only 12.0 inches (0.30 m).[48]
The average first and last dates with a freezing temperature are September 11 and May 14, respectively, allowing a growing season of 119 days, although freezes have occurred in June, July, and August; the last light frost is often in early June; and the first light fall frost is often in late August or early September.[48] The plant hardiness zone is 2 with annual mean minimums below -40.
Fairbanks is the coldest city in the United States among cities with a population of at least 10,000 people.
These widely varying temperature extremes are due to three main factors: temperature inversions, daylight, and wind direction.[53] In winter, Fairbanks' low-lying location at the bottom of the Tanana Valley causes cold air to accumulate in and around the city. Warmer air rises to the tops of the hills north of Fairbanks, while the city itself experiences one of the biggest temperature inversions on Earth.[10] Heating through sunlight is limited because of Fairbanks's high-latitude location. At the winter solstice, the center of the sun's disk is less than two degrees over the horizon (1.7 degrees) at the local noon (not the time zone noon). Fairbanks experiences 3 hours and 41 minutes of sunlight on December 21 and 22. At the summer solstice, about 182 days later, on June 20 and 21, Fairbanks receives 21 hours and 49 minutes of sunlight.[54] After sunset, twilight is bright enough to allow daytime activities without any electric lights, since the center of the sun's disk is just 1.7 degrees below horizon.[55] During winter, the direction of the wind also causes large temperature swings in Fairbanks. When the wind blows from any direction but the south, average weather ensues. Wind from the south can carry warm, moist air from the Gulf of Alaska, greatly warming temperatures. When coupled with a chinook wind, temperatures well above freezing often result:[56][57] for example, in the record warm January 1981, Fairbanks’ average maximum was 28.7 °F (−1.8 °C) and 15 days had a maximum above freezing, whilst during a spell of sustained chinook winds from December 4 to 8, 1934 the temperature topped 50 °F or 10 °C for five consecutive days.[48] Unusual for such a cold place, Fairbanks has experienced temperatures of 10 degrees C (50F) or higher in all 12 months.
In addition to the chinook wind, Fairbanks experiences a handful of other unusual meteorological conditions. In summer, dense
From 1949 to 2018, Fairbanks's mean annual temperature has risen by 3.9 °F (2.2 °C), a change comparable to the Alaska-wide average; winter was the season with the highest increase, at 8.1 °F (4.5 °C),
Climate data for Fairbanks International Airport, Alaska (1991–2020 normals,[a] extremes 1904–present[b]) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 52 (11) |
50 (10) |
56 (13) |
76 (24) |
90 (32) |
96 (36) |
99 (37) |
93 (34) |
84 (29) |
72 (22) |
54 (12) |
58 (14) |
99 (37) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 29.7 (−1.3) |
35.4 (1.9) |
45.1 (7.3) |
61.9 (16.6) |
76.6 (24.8) |
85.1 (29.5) |
85.0 (29.4) |
80.0 (26.7) |
69.3 (20.7) |
54.8 (12.7) |
32.7 (0.4) |
32.2 (0.1) |
87.5 (30.8) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 0.6 (−17.4) |
11.6 (−11.3) |
24.9 (−3.9) |
45.6 (7.6) |
62.1 (16.7) |
71.8 (22.1) |
72.7 (22.6) |
66.4 (19.1) |
55.3 (12.9) |
34.1 (1.2) |
12.3 (−10.9) |
4.3 (−15.4) |
38.5 (3.6) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | −8.3 (−22.4) |
0.2 (−17.7) |
10.7 (−11.8) |
33.7 (0.9) |
50.3 (10.2) |
61.0 (16.1) |
62.9 (17.2) |
57.0 (13.9) |
45.8 (7.7) |
26.2 (−3.2) |
4.1 (−15.5) |
−4.3 (−20.2) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −17.2 (−27.3) |
−11.2 (−24.0) |
−3.4 (−19.7) |
21.7 (−5.7) |
38.6 (3.7) |
50.2 (10.1) |
53.1 (11.7) |
47.6 (8.7) |
36.2 (2.3) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
−4.1 (−20.1) |
−13.0 (−25.0) |
18.1 (−7.7) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | −43.2 (−41.8) |
−36.0 (−37.8) |
−27.3 (−32.9) |
−2.4 (−19.1) |
26.2 (−3.2) |
40.2 (4.6) |
44.2 (6.8) |
36.1 (2.3) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
−2.9 (−19.4) |
−25.9 (−32.2) |
−36.5 (−38.1) |
−45.8 (−43.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | −66 (−54) |
−58 (−50) |
−56 (−49) |
−32 (−36) |
−1 (−18) |
28 (−2) |
30 (−1) |
21 (−6) |
3 (−16) |
−28 (−33) |
−54 (−48) |
−62 (−52) |
−66 (−54) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.61 (15) |
0.52 (13) |
0.40 (10) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.54 (14) |
1.48 (38) |
2.26 (57) |
2.10 (53) |
1.35 (34) |
0.76 (19) |
0.74 (19) |
0.57 (14) |
11.67 (296) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 10.2 (26) |
10.0 (25) |
6.5 (17) |
3.1 (7.9) |
0.9 (2.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
2.3 (5.8) |
8.2 (21) |
12.5 (32) |
10.9 (28) |
