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Eielson Air Force Base

Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 mi southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and redesignated Eielson Air Force Base on 13 January 1948. It has been a Superfund site since 1989. Eielson AFB was named in honor of polar pilot Carl Ben Eielson.

Its host unit is the 354th Fighter Wing (354 FW) assigned to the Eleventh Air Force of the Pacific Air Forces. The 354 FW's primary mission is to support RED FLAG-Alaska, a series of Pacific Air Forces commander–directed field training exercises for U.S. Forces, joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close-air support, and large force employment training in a simulated combat environment. These exercises are conducted on the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC) with air operations flown out of Eielson and its sister installation, Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson (the former Elmendorf Air Force Base).

Eielson projects to have 54 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft assigned to the installation, of which the first two aircraft arrived on 21 April 2020. The last of the aircraft arrived in April 2022. The planes come with an estimated 3,500 personnel, to include airmen and their families as well as civilian personnel. The F-35 program increases the number of military personnel at Eielson by approximately 50%, which is a significant change for a base once on the brink of closure.

World War II

On 7 June 1943, the Western Defense Command ordered construction of a new airfield near present-day Fort Wainwright, then a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) airfield named after Major Arthur K. Ladd. Because of its hazard-free approaches and relatively flat terrain, surveyor reports indicated a site a little more than 25 miles southeast of Ladd Army Airfield to be the best in the vicinity for military aviation. The field became known as "Mile 26" because of its proximity to a United States Army Signal Corps telegraph station and a Richardson Highway milepost marker using the same designation.

A month later, contractors and civilian crews from Ladd Field started laying out the new airfield. Actual construction began on 25 August 1943. Crews built two parallel runways, 165 ft across and 6625 ft long. Other facilities included an operations building, housing for 108 officer and 330 enlisted personnel, and a ten-bed dispensary. The garrison and airfield totaled about 600 acre. Completed on 17 October 1944, the 14-month project cost about eight-million dollars.

Operational uses of Mile 26 were few. Ladd Field served as the debarkation point for the Alaska-Siberia Ferry Route of the Lend-Lease program and was the hub of activity. Lend-lease aircraft would occasionally land at Mile 26, but there are no records indicating any lend-lease aircraft used the airfield to depart for the Soviet Union. Mile 26 closed when the war ended.

Cold War
The base reopened in September 1946, once again as a satellite of Ladd Field. The first USAAF operational unit assigned to Eielson was the 57th Fighter Group, equipped successively with P-38 Lightnings, P/F-51 Mustangs, F-80 Shooting Stars, and F-94 Starfire aircraft. The 57th FG was inactivated on 13 April 1953. On 1 December 1947 Strategic Air Command B-29 Superfortress bombers arrived at Mile 26 Field with the deployment of the 97th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, from Smoky Hill Air Force Base, Kansas. The wing reported to Fifteenth Air Force, Strategic Air Command (SAC), although the Yukon Sector of the Alaskan Air Command controlled its operations. At the end of the Alaskan deployment the wing returned to Kansas on 12 March 1948.

A year later Eielson moved from under the shadow of Ladd Field when the Alaskan Air Command assumed organizational control. Also in the fall of 1947, Colonel Jerome B. McCauley assumed duties as commander. The primary missions of Mile 26 were to support Arctic training for USAF tactical and strategic units, as well as defend the base itself.

Headquarters USAF General Order 2, dated 13 January 1948, redesignated Mile 26 as Eielson Air Force Base. It was named for Carl Ben Eielson, an Alaska aviation pioneer who was killed, along with his mechanic Earl Borland, in the crash of their Hamilton H-45 aircraft in 1929. Eielson and Borland were attempting a rescue flight to an icebound ship in the Bering Sea when they were killed. On 1 April 1948, the Eielson Air Force Base Wing (Base Complement) was formed. The host-unit subsequently would be dubbed the Eielson Air force Base Bomb Wing, and finally, in January 1949, the 5010th Wing. Colonel John L. Nedwed, the third commander of the base since it fell under Alaskan Air Command fifteen months before, became the first to head the 5010th.

For the next 34 years, the 5010th (alternately known as the Wing, Composite Wing, Air Base Wing, and lastly, Combat Support Group) served as host-unit at Eielson. Construction boomed at Eielson during the 1950s. Many of the facilities used today were built at that time, including Amber Hall, the Thunderdome, Base Exchange, Gymnasium, Theater, some of the schools, and many of the dormitories.

The 720th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, equipped with F-86 Sabres, was deployed to Eielson during 1954–55. The 720th was a part of the 450th Fighter-Bomber Wing stationed at Foster Air Force Base, Texas. The 720th was replaced by the 455th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (323d FBW), stationed at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana.

The Air Defense Command deployed interceptors to Eielson during the 1960s. Det. 3, 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron from Elmendorf Air Force Base deployed F-102 Delta Daggers and F-106 Delta Darts to the base between 1960 and 1969.

During the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, Eielson-based Lockheed U-2 pilot Charles Maultsby was allegedly blinded by the aurora borealis while collecting radiation from Soviet nuclear weapons tests over the North Pole and accidentally strayed 300 mi into Soviet airspace, into Chukotka. Soviet MiG interceptors were sent to intercept the plane before he was escorted back to U.S. territory by nuclear-armed F-102 interceptors. The Cold War saw the use of Eielson's expansive reservation as a maneuver area for the U.S. Army. The 1960s 171st Infantry Brigade (Separate) and 172nd Infantry Brigade (Separate) both trained here, both on a regular and extensive basis, not to mention units of the Alaska National Guard. Later in the 70s mid 80s the 172nd Infantry Brigade (the 171st Infantry Brigade was inactivated on 13 November 1972), followed by the 6th Infantry Division when the 172nd Infantry Brigade itself was deactivated on 15 April 1986 (it was reactivated in Alaska on 17 April 1998, and inactivated in Iraq on 14 December 2006)

Today the 1st Brigade 25th Infantry Division and the 4th Brigade 25th Infantry Division can be found training there. Several important large scale winter field problems have been conducted here over the years as well, seeing large numbers of U.S. Army ground combat units from the Contiguous United States lower 48 states, U.S. Marine Corps units, and Canadian Armed Forces troops.

375th/58th Strategic Weather Squadron

The 375th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, from the 308th Bombardment Group at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, arrived at Eielson on 5 March 1949. The 308th flew WB-29 Superfortresses. The unit was redesignated the 58th Strategic Weather Squadron on 21 February 1951 as part of the 303d Bombardment Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

The 58th Weather Squadron remained at Eielson until 8 August 1958.

6th Strategic Wing

In July 1960, the Strategic Air Command (SAC) stationed the 4157th Combat Support Group (later Strategic Wing) at Eielson. The 6th Strategic Wing (6 SW) replaced the 4157 SW on 25 March 1967, relocating from Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico after its closure.

The 6th SW flew RC–135 strategic reconnaissance missions with an assigned squadron, and, with KC–135 Stratotankers deployed to Eielson from SAC, Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), and the Air National Guard (ANG), conducted Alaska Tanker Task Force (ATTF) missions to support reconnaissance and numerous exercises for the USAF and U.S. Navy.

The 6th SW remained at Eielson AFB until 1992.

