Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a Home Rule City in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state. It is the principal city of the 'Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Fairbanks Northstar Borough. At the 2000 census, the population of the city was 30,224. The population of Fairbanks and vicinity is 82,840. The nearby College is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the oldest college in Alaska. Geography and climate Geography Fairbanks is located at 64.837780° North, -147.71639° West (Sec. 10, T001S, R001W, Fairbanks Meridian) GR1. Fairbanks is located in the Fairbanks Recording District. Fairbanks is located in the heart of Alaska's Interior, on both shores of the Chena River, near its confluence with the Tanana River in the Tanana Valley. By air, Fairbanks is 45 minutes from Anchorage and 3 hours from Seattle. It lies 358 road miles north of Anchorage. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 84.6 km sq (32.7 mi sq). 82.5 km sq (31.9 mi sq) of it is land and 2.1 km sq (0.8 mi sq) of it (2.48%) is water. Climate Downtown Fairbanks from the Chena River.The Interior, home of Fairbanks and Denali National Park, has some of the most extreme weather in the world with rapid temperature swings, thunderstorms with hail and lightning and snow in the summer. Winters are very long, lasting from late September to mid-April. They are very cold and dry, with temperatures sometimes dipping down to -65 °F (-51.1 °C). Usually the temperature is below zero, almost for entire months. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Fairbanks was -66 °F (-54.4 °C) on January 14, 1934. The average January low is -19 °F (-28.3 °C) and the average January high is -2 °F (-18.8 °C). Winter snowfall averages around 67.40 inches per year. During the winter months, if the temperature drops below -20 °F (-28.9 °C), ice fog can occur. The summers are usually very warm, with temperatures often reaching into the 80s °F and sometimes reaching into the 90s °F. The average July low is 53 °F (11.6 °C) and the average July high is 72 °F (22.2 °C). The highest temperature ever recorded in Fairbanks was 99 °F (37.2 °C) on July 28, 1919. Thunderstorms with hail and lightning can occur in summer. August and September can be rainy, and snow often starts falling in September. The average precipitation is 10.34 inches per year. Fairbanks is known for its lingering summer days. The sun is up for 21 hours and 49 minutes on the 21st of June with 24 hours of usable daylight. Conversly, the sun is up for 3 hours and 42 minutes on the 21st of December with 6 hours and 33 minutes of usable daylight. People and culture Media Fairbanks' leading newspaper is the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The local residents have nicknamed the paper the "News-Minus." A few other periodicals also serve Fairbanks and the Fairbanks North Star Borough: The Ester Republic, the Northstar Weekly, the Sun Star, and recently the Anchorage Press. Fairbanks is also served by television and radio. Fairbanks major television affiliates are KATN (ABC)-(KIMO retransmission), KFXF (FOX/UPN), KUAC (PBS)-"AlaskaONE" with some KMXT-only programming, KTVF (NBC/UPN) and K13XD (CBS). UHF station KDMD-LP-(i)-Fairbanks. Leading radio stations include AM Stations KFAR 660-talk radio, New Northwest Broadcasters, KCBF 820-ESPN Radio Network, New Northwest Broadcasters, KFBX 970-Clear Channel Communications and KJNP 1170-(registered in North Pole, Alaska). FM Stations KUAC 89.9-National Public Radio, KSUA 91.5-University of Alaska, Fairbanks, KXLR 95.9-classic rock, New Northwest Broadcasters, KYSC 96.9-soft rock, KWLF 98.1-"Wolf98", top 40, New Northwest Broadcasters, KJNP 100.3-(registered in North Pole, Alaska), KAKQ 101.1-"Magic", pop music, Clear Channel Communications, KIAK 102.5-country music, Clear Channel Communications, KUWL 103.9-"Kool FM", oldies, New Northwest Broadcasters, (registered in College, Alaska) and KKED 104.7-rock music, Clear Channel Communications. After a conflict in the summer of 2005 between management and some listeners of KUAC-FM, a group calling itself Fairbanks Open Radio formed with the goal of founding a new public radio station that would encourage community involvement in its programming. Facilities, utilities, schools, and health care Fifteen circulating pump stations distribute treated water throughout the greater Fairbanks area. City water, sewer and electric systems are operated by a private company. The Chena power site