64.6 (164) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 8.7 | 6.9 | 5.7 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 10.8 | 12.8 | 13.5 | 10.7 | 9.8 | 9.5 | 8.8 | 107.1 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 10.2 | 8.3 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 8.3 | 11.2 | 10.4 | 59.6 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
69.3 | 65.5 | 60.4 | 56.2 | 50.2 | 56.6 | 64.2 | 70.8 | 68.9 | 74.1 | 72.8 | 71.3 | 65.0 |
Average dew point °F (°C) | −17.0 (−27.2) |
−11.9 (−24.4) |
−0.2 (−17.9) |
16.2 (−8.8) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
42.6 (5.9) |
48.7 (9.3) |
46.0 (7.8) |
34.5 (1.4) |
17.4 (−8.1) |
−3.8 (−19.9) |
−13.2 (−25.1) |
15.8 (−9.0) |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 54 | 120 | 224 | 302 | 319 | 334 | 274 | 164 | 122 | 85 | 71 | 36 | 2,105 |
Source 1: | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Danish Meteorological Institute (sun, 1931–1960)[67] |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
See or edit raw graph data.
Notes
- ^ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
- ^ Records for Fairbanks have been kept at the Fairbanks International Airport since December 1929 and at an undisclosed location from September 1904 to November 1929. For more information, see ThreadEx
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 3,541 | — | |
1920 | 1,155 | −67.4% | |
1930 | 2,101 | 81.9% | |
1940 | 3,455 | 64.4% | |
1950 | 5,771 | 67.0% | |
1960 | 13,311 | 130.7% | |
1970 | 14,771 | 11.0% | |
1980 | 22,645 | 53.3% | |
1990 | 30,843 | 36.2% | |
2000 | 30,224 | −2.0% | |
2010 | 31,535 | 4.3% | |
2020 | 32,515 | 3.1% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[68] |
Fairbanks first appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census as an incorporated city and as Alaska's largest city.[69] It was incorporated in 1903.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population of the city in 2011 was 32,036 people, 11,075 households, and 7,187 families residing in the city. The population density was 995 inhabitants per square mile (384/km2). There were 12,357 housing units at an average density of 387.9 per square mile (149.8/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 65.0%
Of the 11,075 households, 39.9% had children under the age of 18, 47.2% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.15.
The median age of the population was 28 years, with 9.6% under the age of 5, 26.0% under the age of 18, 14.7% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males.
The median income for a household between 2007 and 2011 was $55,409. Males had a median income of $30,539 versus $26,577 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,814. About 7.4% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over. The percentage of high school graduates or higher is 88%. 20.4% of the population 25 years and up had a bachelor's degree or higher.[71]
Crime
Compared to communities of similar population, Fairbanks' crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is higher than Alaska's average, which in turn is higher than the U.S. average.[72]
Crime | Alaska Total | Fairbanks Total
(only including Fairbanks Police Department) |
---|---|---|
Murder/non negligent manslaughter | 48 | 3 |
Rape | 1,135 | 24 |
Robbery | 705 | 41 |
Burglary | 2,743 | 171 |
Larceny | 11,719 | 908 |
Vehicle Theft | 1,944 | 197 |
Total | 18,289 | 1,344 |
Fairbanks similarly has a higher than average rate of rape and sexual assault, and in 2010 was ranked the third most dangerous U.S. city for women with 70 rapes per 100,000 inhabitants.[74]
Economy
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2022) |
Doyon, Limited, an oil services company, is based in Fairbanks.[75]
Taxes
- Sales: none[76][needs update]
- Property: 20.777 mills (7.171 city/13.606 borough areawide)[76][needs update]
- Special: 5% alcohol tax (city only); 16% tobacco tax (8% city/8% borough); 8% accommodations tax[76][needs update]
Arts and culture
Attractions
The city of Fairbanks and the greater Fairbanks area is home to a number of attractions and events, which draw visitors from
Attractions include:
- Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge
- Golden Days Parade (July)
- Midnight Sun Game (June 21)
- Pioneer Park
- World Eskimo Indian Olympics (July)
- Tanana Valley State Fair (July/August)
- World Ice Art Championships (February)
Sports
There are many winter sports in Fairbanks, including cross-country skiing, and dog mushing. Fairbanks hosted the 2014 Arctic Winter Games from March 15–22, 2014.[77] Fairbanks has hosted many different skiing events including the 2003 Junior Olympic Cross Country Ski Championship and the 2008 and 2009 U.S. Cross Country Distance Nationals.[78] Fairbanks also has an annual 50k race called the Sonot Kkaazoot and the Fairbanks Town Series races which consists of four different races. The Chest Medicine Distance Series races consists of only 3 races.