343d Composite Wing

A new chapter for the base began 1 October 1981 when the 343d Composite Wing replaced the 5010th as Eielson's host unit. Flying squadrons assigned to the new wing included the 25th Tactical Air Support Squadron (TASS) and the 18th Fighter Squadron (18 FS). The 25 TASS, at Eielson since 1971, flew O-2 Skymaster and OV-10 Bronco aircraft until its inactivation in 1989; the newly assigned 18 FS operated A-10 Thunderbolt IIs until it converted to F-16 Fighting Falcons in 1991.

In 1984, the 343d Composite Wing was redesignated a Tactical Fighter Wing. Seven years later, in 1991, it was redesignated as the 343d Wing. Also that year, the 343d gained a second flying unit, the 11th Tactical Air Support Squadron (11 TASS), which flew OA-10 aircraft.

354th Fighter Wing

On 20 August 1993, the 354 FW replaced the 343d Wing. No personnel or equipment were affected by the change. Prior to its shutdown, the 343d was the oldest surviving air combat unit in Alaska with a lineage dating back to the Aleutian Campaign. The 18 FS, whose history also dated back to World War II, remained active, but the 355 FS replaced the 11th TASS.

Another change involved the 3rd Fighter Training Squadron, which was replaced by the 353rd Fighter Squadron (later redesignated as a Combat Training Squadron).

Within the first year of its arrival the 354 FW hosted an Arctic combat search and rescue exercise between the United States, Canada, and Russia. Ironically, these were the same countries that took part in the search and recovery efforts that followed the fatal crash of Carl Ben Eielson and his mechanic, Earl Borland, in 1930 as they were attempting to fly relief supplies to the Nanuk.

The 343d FW 3d Fighter Training Squadron was replaced by the 353d Fighter Training Squadron from the 354th FW. The 3d Fighter Training Squadron had its origins with the 3d Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, being formed in March 1973. The 3d TFS received its A-7D Corsair II aircraft from the then deployed 353d Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, deployed to Korat from Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina.

Role and operations

Eielson is home to the 354th Fighter Wing which is part of the Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) of the Pacific Air Forces. The 354th Fighter Wing mission is to "Prepare U.S. and partner forces for 21st century combat and to project and integrate Airpower in support of worldwide operations." The wing vision is "An elite team of pioneering Airmen forging Airpower's frontier through world-class training, engagement, and readiness for 21st century combat." The wing has six priorities, which are: "Strong Airmen and Families, Resilient Airfield and Infrastructure, Preparation for 2 x F-35 Combat Squadrons, Premier Joint/Air Exercises and Adversary Support, Synchronized Airpower into Army I Corps Ops, and OPLAN-Focused Readiness."

Airmen who are stationed on Eielson commonly refer to themselves as "Icemen" due to the frigid Alaskan weather. Their wing motto is: "Ready to go at fifty below!"

The 356th Fighter Squadron was reactivated on 10 October 2019 at Eielson Air Force Base, assigned to the 354th Operations Group. It is to be equipped with the F-35A Lightning II.

Previous names

 * Established as Mile 26 Satellite Field (of Ladd Air Force Base) about 15 December 1943
 * Mile 26 Field, 1 October 1947
 * Eielson Air Force Base, 13 January 1948–present

Major commands

 * Army Air Forces Transport Command (June 1943 – November 1945)
 * Eleventh Air Force (November–December 1945)
 * Alaskan Air Command (December 1945 – August 1990)
 * Pacific Air Forces (August 1990–present)

Base operating units

 * Stn No. 4, Alaskan Wg (AAFTC) (September 1943 – August 1944)
 * 1466th Army Air Force Base Unit (August 1944 – January 1945)
 * Satellite Fld 1466-1 Army Air Force Base Unit (January–June 1945)
 * HQ and Base Service Sq, 519th Air Service Group (November–December 1947)
 * 97th Airdrome Group (December 1947 – April 1948)
 * Eielson AFB Wing (Base Complement) (April–September 1948)
 * Eielson Bomb Wing (September 1948 – June 1949)
 * 5010th Composite Wing (June 1949 – January 1951)
 * 5010th Air Base Group (January 1951 – February 1953)
 * 5010th Composite Wing (February 1953 – October 1954)
 * 5010th Air Base Wing (October 1954 – January 1965)
 * 5010th Combat Support Gp (January 1965 – October 1981)
 * 343d Tactical Fighter Wing (October 1981 – July 1991)
 * 343d Wing (July 1991 – August 1993)
 * 354th Fighter Wing (August 1993–present)

Major units assigned

 * 6th Strategic Wing (March 1967 – June 1992)
 * 97th Bombardment Wing (December 1947 – March 1948)
 * 343d Tactical Fighter Wing (October 1981 – August 1993)
 * 354th Fighter Wing (August 1993–present)
 * 4157th Strategic Wing (July 1960 – March 1967)
 * 5010th Air Base Wing (April 1948 – October 1981)
 * 168th Air Refueling Wing (Alaska ANG)
 * 57th Fighter Group (September 1946 – April 1953)
 * 5010th Combat Support Group
 * 11th Tactical Air Support Squadron
 * 18th Fighter (later Aggressor) Squadron
 * 25th Tactical Air Support Squadron

 * 40th Air Refueling Squadron
 * 55th Weather Recon Squadron Det 1
 * 58th Weather Recon Squadron
 * 65th Fighter Squadron
 * 71st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron Det 1
 * 317th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Det 3
 * 355th Fighter Squadron
 * 375th Reconnaissance Squadron
 * 455th Fighter-Bomber Squadron
 * 720th Fighter-Bomber Squadron
 * 5040th Helicopter Squadron Det 1

Aircraft operated

 * A-10 Thunderbolt II (1981–2007)
 * B-29/RB-29/WB-29 (1949–1956)
 * WB-47 Stratojet (1960–68)
 * WB-50 Superfortress (1960–68)
 * VC/SC/C-47 Skytrain (1949–1969)
 * C-123 Provider (1965–66, 1969–71)
 * F-4 Phantom II Det DC (1970–82)
 * F-16 Fighting Falcon (1991 – present)
 * P-80 Shooting Star (1950–51)
 * F-86 Sabre (1954–55)
 * F-102 Delta Dagger (1960–69)
 * U-2 Dragon Lady (1962–1964)
 * F-106 Delta Dart (1965–69)
 * HH-3E Jolly Green Giant (1970–90)
 * Piasecki CH/SH/HH-21 (1960–1980)
 * KC-97 Stratofreighter (1959–61)
 * KC-135 Stratotanker (1967–present)
 * de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver (1952–60)
 * O-2 Skymaster (1971–89)
 * OV-10 Bronco (1986–89)
 * P-51 Mustang (1946–47)
 * Boeing RC-135 (1962–1992)
 * T-33 Shooting Star (1950–1981)
 * P-38 Lightning (1946–1953)
 * F-35 Lightning II (2020–Present)

Based units
Flying and notable non-flying units based at Eielson Air Force Base.

Units marked "GSU" are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Eielson, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.