has four steam turbines fueled by coal, and one oil-fueled generator. Garbage collection services are provided in some areas of the city, although many Fairbanks residents must haul their own garbage to "transfer stations" where trash and garbage are picked up and taken to the dump. Collected refuse is hauled to the Class 1 Borough landfill on South Cushman Street. Garbage services are funded by a tax that is paid by resident property owners regardless of whether or not they are eligible for garbage collection services in their area. Fort Wainwright operates its own landfill. Electricity is provided by Golden Valley Electric Association. There are 20 schools, attended by 10,119 students. There are both public and private schools. Most private schools are run by religious organizations. (i.e., private Catholic schools.) Local hospitals or health clinics include Fairbanks Memorial Hospital; Interior Community Health Center; Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center; Bassett Army Community Hospital/Fort Wainwright. The hospitals are qualified acute care facilities and State-certified Medevac services. Specialized Care: FNA Regional Center for Alcohol & Other Addictions. Long Term Care: Fairbanks Pioneers' Home; Denali Center. Fairbanks is classified as a small city. It is found in EMS Region 1C in the Interior Region. Emergency Services have highway, airport and floatplane access. Emergency service is provided by 911 telephone service, paid EMS service, volunteers, a health aide and the military. Auxiliary health care is provided by Fairbanks Fire Department; Airport Fire Department; University Fire Department; Chena Goldstream Fire & Rescue; Steese Area Volunteer Fire; Guardian Flight Critical-Care Air Ambulance; Warbelow's Air Ambulance; Fort Wainwright Fire/Emergency. Economy and transportation As the regional service and supply center for the Alaska Interior, Fairbanks offers a diverse economy, including city, borough, state, and federal government services; and transportation, communication, manufacturing, financial, and regional medical services. Tourism and mining also comprise a significant part of the economy. Including Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright personnel, over one third of the employment is in government services. The University of Alaska Fairbanks is also a major employer. Approximately 325,000 tourists visit Fairbanks each summer. The Fort Knox hardrock gold mine produces 1,200 ounces daily with 360 permanent year-round employees. 126 city residents hold commercial fishing permits. Fairbanks is at the confluence of the Richardson Highway, George Parks Highway, Steese Highway, and Elliott Highway, connecting the Interior to Anchorage, Canada, and the lower 48 states. The Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay begins about 75 miles (about 120 km) north of town. Goods are transported to Fairbanks by truck, air, and the Alaska Railroad. Regularly scheduled jet flights are available at the state-owned Fairbanks International Airport. An 11,800 foot (3,597 meter) asphalt runway, heliport, and seaplane landing strip are available. A public seaplane base is also located on the Chena River. In addition, there are several privately owned airstrips and heliports in the vicinity.[1] Fairbanks was a major shipping center via waterway for the rest of the Interior, but in modern times water transportation is primarily recreational or used for subsistence hunting and fishing access. Taxes: Sales: None Property: 20.777 mills (7.171 City/13.606 Borough areawide) Special: 5% Alcohol tax (City only); 16% Tobacco tax (8% City/8% Borough); 8% Accommodations tax (City only) Points of interest Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge Georgeson Botanical Garden Pioneer Park The above article in gray is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License It is from Wikipedia article Fairbanks, Alaska   New! Hometown USA Photo Sharing Photo Galleries These photo galleries are available for you to share, view and post pictures such as: Pictures depicting what life is like in your hometown> Photos of scenes or scenery in your hometown Pictures that you want to share with your friends and family Commercial photos - real estate, store fronts, etc. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Vacation photos to share School academic and sporting event photos Deployed military personal photos to share with friends and family back home. Much more...

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