Fairbanks, Alaska | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of downtown in 2020 Downtown at night along the Chena River | |
 Flag  Seal  Logo | |
| Nickname(s): | |
 Location of Fairbanks within Fairbanks North Star Borough | |
  Fairbanks  Fairbanks .svg) Fairbanks | |
| Coordinates: 64°50′37″N 147°43′23″W / 64.84361°N 147.72306°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Borough | Fairbanks North Star |
| Incorporated | November 10, 1903[3] |
| Founded by | E. T. Barnette |
| Named for | Charles W. Fairbanks |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule city |
| • Mayor | David Pruhs |
| • State senator | Scott Kawasaki (D) |
| • State reps. | Maxine Dibert (D) Will Stapp (R) |
| Area | |
• City | 32.62 sq mi (84.5 km2) |
| • Land | 31.75 sq mi (82.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.88 sq mi (2.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 446 ft (136 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• City | 32,515 |
| • Density | 1,024.22/sq mi (395.45/km2) |
| • Urban | 71,396 |
| • Metro | 95,655 |
| Demonym | Fairbanksan |
| GDP | |
| • Fairbanks North Star | US$5.532 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC−9 (AKST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−8 (AKDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 99701, 99702, 99703, 99705, 99706, 99707, 99708, 99709, 99710, 99711, 99712, 99714, 99716, 99725 (Ester), 99767, 99775-(UAF), 99790 |
| Area code | 907 |
| FIPS code | 02-24230 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1401958 |
| Website | fairbanksalaska.us |
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Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States.[6] Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the population of the city proper at 32,515[7] and the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 95,655,[7] making it the second most populous metropolitan area in Alaska after Anchorage. The Metropolitan Statistical Area encompasses all of the Fairbanks North Star Borough and is the northernmost Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States, located 196 miles (315 kilometers) by road (140 mi or 230 km by air) south of the Arctic Circle.
In August 1901, E. T. Barnette founded a trading post on the south bank of the Chena River. A gold discovery near the trading post sparked the Fairbanks Gold Rush, and many miners moved to the area. There was a boom in construction, and in November 1903, the area's residents voted to incorporate Fairbanks as a city. Barnette became the first mayor, and the city flourished during the gold rush. By World War I, the population had plunged, but rose again during the Great Depression as the price of gold increased.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the city became a staging area for the construction of military depots during World War II and the Cold War. Fort Wainwright, previously named Ladd Field, was built east of the city beginning in 1938[citation needed] and is operated by the U.S. Army.[8] After the discovery of the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field in 1968, the city became a supply point for the oil field, as well as for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. With the establishment of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in 1964, the city became borough seat. Tourism is also a factor in Fairbanks' economy.
Fairbanks is in the Tanana Valley, straddling the Chena River near its confluence with the Tanana River. The Tanana River marks the city's southern border, and the Tanana Flats, a large area of marsh and bog, is south of the river. Fairbanks is the coldest city in the United States with a population of at least 10,000 people.[9] Monthly mean temperatures range from −8.3 °F (−22.4 °C) in January to 62.9 °F (17.2 °C) in July. In winter, Fairbanks' location in the Tanana Valley causes cold air to accumulate in the city and warm air to rise up the hills to the north, and the city experiences one of the biggest temperature inversions on Earth.[10]
Fairbanks is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the founding campus of the University of Alaska system, established in 1917. Fairbanks International Airport is located three miles (4.8 km) southwest of the central business district of the city; Fairbanks is the smallest city in the United States with regularly scheduled non-stop international flights.[11]
- ^ City of Fairbanks. "The City of Fairbanks," Archived 2010-08-05 at the Wayback Machine ci.fairbanks.ak.us. Accessed August 8, 2009.
- ^ "Fairbanks | Explore Fairbanks, Alaska". www.explorefairbanks.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ 1996 Alaska Municipal Officials Directory. Juneau: Alaska Municipal League/Alaska Department of Community and Regional Affairs. January 1996. p. 55.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area, 2022" (PDF). www.bea.gov. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "2020 Census Data - Cities and Census Designated Places" (Web). State of Alaska, Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ "History (Fort Wainwright history)". About. USAG Alaska - Fort Wainwright (U.S. Army Fort Wainwright). United States Army in Alaska. July 19, 2023. Archived from the original on November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ International Transportation Fact Sheet Archived July 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, State of Alaska Governor's Office of International Trade