United States Air Force
Pacific Air Forces

 * Eleventh Air Force
 * 354th Fighter Wing (host wing)
 * Headquarters 354th Fighter Wing
 * 354th Operations Group
 * 18th Aggressor Squadron – F-16C/D Fighting Falcon
 * 353rd Combat Training Squadron
 * 354th Operations Support Squadron
 * 355th Fighter Squadron – F-35A Lightning II
 * 356th Fighter Squadron – F-35A Lightning II
 * 354th Maintenance Group
 * 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
 * 354th Maintenance Squadron
 * 354th Munitions Squadron
 * Air Force Engineering and Technical Services
 * 354th Medical Group
 * 354th Medical Operations Squadron
 * 354th Medical Support Squadron
 * 354th Mission Support Group
 * 354th Civil Engineer Squadron
 * 354th Communications Squadron
 * 354th Contracting Squadron
 * 354th Force Support Squadron
 * 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron
 * 354th Security Forces Squadron

Air Education and Training Command (AETC)

 * Nineteenth Air Force
 * 58th Special Operations Wing
 * 336th Training Group
 * 66th Training Squadron
 * Detachment 1 – Arctic Survival School (GSU)
 * 82nd Training Wing
 * 982nd Training Group
 * 372nd Training Squadron
 * Detachment 25 (GSU)

Air National Guard

Air Combat Command (ACC)
 * Alaska Air National Guard
 * 168th Air Refueling Wing
 * Headquarters 168th Air Refueling Wing
 * 168th Operations Group
 * 168th Air Refueling Squadron – KC-135R Stratotanker
 * 168th Operations Support Flight
 * 168th Maintenance Group
 * 168th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
 * 168th Maintenance Squadron
 * 168th Maintenance Operations Flight
 * 168th Mission Support Group
 * 168th Civil Engineers Squadron
 * 168th Communications Flight
 * 168th Logistics Readiness Squadron
 * 168th Mission Support Flight
 * 168th Security Forces Squadron
 * 268th Security Forces Squadron
 * 168th Medical Group
 * 176th Wing
 * 176th Operations Group
 * 210th Rescue Squadron
 * Detachment 1 (GSU) – HH-60G Pave Hawk
 * 210th Rescue Squadron - HH-60G Red Flag Alaska.jpg from the 210th Rescue Squadron Detachment 1, rescue simulated downed pilots during Red-Flag Alaska 09–2.|alt=]]210th Rescue Squadron Detachment 1

 * Sixteenth Air Force
 * Air Force Technical Applications Center
 * Detachment 460 (GSU)

Air Force Office of Special Investigations

 * Region 6
 * Detachment 632

Eielson’s locomotives
Eielson Air Force Base has several locomotives to transport coal in winter to the base's power station.

Microreactor
The Department of the Air Force has selected Eielson Air Force Base for its first nuclear microreactor. A National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessment will begin by 2024. Microreactor testing and demonstration of power and steam is expected by year-end 2027.

Environmental problems
Eielson Air Force Base was proposed to be a Superfund site on 14 July 1989, and was officially designated as such on 21 November 1989.

The groundwater contains lead and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, xylene, and toluene. Several areas of underground petroleum-contaminated soil and floating petroleum product are the sources of continuing groundwater contamination. Ingesting or coming into direct contact with contaminated groundwater or soil can pose a potential health threat. Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated fish were also found in the area. Construction of the superfund site was complete in 1998.

In 2014, Eielson tested waters and soils for perfluorinated compounds around areas where aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) had been used for firefighting and training. In March 2015, the base changed its source of drinking water, because contamination had been found. In April 2015, wells near Moose Creek, Alaska, the community to the north, were tested and found contaminated. In July 2015, water from 132 Moose Creek wells, which serve more than 200 residences, was found to contain perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) above the health advisory level of 0.2 micrograms per liter by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The highest reading in Moose Creek was 2.09 micrograms per liter, and the highest level on Eielson reached 2,000 micrograms per liter at the site of a KC-135 aircraft fire in 1989. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said "contamination stretches 6.5 miles from the south of Eielson's runway to the north of Moose Creek and is found up to 100 feet deep". the extent of contamination was unknown and if there was one large plume or multiple small ones. The USAF has held meetings to discuss different solutions for providing affected homes with water. , between 145 and 150 homes had well water with PFOS above the EPA health advisory concentrations. With EPA's national water quality standard announced in May 2016, 15 more homes in the Moose Creek community were added. Work is now being done to connect the affected homes to water from the City of North Pole's public utilities.

Demographics

Eielson Air Force Base first appeared on the 1970 United States census as an unincorporated area. In 1980, it was made a census-designated place (CDP). It is located within Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska.

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,400 people, 1,448 households, and 1,414 families residing on the base. The population density was 40.1 /km2. There were 1,531 housing units at an average density of 11.4 /km2. The racial makeup of the base was 81.7% White, 9.4% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races, and 5.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,448 households, out of which 77.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 92.4% were married couples living together, 2.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 2.3% were non-families. 2.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.52 and the average family size was 3.55. At the base the population was spread out, with 40.8% under the age of 18, 16.6% from 18 to 24, 41.2% from 25 to 44, 1.2% from 45 to 64, and 0.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 110.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.7 males.

The median income for a household in the base was $35,938, and the median income for a family was $35,688. Males had a median income of $24,961 versus $21,432 for females. The per capita income for the base was $11,512. 6.0% of the population and 5.1% of families were below the poverty line. Of the total population, 7.5% under the age of 18 years and 0.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

2005 BRAC proceedings
On 13 May 2005, The United States Department of Defense proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the Base Realignment and Closure program.
 * It was decided that Eielson Air Force Base was to remain open.
 * That the 354th Wing's A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft were to be redistributed to the Air Force Reserve Command's 917th Wing (now the 917th Fighter Group of the 442d Fighter Wing) at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana (three aircraft); to the Air Combat Command's 23d Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia (12 aircraft); and to backup inventory at AMARC at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona (three aircraft). This action was part of a larger effort to consolidate the A-10 fleet. The 355th Fighter Squadron (355 FS) was inactivated on 15 August 2007 when the last A-10 departed Eielson.
 * The 18th Fighter Squadron (18 FS) converted to the 18th Aggressor Squadron. This squadron trains in the same manner as the aggressors at Nellis Air Force Base, learning the flying styles and abilities of foreign air forces to train USAF pilots. Aircraft changes entail sending all 18 of its Block 40 F-16 Fighting Falcons to Kunsan Air Base, Korea, and receiving 18 Block 30 F-16Cs from Kunsan. The 18th Aggressor Squadron was officially established on 24 August 2007.
 * The Alaska Air National Guard's 168th Air Refueling Wing and its KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft will remain at Eielson.

title: Eielson Air Force Base


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Ester, Alaska

Ester is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population in the CDP was 2,422 at the 2010 census, although there are only around 12 houses located inside of the village, the rest are in the surrounding area. The Ester Camp Historic District is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ester was founded as a gold mining camp in the early 1900s, and the economy has focused on mining and services for miners. The Ester Volunteer Fire Department, John Trigg Ester Library, Ester Historic Society and Ester Post Office serve residents in Ester and surrounding areas. There is also a convenience store and secular chapel on the outskirts of the village. Many artists, writers, and musicians reside in Ester.

