Fairbanks, Alaska

"Fairbanks" redirects here. For other uses, see Fairbanks (disambiguation).

Fairbanks is a city in Alaska. It is the borough seat of Fairbanks North Star Borough. In 2020, 32,515 people lived there.

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Coordinates: 64°50′37″N 147°43′23″W
Country	United States
State	Alaska
Area
• Total	32.624 sq mi (84.50 km2)
• Land	31.746 sq mi (82.22 km2)
• Water	0.878 sq mi (2.27 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	32,515
Website	www.fairbanksalaska.us

The only city in Alaska with more people is Anchorage.

Fairbanks was founded in 1901, and is named after Charles W. Fairbanks, an American Senator and Vice President. It was found on the Chena River. The University of Alaska has one of its main campuses in Fairbanks.

Climate

Being so far north, Fairbanks has long, very cold winters. It is normal for the temperature to be −15 °F (−26 °C) to −25 °F (−32 °C), and it can get as cold as −60 °F (−51 °C).

The summers are short but warm by Alaska standards. It is usually around 70 °F (21 °C), but it can get as warm as 90 °F (32 °C). In the winter the days are very short, on the winter solstice it is light outside for less than three hours. In the summer the opposite is true, it can be light outside for twenty two hours a day. This is called the midnight sun.

Fairbanks, Alaska Media

• First camp at Fairbanks 1903.jpg

  The fledgling settlement of Fairbanks as it appeared in 1903. The buildings shown are likely those of E. T. Barnette's trading post.

• Downtown street in Fairbanks 1955 Meyer.jpg

  Photo taken by Elisabeth Meyer in 1955, looking easterly from Second Avenue and Cushman Street. The now-abandoned Polaris Building, the tallest building in Fairbanks since its completion in 1952, is in the background.

• Golden Heart Plaza.jpg

  First Family Statue near Visitor Center, Fairbanks, Alaska

• Alaska Railroad yard in Fairbanks, AK.jpg

  Locomotives at Fairbanks Depot

• The newest bridge across the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska, is the Veteran's Memorial Bridge, which opened in November 2012.

• Fairbanks by Sentinel-2, 2021-07-01.jpg

  Satellite image of Fairbanks in 2021

• Fairbanks area - aerial view - P1040583.jpg

  The Fairbanks area in winter, looking north. The Tanana River stretches across the photo south of the city; the airport is west of the city.

• Fairbanks and Hayes Range.jpg

  View of Fairbanks and Hayes Range

• Denali State Bank headquarters in Fairbanks, Alaska.jpg

  Denali State Bank headquarters in Fairbanks

• The northern lights just north of Fairbanks, Alaska.jpg

  The northern lights just north of Fairbanks