Fairbanks is also home to the Yukon Quest, an international 1,000 mile sled dog race that is considered one of the toughest in the world. The race alternates its starting and finishing points each year between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon.
Hockey is also present in Fairbanks. Two teams include the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks men's team ice hockey, which plays at the Carlson Center, and the Fairbanks Ice Dogs. The Fairbanks Ice Dogs, a junior hockey team in the North American Hockey League, play at the Big Dipper Ice Arena. Prior to the formation of the Ice Dogs, the Fairbanks Gold Kings was formed as a league team by the Teamsters Local 959 in 1974. The team took on a life of its own beyond local league play, and played out of the Big Dipper for many years until moving to Colorado Springs, Colorado (becoming the Colorado Gold Kings) in 1998.
The Alaska Goldpanners is a summer collegiate / semi-pro baseball team, playing home games at Growden Memorial Park. The park is home to the annual Midnight Sun Game, an annual tradition since 1906, played without artificial lights starting after ten at night on the summer solstice.
The city was briefly represented in the Indoor Football League by the Fairbanks Grizzlies.
Fairbanks is the starting and ending point for the Yukon 800 speedboat race, held annually in June.
Parks and recreation
Government
Fairbanks is a regional center for most departments of the state of Alaska, though the vast majority of state jobs are based in either Anchorage or Juneau.[80]
The majority of Fairbanks is politically conservative, with three distinct geographical areas representing different political perspectives. The western part of the city, centered on the University of Alaska Fairbanks, leans toward the Democratic Party. The downtown area and the eastern parts near Fort Wainwright lean slightly toward the Republican Party. The North Pole area farther east is heavily Republican and one of the most conservative parts of the state. Thus, many residents have noted that a neighborhood's position on the map of Fairbanks (west to east) mirrors its political orientation (left to right).[81][82]
Municipal
City
Fairbanks, unlike other larger cities in Alaska, still has separate borough and city governments. The City of Fairbanks was incorporated on November 10, 1903.[83]
Borough
The Fairbanks North Star Borough, created by the Alaska Legislature under the Mandatory Borough Act of 1963, was incorporated on January 1, 1964.[83]
State
At the state level, the city of Fairbanks is split between two state house districts: the 31st district, which includes the downtown area; and the 32nd district, which includes Fort Wainwright and western Badger. The city is represented in the state senate by Democrat Scott Kawasaki.[86]
The Fairbanks North Star Borough comprises six house and three senate districts, with one house and senate districts not entirely within the boundary of the borough. The state senators for the borough are Democrat Scott Kawasaki and Republicans Robert Myers Jr. and Click Bishop. State house representatives are Democrats Maxine Dibert and Ashley Carrick, along with Republicans Will Stapp, Frank Tomaszewski, Mike Prax, and Mike Cronk.
Fairbanksans elected the first two Libertarian Party members to serve in a state legislature in the United States. Dick Randolph, who had previously served two terms in the Alaska House as a Republican, was first elected as a Libertarian in 1978 and re-elected in 1980. Ken Fanning was also elected to the House as a Libertarian in 1980. In the 1982 elections, Randolph ran unsuccessfully as the LP's nominee for Governor of Alaska, while Fanning lost re-election to the House to Democrat Niilo Koponen, following redistricting.
Downtown Fairbanks also voted for Democrat Mark Begich in his campaigns for U.S. Senate and governor, and for independent Bill Walker as governor in 2014.
Federal
The district centered on downtown Fairbanks typically votes for Republican candidates for president, although Joe Biden nearly won it in 2020. The boundaries of the district have changed slightly in the elections listed here.