Ester in geological and prehistoric time
The hydraulic mining technique of directing high pressurized streams of water onto the land to uncover gold revealed that Ester had rich deposits of fossils and bones of prehistoric animals. In the 1950s, Walter Wigger, who owned the Ester Creek Gold Mine, discovered a 198-pound mammoth tusk along Ester Creek. Images taken by tourists during the 1940s provide visual evidence of prehistoric animal remains, such as tusks, skulls, and large leg bones that were washed out by the process of stripping.

Early history and founding
Ester was originally a gold mining camp on Ester Creek, with the first claim staked in February 1903 by Latham A. Jones. Jones worked with the Eagle Mining Company, the biggest claimholder on Glen Gulch in the Rampart mining district, but it was an independent miner, John "Jack" Mihalcik, a Czechoslovakian immigrant born in 1866, who was the first person to actually discover gold in Ester Creek. Mihalcik staked his claim in November 1903 but the news of the discovery of gold did not become public until the following February. By 1907, Ester City had a population of around 200 people, with a thriving mining industry. A social hall was completed in 1907 and was well-known throughout the mining district for its dance floor. The hall was used for religious services as well as dances, movies, card games, parties, and other entertainment purposes. The town had five saloons and two hotels. In 1908 and 1910, the hall was the site of campaign speeches by candidates for the seat of Territorial Delegate. (Labor won in 1908, but Judge James Wickersham won the Ester precinct in 1910.) By 1909, Ester City had a baseball field, a doctor, a mine workers' union local, and a teacher, but gold production was beginning to decline.

The Berry Post Office moved in 1910 from near the Berry brothers' claim about two miles downstream from Ester City into J.C. Kinney's general store in Ester. The post office retained the name of Berry until 1965, when it was finally changed to that of the town it had been in for 55 years. In the mid-1920s, the Fairbanks Exploration Company began buying claims on Ester Creek, started operations in 1929, and in 1933 built a mess hall for their camp in Ester. The buildings are now a historic landmark used until 2008 as a tourist attraction, restaurant, and hotel. The F.E. Company revitalized the town, reshaping it to do large-scale open-pit mining using enormous floating dredges and draglines. In the process, much of the original sites of Berry and Ester were removed.

Since 1940
The Ester Community Association was founded in 1941. In 1958, The F.E. Company sold their Ester camp, and it reopened under new management as a historic resort. The Cripple Creek Resort, which later became the Ester Gold Camp, featured a musical variety show including Robert W. Service's poetry, held the Malemute Saloon, a local bar, featuring Service's poem, "The Shooting of Dan McGrew", until the resort closed in 2007. The Malemute Saloon continues to operate on selected weekends during the summer, and often features live music by local bands. In 1974, the Ester Volunteer Fire Department was officially founded after nearly a century of bucket brigades. Gold mining continued on a small scale. In 1986, the Ester Community Association, working with the Fairbanks North Star Borough, built the Ester Community Park, which became a local center of social activity. In 2017, the Ester Community Association purchased the park from a local resident, holding chili feeds, music festivals, and other fundraising events.

In 1987, the eleven surviving buildings of the F.E. Company's camp were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1988, Mushing magazine began publication in Ester and continued to be produced and published there until it was sold in 2005. The town became the site of a sled dog stage race between Ester and Nenana and back again, the Fireplug Sled Dog Race, which was held for ten years, from 1990 to 2001, and in which many famous mushers participated, including Dean Seibold and Jeff King. In January 1999, the town's first newspaper, The Ester Republic, was founded by Deirdre Helferrich; it was published regularly until 2015, and now is published sporadically. In August 1999, the John Trigg Ester Library (JTEL) opened a membership library named after a local resident who had started a book exchange in a nearby bar. In 2012, the JTEL received a donation of a local log cabin built in the 1940s and relocated many of its holdings to the new space. Today, the village features two saloons, five publishers, a library, a community hall, a secular chapel, a post office with its own zip code (99725), silversmiths and other artisans, numerous art studios, about two dozen homes, most of which were built by their owners, and three active gold mines. There is a fire station, a small store, and a secular chapel on the outskirts of the village.

The Ester Historic Society was founded in 2018. Its collection was donated by local residents and contains historical photographs, letters, and other documents. Along with the John Trigg Ester Library, the Ester Historic Society hosts talks and book readings about Ester and the surrounding area.

Geography
Ester is located at 64.85583°N, -147.97833°W (64.855700, -147.978434).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 166.5 km2, of which 166.4 km2 is land and 0.1 km2, or 0.08%, is water.

Ester Community Park
Ester has a well-used park, maintained and improved by the Ester Community Association's Park Committee and other volunteers from the community. The park has an ice rink that doubles as a basketball court in the summer, a children's playground, a picnic pavilion, a stage, and a soccer field. The park, situated next to the Ester Volunteer Fire Department, is the site of numerous soccer games, Ester Football League games, broomball, the Fourth of July picnic, musical gatherings, and other events throughout the year. In the summer, there is a farmers' market on Thursday evenings where local farmers and gardeners sell their goods. In 2017, the Ester Community Association purchased the park from a local landowner.

The village square
Ester village wraps around a square at the foot of Ester Lump, the name of a bump on the side of Ester Dome. This "town square" is actually the parking lot of the Golden Eagle Saloon, divided in two sections by Main Street, but functions as a focal point and central gathering place during celebrations such as the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve. Private residences, the John Trigg Ester Library, and the Golden Eagle Saloon surround the square.

Tailings
Due to the mining in the area, Ester is currently surrounded by piles of gravel and dirt tailings.

Climate
Ester has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc).

Economy
The local saw has it that "Ester is still around because there is a McDonald's in Fairbanks." This is true both culturally and economically. Many Ester residents are employed in Fairbanks or at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, although there are many small Ester-area businesses and self-employed people. The largest Ester employers are seasonal, with Judie Gumm Designs, and the local mines as the businesses with the most employees. Fairbanks provides a market for Ester products and services and thus helps to keep the small Ester economy alive. Because Fairbanks acts as a draw (due to its larger market and resources) for such things as big-box stores and fast food chains, Ester has been able to retain its mining village feel. This is important to Ester's tourist economy, which capitalizes on the status of the gold camp buildings as a historic landmark. In fall 2007, the owners of the Ester Gold Camp (Malemute, Inc.) announced that they would not reopen the resort in 2008, but do open the camp bar (the Malemute Saloon) for a 30-day period each summer to retain the liquor license. This has had an effect on Ester's summer economy, and resulted in the closure of at least two shops, in anticipation of the dearth of tourists. In response to the closure of the Gold Camp, a group of local business owners have formed the EMCE (or Ester Ministry of Community Enterprise), which has been accepted as an ad hoc committee of the Ester Community Association, to support Ester-area businesses and craftspeople. The EMCE occasionally sponsors a local open-air farmers' market, and a Planting Day to beautify the village.

Demographics
Ester first appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village (erroneously as "Esther"). It did not appear again until 1940 and has reported on each successive census. In 1980, it was made a census-designated place (CDP).

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,680 people, 727 households, and 386 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 26.0 PD/sqmi. There were 814 housing units at an average density of 12.6 /sqmi. The racial/ethnic makeup of the CDP was 87.4% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 4.6% Alaska Native or Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 5.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.

