Fairbanks sits on the banks of the Chena River and is surrounded
by rolling hillsFairbanks is located 200 miles south of the Artic
Circle and 120 miles north of Denali National Park. It is also
given the nickname of "Alaska's golden heart". Fairbanks was
first discovered by an Italian prospector named Felix Pedro. It
was given the name in honor of an Indiana Senator Charles
Fairbanks. In the gold rush, Fairbanks was one of the largest
and busist cities around. Today, Fairbanks is Alaska's
second-largest city and has approximently 33,200 residents within
it's boundaries. More than 99,000 occupy the surrounding
territory with the Interior region being a total of 192,660 square
miles. From mid-May through July, visitors can enjoy more than 20
hours of sunlight a day. The average summer temperature is 62
degrees F while winter brings an average temperature ranging from 4
below to 21 below F. Fairbanks and the surrounding Interior
received some of the most extream climates of Alaska. The lowest
recocded temperature in Fairbanks was 61 below while the highest
summer temperature was 100 degrees F recorded in 1915. The
snowfall of the winter is around 65 inches. In July, the Eskimo
Oympics take place in Fairbanks for 4 days natives from all over
Alaska gather for dancing and games. The competion and whole
experience provides visitors with much native Alaska culture. The
nearby community of North Pole receives thousands of letters for
Santa Claus each and every year.The Fairbanks area is also a great
place to spot the Northern Lights. This great mysterious and
awesome site can be most seen in the winter months. Often visitors
around the world come to see this wonderful and unique display.
Fairbanks has much to offer with its summers events, beatiful camp
grounds, and gorgious rivers. It is also the location of the main
campus of the Unuiversity of Alaska as well as the Army and Air
Force bases. Another great sight that brings people to Fairbanks
it to view a portion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the great
history it holds.
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