Year | Democratic | Republican |
---|---|---|
2020 | 47.2% | 47.7% |
2016 | 38.8% | 47.9% |
2012 | 42.2% | 52.8% |
2008 | 39.3% | 58.0% |
2004 | 35.2% | 61.5% |
Education
The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District operates public schools serving the City of Fairbanks and the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The school board is made up 10 members in total, three of which only have advisory votes. They are elected to three year terms.[87]
For the 2011-2012 school year, enrollment in the district was 14,260. For the 2021-2022 school year, enrollment was 12,268, down 14% from the 2011-2012 school year.[88]
In February 2022, the school board made several decisions, including one to close three elementary schools in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, which would save the district $3 million a year. The school district made the decision based a on $20 million budget shortfall. Alaska Public Media reported that "The district will also restructure district middle schools to encompass grades 6 through 8, while most elementary schools will become K-5 schools."[89]
Media
Fairbanks' largest newspaper is the
Fairbanks is also served by television and radio. Leading radio stations include AM Stations
Fairbanks' major television affiliates are
Infrastructure
Transportation
Bus
Public transportation has been provided by the Metropolitan Area Commuter System, an agency of the borough government, since 1977. Bus service links much of the urban Fairbanks area, with most routes connecting at the downtown transit center. University Bus Lines, a private company, existed for several decades before MACS started. The company, which was owned first by Paul Greimann and later by Walt Conant, mainly linked downtown Fairbanks with the university campus and the military bases.
Air
Utilities
Electricity is provided by the Golden Valley Electric Association,[90] an electric cooperative formed in 1946 to serve areas that the City of Fairbanks' Municipal Utilities System (FMUS) didn't serve. In 1997, GVEA purchased the electric distribution system from FMUS. The downtown coal fired power plant was also purchased by Usibelli Coal Mine under the subsidiary Aurora Energy and contracts to provide power to GVEA. There are four steam turbines fueled by coal. Interior Alaska is not connected to the electrical grid of the contiguous United States and Canada, but a 138kv transmission line constructed in 1985 connects Fairbanks with electric companies serving the Southcentral Alaska area: Matanuska Electric Association, Chugach Electric Association and Homer Electric Association. Until 2019, GVEA held the world record for the largest rechargeable battery BESS,[91] which weighs approximately 1,300 tons. The battery was installed to help bridge the gaps that occur during power outages from the transmission line to Southcentral Alaska. The battery can provide 25 megawatts of electric for 15 minutes or provide power for 7 minutes to about 12,000 homes.[92]
The University of Alaska Fairbanks operates its own coal-fired generating station on campus, providing electricity and steam heat to university buildings.[93] As of 2019, a new fluidized bed 20 megawatt coal-fired power plant was completed, replacing the old dual boiler system[94]
Until 1996, telephone service was provided by the Fairbanks Municipal Utilities System (FMUS), owned by the City of Fairbanks. In that year, the voters in the City of Fairbanks authorized the sale of FMUS, which included telephone, electrical, and sewer and water. The telephone system was sold to PTI, a subsidiary of Pacific Power and Light, a subsidiary itself of
A pair of
Broadband Internet access is provided by GCI, ACS, Ace Tekk and a handful of satellite Internet and wireless Internet services.[97][103]
Law enforcement
The Fairbanks Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency responsible for the city. Recently the police department has had trouble keeping their employees. In 2021 the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported that "The Fairbanks Police Department hired 45 officers in the past five years and lost 50 in the same time frame." The department also reported that out of 45 sworn officer positions, only 34 were filled, or about 75%.[104] Troop D of the Alaska State Troopers supplements the Police Department with additional personnel.[105]
Notable people
- Alex Hall (born 1998) freestyle skier who won an Olympic Gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, for Freestyle skiing – Men's slopestyle. He is also a multiple medalist at the Xgames.