There were 727 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 40.8% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 2.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.6 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 116.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $50,461, and the median income for a family was $73,750. Males had a median income of $41,713 versus $24,850 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $29,155. About 4.9% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,422 people, 727 households, and 534 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 34.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,229 housing units at an average density of 19.1 /sqmi. The racial/ethnic makeup of the CDP was 84.6% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 6.7% Alaska Native or Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.

There were 1,069 households, out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 18.8% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.8 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 122.2 males.

Notable people
Clarence Berry was a successful miner who lived in the immediate vicinity of Ester, at No. 8 Below Discovery Claim.

Richard A. Fineberg is an investigative journalist living in Ester who specializes in petroleum development and environment-related issues. He has lived in Alaska since 1969 and works as a freelance writer and consultant.

Painter Magnus Colcord "Rusty" Heurlin, 1895–1986. Rusty was born in Christanstad, Sweden, to American parents and raised in Wakefield, Massachusetts. He attended art classes at the Fenway School of Illustration in Boston. He first came to Alaska in 1916, to Valdez, but left the state during World War I. He returned to Alaska in 1924, and moved to Ester, where he remained until his death. Heurlin was known for his pastel palette and luminous skies and influenced many later Alaska artists.

Eleanor Loback Garwood (1919-1989) better known as Ida Lane Clausen, was for years a main attraction for the variety show at the Malemute Saloon. Born and raised in Blakely and Edison, Georgia, she played rag time piano, sang, danced and acted on stage, published a cookbook that continues to be distributed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Agency, and wrote columns for the Fairbanks News-Miner.

Wildlife
Because the village is surrounded by boreal forests, moose, ermine, snowshoe hare, foxes, least shrew, lynx, American red squirrel, porcupine, red-backed vole, and other northern mammals are commonly seen in Ester. Coyotes and black bears are seasonal visitors. Wolves are occasionally spotted. Many bird species thrive in the area such as black capped chickadee, boreal chickadee, hawk owl, cliff swallow, hairy woodpecker, spruce grouse, ruffed grouse, ruby-crowned kinglet, trumpeter swan, Canada jay, raven, and pine grosbeak. Owls include great horned owl, boreal owl, and great grey owl.

Insects common in Ester include numerous species of bumblebees, hornets, yellow jackets, and wasps. Butterflies include Canadian swallowtail, mourning cloak, painted lady, arctic fritillary, Mormon fritillary, and clouded sulphur. Damselflies and dragonflies are also commonly spotted in Ester, as are several types of moths. There are over 35 different species of mosquitoes, some of which emerge while there is still snow on the ground in April.

Agriculture and subsistence
Fishing, hunting, and food gathering are important aspects of Alaskan living in general, both for recreation and for subsistence, and Ester is no exception. The community is zoned as rural, despite its proximity to the state's second-largest city. Many Ester residents fish and/or hunt, and berry- and mushroom-picking are regular seasonal activities. Gardening has long been a part of Ester's culture, and farming has been growing in popularity since 2000, which saw the establishment of Calypso Farm & Ecology Center in the hills near the village. Calypso provides community-supported agriculture shares for over 80 families, with other CSAs starting up in the area. The Ester library has a seed library program. The John Trigg Ester Library has long had a small community garden at its grounds on Main Street, and expanded them in 2023 to include new beds at the future Passiv Haus community center/library grounds on Village Road.

Art
Ester has a strong art community, including painters, photographers, collagists, sculptors, metalsmiths, and woodworkers. It has hosted an annual intercontinental simultaneous art exhibit since 2000, the BiPolar Art Show, with the MAAG (the Mechanical Equipment Center Alternative Art Gallery) in McMurdo, Antarctica. Three commercial galleries and several private studios provide sales venues for local and other artists.

An informal mixed media 'school of assemblage' may be said to exist in Ester: several local artists rely on dumpster finds, printed materials, and historically significant items in their artwork, with themes relating to religious iconography, local history, and political satire.

Mining
Mines, having been the central reason for the village's existence for most of its history, are still important in Ester culture. Old dredge parts and mining equipment can be found in the forest that has grown up around the village since major dredging ended in the 1960s, some of which have been incorporated into artistic works. The Malemute Saloon's variety show capitalizes on the town's mining history, particularly the influence of Clarence Berry, whose mine at 8 Below Discovery Claim was the largest and most successful in the Ester area during its early history. Ester Dome continues to attract large mining concerns, and several small-scale gold mines provide residents with income.

Music
Ester has a vibrant local music culture, and is the site of several annual music festivals: Angry Young & Poor (also known as AYP), a free all-day concert oriented toward area youth; the Fairbanks Summer Folk Fest, a 35-year old folk festival; the LiBerry Music Festival & Pie Throwdown, a fundraiser for the John Trigg Ester Library; and Ester Fest, a family-friendly musical fundraiser for the Ester Community Park which held its inaugural festival in 2017. An old time string band gathering, the Ester Jelly Jam, has an open jam occasionally on Sunday afternoons at Hartung Hall. A local group, the Lost Dog Old-Time String Band, hosts a monthly square/contra dance there. Impromptu music jams occur nightly on the saloon porches in the summer, and every Sunday in the winter. Sundays at the Golden Eagle are smoke free. Area venues and events regularly feature local, live music.

Parade
The Ester Community Association sponsors an annual Fourth of July parade that travels from the village square on Main Street past the post office, turning left onto Old Nenana Highway and ending about one mile away at the Ester Community Park. The parade features giant puppets, a children's bike brigade, small scale floats frequently with satirical themes, antique cars and trucks, and dancing by the crew of the Ester Volunteer Fire Department or other groups. Summer residents of Calypso Farm throw vegetables to the crowd, and local politicians and community organizations hand out literature and candy. Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam are usually in the parade. Prizes vary from year to year, but usually include Best Bribe, the Golden Banana, or Best Choreography. The Red Hackle Pipe Band, a local music group which plays authentic Scottish bagpipes, drums, and flutes, traditionally begins the parade. The parade is followed by a community potluck featuring a pig roast, live music, and games. A local water delivery business, Water Wagon, sprays water on children and others who want to cool off. One local newspaper, the Fairbanks News-Miner, wrote this of the 2017 parade: "The people of Ester’s eccentric brand of patriotism was on display once more at the Fourth of July parade and potluck Tuesday afternoon."

Politics
Ester tends to be a liberal and left-leaning area within the Fairbanks North Star Borough. In the 2016 presidential election, 54% of the votes went to Democrat compared to 32% for Republican Donald Trump. There was a wide range in election results in the precincts surrounding Ester; results ranged from 18% to 62% for Clinton, and from 20% to 70% for Trump. In the 2018 election for governor, Democrat Mark Begich received 295 votes (65%) compared to 139 votes (31%) for Republican Mike Dunleavy.

The Ester voting precinct typically has relatively high voter turnout (~30% or more) in municipal elections (precinct 130 in District 08 ). Ursa Major distillery serves as the precinct's polling place; in years past polling took place in the fire department, and the community center, Hartung Hall. Party affiliation tends strongly toward the Democrats, followed by the Republicans, with Greens and Alaska Independence Party voters in a rough tie for third. The majority of Ester's residents are listed on state records as unaffiliated or undeclared.

Ester's newspaper and community association provide more information on the village

 * The Ester Republic
 * Ester Community Association
 * Ester Volunteer Fire Department

Other community organizations

 * Calypso Farm and Ecology Center
 * Ester Ministry of Community Enterprise
 * Ester Village Farmers' & Craft Market
 * John Trigg Ester Library

Alaska Digital Archives (photos and documents)

 * http://vilda.alaska.edu/cdm/search/searchterm/Ester

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Ester, Alaska


text:
Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. 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 and the population of the Fairbanks North Star Borough at 95,655, 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 mi by road (140 mi 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 and is operated by the U.S. Army. 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. Monthly mean temperatures range from -8.3 °F in January to 62.9 °F 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.

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 3 mi 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.

Native American presence
Athabascan peoples have used the area for thousands of years, although there is no known permanent Alaska Native settlement at the site of Fairbanks. An archaeological site excavated on the grounds of the University of Alaska Fairbanks uncovered a Native camp about 3,500 years old, with older remains found at deeper levels. From evidence gathered at the site, archaeologists surmise that Native activities in the area were limited to seasonal hunting and fishing as frigid temperatures precluded berry gathering. In addition, archaeological sites on the grounds of nearby Fort Wainwright date back well over 10,000 years. Arrowheads excavated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks site matched similar items found in Asia, providing some of the first evidence that humans arrived in North America via the Bering Strait land bridge in deep antiquity.

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 mi 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. 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.

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.

In these early years of settlement, the Tanana Valley was an important agricultural center for Alaska until the establishment of the Matanuska Valley Colonization Project and the town of Palmer in 1935. Agricultural activity still occurs today in the Tanana Valley, but mostly to the southeast of Fairbanks in the communities of Salcha and Delta Junction. During the early days of Fairbanks, its vicinity was a major producer of agricultural goods. What is now the northern reaches of South Fairbanks was originally the farm of Paul J. Rickert, who came from nearby Chena in 1904 and operated a large farm until his death in 1938. Farmers Loop Road and Badger Road, loop roads north and east (respectively) of Fairbanks, were also home to major farming activity. Badger Road is named for Harry Markley Badger, an early resident of Fairbanks who later established a farm along the road and became known as "the Strawberry King". Ballaine and McGrath Roads, side roads of Farmers Loop Road, were also named for prominent local farmers, whose farms were in the immediate vicinity of their respective namesake roads. Despite early efforts by the Alaska Loyal League, the Tanana Valley Agriculture Association and William Fentress Thompson, the editor-publisher of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, to encourage food production, agriculture in the area was never able to fully support the population, although it came close in the 1920s.

The construction of Ladd Army Airfield starting in 1939, part of a larger effort by the federal government during the New Deal and World War II to install major infrastructure in the territory for the first time, fostered an economic and population boom in Fairbanks which extended beyond the end of the war. In the 1940s the Canol pipeline extended north from Whitehorse for a few years. The Haines - Fairbanks 626 mile long 8" petroleum products pipeline was constructed during the period 1953–55. The presence of the U.S. military has remained strong in Fairbanks. Ladd became Fort Wainwright in 1960; the post was annexed into Fairbanks city limits during the 1980s.

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. 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 ft Moose Creek Dam in the Chena River and accompanying 8 mi 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.

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. 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. 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.

In 1914, the U.S. Congress appropriated $35 million for construction of the Alaska Railroad system, but work was delayed by the outbreak of World War I. Three years later, the Alaska Railroad purchased the Tanana Valley Railroad, which had suffered from the wartime economic problems. 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. 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.

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. 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. The railroad is planning an expansion of the rail line from Fairbanks to connect the city via rail with Delta Junction, about 100 mi southeast.

Road history

As the transportation hub for Interior Alaska, Fairbanks features extensive road, rail, and air connections to the rest of Alaska and Outside. At Fairbanks' founding, the only way to reach the new city was via steamboat on the Chena River. In 1904, money intended to improve the Valdez-Eagle Trail was diverted to build a branch trail, giving Fairbanks its first overland connection to the outside world. The resulting Richardson Highway was created in 1910 after Gen. Wilds P. Richardson upgraded it to a wagon road. In the 1920s, it was improved further and made navigable by automobiles, but it was not paved until 1957.

Fairbanks' road connections were improved in 1927, when the 161 mi Steese Highway connected the city to the Yukon River at the gold-mining community of Circle. 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.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a series of roads were built to connect Fairbanks to the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. The Elliott Highway was built in 1957 to connect Fairbanks to Livengood, southern terminus of the Dalton Highway, which ends in Deadhorse on the North Slope. West of the Dalton intersection, the Elliott Highway extends to Manley Hot Springs on the Tanana River. To improve logistics in Fairbanks during construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the George Parks Highway was built between Fairbanks and Palmer in 1971.

Until 1940, none of Fairbanks' surface streets were paved. 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. During the late 1950s and the 1960s, the remainder of the city's streets were converted from gravel roads to asphalt surfaces. 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.

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 mi until it rises into the Alaska Range, which is visible from Fairbanks on clear days. To the east and west are low valleys separated by ridges of hills up to 3000 ft above sea level.

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. 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.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 32.7 sqmi; 31.9 sqmi of it is land and 0.8 sqmi 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. 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), 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. The snowpack is established by October 18, on average, and remains until April 23. Snow occasionally arrives early and in large amounts. On September 13, 1992, 8 in 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 in fell, compared to the 1991-2020 median of only a trace during the month. November and December are the snowiest months, while in contrast, March and April are not very snowy and are typically very dry months in central Alaska. The snowiest season on record lasted from July 1990 to June 1991 with a snowfall of 147.3 in, while the least snowy period recorded was from July 1918 to June 1919 with a snowfall of only 12.0 in.

The average first and last dates with a freezing temperature are September 11 and May 14, respectively, allowing an average growing season of 119 days. However, 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. 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. Normal monthly mean temperatures range from -8.3 °F in January to 62.9 °F in July. On average, temperatures reach -40 °F and 80 °F on 7.0 and 13 days annually, respectively, and the last winter that failed to reach the former mark was that of 2022–23. Between 1995 and 2008, inclusive, Fairbanks failed to record a temperature of 90 °F. The highest recorded temperature in Fairbanks was 99 °F on July 28, 1919, just a degree cooler than Alaska-wide record high temperature of 100 °F, recorded in Fort Yukon. The lowest was -66 °F on January 14, 1934. The warmest calendar year in Fairbanks was 2019, when the average annual temperature was 32.5 °F, while the coldest was 1956 with an annual mean temperature of 21.3 °F. The warmest month has been July 1975 with a monthly mean of 68.4 °F and the coldest January 1906 which averaged -36.4 °F. Low temperatures below 0 °F have been recorded in every month outside June through September. The record cold daily maximum is -58 °F on January 18, 1906, and the record warm daily minimum is 76 °F on June 26, 1915; the only other occurrence of a 70 °F daily minimum was June 25, 2013, in the midst of a particularly warm summer.