- John Luther Adams (born 1953), composer whose music is inspired by nature, especially the landscapes of Alaska, where he lived from 1978 to 2014
- Lincoln Brewster (born 1971), contemporary Christian musician, worship pastor
- dog musher, noteworthy as the second woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Racein 1986, the second four-time winner in 1990, and the first to win four out of five sequential years. She is commemorated in Alaska by the Susan Butcher Day
- bass playerborn in Fairbanks, Alaska, and based in Los Angeles, California
- rocket fueldeveloper, science fiction writer, and chemist
- offensive guard for the Arizona Cardinals; played for the Green Bay Packers and helped the team gain their victory in Super Bowl XLV
- Mike Dunlap (born 1957), NBA and college basketball head coach, was born in Fairbanks
- thirteenth seasonof RuPaul's Drag Race
- Jessica Gavora (born 1963), writer on culture and politics; chief speechwriter for Attorney General John Ashcroft and a senior policy advisor at the Department of Justice
- Vivica Genaux (born 1969), coloratura mezzo-soprano
- Margaret Keenan Harrais (1872-1964), Fairbanks' first woman superintendent of schools
- James C. Hayes (born 1946), mayor of Fairbanks (1992–2001), the first African-American mayor in the state of Alaska
- Ruthy Hebard (born 1998), a first-round selection of the Chicago Sky in the 2020 WNBA draft, was raised from infancy in Fairbanks, attending West Valley High School
- Rick Holmstrom (born 1965), electric blues and rhythm and blues guitarist, singer-songwriter
- Kevin Johansen (born 1964), musician, singer-songwriter
- Lance Mackey (1970-2022), four-time winner of the Yukon Quest and Iditarod sled dog races, lived in the Fairbanks area
- Kelly Moneymaker (born 1970), singer, songwriter, producer
- Daishen Nix (born 2002), professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association, born in Fairbanks.
- Kirsten Powers (born 1967), political columnist and analyst [106]
- John Shoffner (born 1955), racing driver and pilot
- Will Turpin (born 1971), bass player, most notably for Collective Soul
- Paul Varelans (1969–2021), MMA and UFC pioneer, fought out of Fairbanks. The city was cited as the inspiration behind his nickname, "The Polar Bear"
- Mike Wenstrup, chair of the Alaska Democratic Party[107]
Sister cities
Fairbanks is twinned with:
- Erdenet, Mongolia[108]
- Fanano, Italy[109]
- Pune, India[110]
- Tainan, Taiwan[111]
- Yakutsk, Russia[112]
- Yellowknife, Canada[113]
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Other sources
- Cole, Dermot. Fairbanks: A Gold Rush Town that Beat the Odds. Fairbanks. ISBN 978-1-60223-030-9.
- Hedrick, Basil and Savage, Susan. Steamboats on the Chena. Fairbanks. Epicenter Press, 1988. ASIN B000OM7YIK.
- Shulski, Martha and Wendler, Gerd. The Climate of Alaska. University of Alaska Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-60223-007-1.
Further reading
- Boswell, John. History of Alaskan Operations of United States Smelting, Refining, and Mining Company. Fairbanks. University of Alaska, Mineral Industries Research Laboratory, 1979.
- Cashen, William. Farthest North College President. Charles E. Bunnell and the Early History of the University of Alaska. Fairbanks. University of Alaska Press, 1972.
- Cloe, John and Monaghan, Michael. Top Cover for America. Missoula, Montana. Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1984.
- Cole, Terrence. The Cornerstone on College Hill: An Illustrated History of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Fairbanks. University of Alaska Press, 1994.
- Cooley, Richard. Fairbanks, Alaska: A Survey of Progress. Juneau. Alaska Development Board, June 1954.
- Davis, Neil. The College Hill Chronicles: How the University of Alaska Came of Age. Fairbanks. University of Alaska Foundation, 1992.
- Dixon, Mim. What Happened to Fairbanks? The Effects of the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline on the Community of Fairbanks, Alaska. Boulder, Colorado. Westview Press, 1978.
- Kirchner, L. D. Flag Over the North, The Story of the Northern Commercial Company. Seattle. Superior Publishing Company, 1954.
- Kruse, John A. Fairbanks Community Survey. Fairbanks. Institute of Social and Economic Research, 1976.
- Movius, Phyllis. The Role of Women in the Founding and Development of Fairbanks, Alaska, 1903–1923. Fairbanks. University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1996.
- Naske, Claus, and Rowinski, L.J. Fairbanks: A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Donning Company, 1981.
- Patty, Ernest. North Country Challenge. New York. David McKay, 1949.
- Potter, Jean. Alaska Under Arms. New York. Macmillan, 1942.
- Potter, Jean. The Flying North. New York. Macmillan, 1947.
- Rickard, T.A. Through the Yukon and Alaska. San Francisco. Mining and Scientific Press, 1909.
- Robe, Cecil. The Penetration of an Alaskan Frontier, The Tanana Valley and Fairbanks. PhD dissertation, Yale University, 1943.
- Wickersham, James. Old Yukon. Washington, D.C. Washington Law Book Co., 1938.
- Wold, Jo Anne. This Old House. Anchorage. Alaska Northwest Publishing Co., 1976.
- Wold, Jo Anne. Fairbanks: The $200 Million Gold Rush Town. Fairbanks. Wold Press, 1971.
External links
- Official website of the City of Fairbanks
- Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce
- Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Fairbanks, Alaska at Curlie