These widely varying temperature extremes are due to three main factors: temperature inversions, daylight, and wind direction. 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. 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. 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. 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. For example, in the record warm January 1981, Fairbanks’ average maximum temperature was 28.7 °F and 15 days that month had high temperatures above freezing. Meanwhile, during a spell of sustained chinook winds from December 4 to 8, 1934, the temperature topped 50 °F for five consecutive days. Unusual for such a cold place, Fairbanks has experienced temperatures of 50 °F or higher in all 12 months.

In addition to the chinook wind, Fairbanks experiences a handful of other unusual meteorological conditions. In summer, dense wildfire smoke accumulates in the Tanana Valley, affecting the weather and causing health concerns. When temperature inversions arise in winter, heavy ice fog often results. Ice fog occurs when air is too cold to absorb additional moisture, such as that released by automobile engines or human breath. Instead of dissipating, the water freezes into microscopic crystals that are suspended in the air, forming fog. Another one of Fairbanks' unusual occurrences is the prevalence of the aurora borealis, commonly called the northern lights, which are visible on average more than 200 days per year in the vicinity of Fairbanks. The northern lights are not visible in the summer months due to the 24 hour daylight of the midnight sun. Fairbanks also has extremely low seasonal lag; the year's warmest month is July, which averages only 1.9 F-change warmer than June. Average daily temperatures begin to fall by late July and more markedly in August, which on average is 4.0 F-change cooler than June.

From 1949 to 2018, Fairbanks's mean annual temperature has risen by 3.9 F-change, a change comparable to the Alaska-wide average; winter was the season with the highest increase, at 8.1 F-change, while autumn had the smallest, at only 1.5 F-change. However, the mean annual temperature increase from 1976 to 2018 in Fairbanks stood at a more moderate 0.7 F-change; this stepwise temperature change, also observed elsewhere in Alaska, is explained by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation shifting from a negative phase to a positive phase from 1976 onward.

Demographics
Fairbanks first appeared on the 1910 U.S. Census as an incorporated city and as Alaska's largest city. 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 PD/sqmi. There were 12,357 housing units at an average density of 387.9 /mi2. The racial makeup of the city was 57.5% White, 7.42% Black or African American, 8.63% Native American or Alaska Native, 4.21% Asian, 0.7% Pacific Islander. In addition, 11% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino, and 9.48% identified as two or more races. The population estimate for the Fairbanks North Star Borough was 95,655. The racial makeup of the North Star Borough was 68.9% White, 4.1% Black, 7.9% Alaska Native or Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander; 7.6% identified as Hispanic or Latino, and 12.7% identified as two or more races.

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.

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. Fairbanks is ranked the least safe city in Alaska by neighborhoodscout.com. Fairbanks similarly has a rate of rape and sexual assault three times the national average, and in 2010 was ranked the third most dangerous U.S. city for women with 70 rapes per 100,000 inhabitants.

Economy
Doyon, Limited, an oil services company, is based in Fairbanks.

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

Attractions
The city of Fairbanks and the greater Fairbanks area is home to a number of attractions and events, which draw visitors from outside of Alaska throughout the year. Summer tourist traffic primarily consists of cruise ship passengers who purchase package tours which include travel to Fairbanks. Many of these tourists spend one or more nights at a local hotel and visit one or more attractions. Tourism the rest of the year is mostly concentrated around the winter season, centered upon the northern lights, ice carving and winter sports. In addition, other events draw visitors from within Alaska, mostly from the community's trading area throughout Interior Alaska and the North Slope.

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

Fairbanks offers a variety of winter sports, including cross-country skiing and dog mushing. The city hosted the 2014 Arctic Winter Games from March 15–22, 2014. Fairbanks has also held skiing events that include the 2003 Junior Olympic Cross Country Ski Championship and the 2008 and 2009 U.S. Cross Country Distance Nationals. A 50k race called the Sonot Kkaazoot is held annually in Fairbanks, as are the Fairbanks Town Series races and the Chest Medicine Distance Series 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 and 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
Alaska State Parks operates the Chena River State Recreation Site, a 29 acres park in the middle of Fairbanks with a campground, trails, and a boat launch.

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.

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).

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.

Borough
The Fairbanks North Star Borough, created by the Alaska Legislature under the Mandatory Borough Act of 1963, was incorporated on January 1, 1964.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

Media
Fairbanks' largest newspaper is the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, which also includes a weekly entertainment guide, Latitude 65. A few other periodicals also serve Fairbanks and the Fairbanks North Star Borough: The Ester Republic and the University of Alaska Fairbanks student newspaper, the Sun Star.

Fairbanks is also served by television and radio. Leading radio stations include AM Stations KFAR 660 talk radio, KCBF 820 ESPN Radio Network, KFBX 970 talk radio and KJNP 1170 religious radio. FM stations include 88.3 popular Christian, KUAC 89.9 National Public Radio, KSUA 91.5 University of Alaska, Fairbanks, KDJF ("CHET FM") 93.5 everything country, KWDD 94.3 Alaska's new country, KXLR 95.9 classic rock, KYSC 96.9 soft rock, KWLF 98.1-"Wolf 98.1" top 40, KJNP-FM 100.3 religious radio, KAKQ-FM 101.1-"Magic 101.1" pop music, KIAK-FM 102.5 country music, KTDZ 103.9-"K-TED" adult hits, KKED 104.7 rock music, KQHE 92.7 religious talk, and KDFJ-LP 105.9 religious radio.

Fairbanks' major television affiliates are KATN (ABC, Fox, The CW Plus), KUAC-TV (PBS), KTVF (NBC), KFXF-LD (MyNetworkTV), and KXDF-CD (CBS). Cable TV is available from GCI. Satellite TV from Dish Network and DirecTV are also available.

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
Fairbanks International Airport serves as a major hub for Alaska air travel. Several regional and charter airlines use or have used the location as their main base of operations due to its central location in the state. Commercial airlines also connect Fairbanks to the lower 48 and select international destinations. Fairbanks is the smallest city in the United States to be served by transatlantic flights, as Condor operates direct flights to Frankfurt in the summer tourist season.

Utilities
Electricity is provided by the Golden Valley Electric Association, 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, 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.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks operates its own coal-fired generating station on campus, providing electricity and steam heat to university buildings. As of 2019, a new fluidized bed 20 megawatt coal-fired power plant was completed, replacing the old dual boiler system

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 PacifiCorp. However, PacifiCorp's purchase of The Energy Group, a diversified energy company with operations in the United Kingdom, Australia, and the U.S. with debt put pressure on PacifiCorp and they sold the telephone holdings to CenturyTel. CenturyTel didn't hang onto it long, not being interested in the Alaska portfolio they had acquired from PacifiCorp. They sold the telephone utility to Alaska Communications, Inc., a private company, some of whom were Alaskans involved in the prior PTI company. Alaska Communications (ACS) had promised that Fairbanks was to be the corporate headquarters with a new building at the corner of Cushman St. and 1st Avenue. That changed as, in the process of acquiring the Fairbanks-based telephone utility, the Anchorage Telephone Utility came up for sale, ACS purchased it and Anchorage became the headquarters for Alaska Communications Systems.

General Communications Inc. (GCI) has competed against ACS in Fairbanks since 1997 with installation of an earth station on the site of the former satellite monitoring system of the European Space Research Organization, now the European Space Agency. GCI purchased ACS's mobile phone service from ACS in 2014, when ACS had a lot of debt. Other mobile providers are national companies AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless.

A pair of fiber optic cables provide long-distance telephone and Internet service. One parallels the Parks Highway and connects Fairbanks to Anchorage, while the other parallels the Richardson Highway and connects Fairbanks to Valdez. A third, spur fiber optic cable parallels the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and connects Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. In 2020, Matanuska Telephone Association's subsidiary MTA Fiber Holdings has recently completed the AlCan One fiber installation from its prior connections from Wasilla to Fairbanks and North Pole, continuing down the Alaska Highway to the Canadian border where it connects with Canadian carriers.

Broadband Internet access is provided by GCI, ACS, Ace Tekk and a handful of satellite Internet and wireless Internet services.

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%. Troop D of the Alaska State Troopers supplements the Police Department with additional personnel.

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
 * Susan Butcher (1954–2006), dog musher, noteworthy as the second woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 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
 * Jon Button, bass player born in Fairbanks, Alaska, and based in Los Angeles, California
 * John Drury Clark (1907–1988), born and raised in Fairbanks; noted American rocket fuel developer, science fiction writer, and chemist
 * Daryn Colledge (born 1982), 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
 * Denali Foxx (born 1992), a.k.a. Cordero Zuckerman, drag queen, figure skater and contestant who made it to the Top 8 on the thirteenth season of 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
 * 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

Sister cities
Fairbanks is twinned with:
 * 🇲🇳 Erdenet, Mongolia
 * 🇮🇹 Fanano, Italy
 * 🇮🇳 Pune, India
 * 🇹🇼 Tainan, Taiwan
 * 🇷🇺 Yakutsk, Russia
 * 🇨🇦 Yellowknife, Canada

Other sources

 * Cole, Dermot. Fairbanks: A Gold Rush Town that Beat the Odds. Fairbanks. University of Alaska Press, 1999. 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.

title: Fairbanks, Alaska


text:
Fox, Alaska

Fox is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census the population was 417, up from 300 in 2000.

Geography
Fox is located at 64.95389°N, -147.62833°W (64.953979, -147.628325), on the bank of Fox Creek as it enters Goldstream Creek Valley, 10 mi northeast of Fairbanks. Steese Highway and Elliott Highway intersect in Fox.

Established as a mining camp in the early 1900s, Fox functions as a bedroom community today and most residents work in nearby Fairbanks or at Fort Knox Gold Mine to the northeast.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 33.9 km2, all of it land.

Demographics
Fox first appeared on the 1950 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village. It did not appear again until 1980 when it was made a census-designated place (CDP).

As of 2007, there were 353 people, 119 households, and 71 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 22.1 PD/sqmi. There were 159 housing units at an average density of 11.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 87.67% White, 8.00% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 1.33% from other races, and 2.67% from two or more races. 1.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 119 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.7 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $51,176, and the median income for a family was $64,107. Males had a median income of $39,297 versus $22,273 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,689. None of the families and 8.7% of the population were living below the poverty line.

Economy
Fox is home to several restaurants popular with Fairbanksans. One of these, the Howling Dog Saloon, was originally situated in Ester, but moved to Fox in the early 1970s. Across from this saloon is the Silver Gulch Brewery. The Turtle Club restaurant and bar is nearby. There is also a small general store/gas station.

title: Fox, Alaska


text:
Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska

Harding-Birch Lakes is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census the population was 299, up from 216 in 2000.

Geography
Harding-Birch Lakes is located at 64.33252°N, -146.77975°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 598.9 km2, of which 555.2 km2 is land and 43.7 km2, or 7.30%, is water.

Demographics
Harding-Birch Lakes first appeared on the 1980 U.S. Census as Harding Lake, a census-designated place (CDP) centered on the lake of the same name. It reported again as the same in 1990. In 2000, the CDP was greatly expanded to the southern border of Fairbanks North Star Borough and renamed Harding-Birch Lakes.

As of the census of 2000, there were 216 people, 98 households, and 63 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1 person per square mile (0.4/km2). There were 489 housing units at an average density of 2.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.52% White, 1.39% from other races, and 5.09% from two or more races. 0.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 98 households, out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.75.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 118.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $43,438, and the median income for a family was $60,288. Males had a median income of $36,042 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $24,443. None of the families and none of the population were living below the poverty line.

title: Harding-Birch Lakes, Alaska


text:
Moose Creek, Alaska

Moose Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2010 census, the population of the CDP was 747, up from 542 in 2000. It is part of the Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. Moose Creek is located south of Fairbanks, Alaska along the Richardson Highway. Moose Creek is bordered by Eielson Air Force Base to the south, the Tanana River to the west, and the Chena River Flood Control Project to the north.

Geography
Moose Creek is located at 64.7125°N, -147.16111°W (64.712474, -147.161128).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.7 sqmi, of which, 1.6 sqmi of it is land and 0.1 sqmi of it (6.51%) is water. It is located beside the Moose Creek Bluff, which is a medium size hill with a rocky cliff facing the Richardson Highway.

Climate
Moose Creek gets 13 inches of rain per year. On average, there are 154 sunny days per year. The January low is -40. The temperature is comparable to Fairbanks and North Pole, Alaska.

Demographics
Moose Creek first appeared on the 1980 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP).

As of the census of 2000, there were 542 people, 223 households, and 128 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 342.7 PD/sqmi. There were 280 housing units at an average density of 177.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 88.38% White, 3.69% Black or African American, 2.21% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.37% Pacific Islander, 0.92% from other races, and 3.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.95% of the population.

There were 223 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the CDP the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 16.8% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 3.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 143.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 146.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $44,375, and the median income for a family was $44,018. Males had a median income of $24,643 versus $19,583 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,980. About 11.0% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 33.3% of those age 65 or over.

Archaeology
Coordinates: 64°43'30"N, 147°13'05"W

Chugwater is a large (100 x 165m) site on the east summit of Moose Creek Bluff near the town of North Pole, Alaska 25 km southeast of Fairbanks. Samples of charcoal and sedimentary organics obtained from this site demonstrate human occupation going back before 13,000 years ago.

The site is located between the Chena and Tanana Rivers. Moose Creek Bluff contains the only pictographs documented in interior Alaska (Giddings 1941).

"Strata in some areas [of Moose Creek] contain artifacts diagnostic of much of the past 11,000 years of prehistory in sediments averaging 30cm deep, and seldom exceeding 50cm. Lively (1988) identified three separate components:

Component 1, a basal non-microblade level with teardrop-shaped (Chindadn) bifaces and small endscrapers similar to Nenana Valley assemblages antedating 10,600 BP (Powers & Hoffecker 1989);

Component 2, a microblade-bearing level with asymmetric bifacial points or knives attributed to the early Denali complex or American Paleoarctic tradition (APT); and

Component 3, an upper microblade-bearing level with notched and lanceolate points typical of Tuktu or Late Denali sites of the interior. Maitland (1986:115) also attributed several artifacts in the upper levels to an incursion or influence by Norton peoples."

Obsidian used at Moose Creek came from the Wiki Peak source near the Canada–United States border. Such obsidian was also recovered at the Broken Mammoth site, and it dates to before 13,000 cal BP.

title: Moose Creek, Alaska