Home to the University of Alaska, two large military bases, and the state's largest gold mine, Fairbanks is a study in contrasts. Summer means long days, temperatures into the 80s F, and midnight baseball games, but winters are infamously cold, with the thermometer plummeting into the -20s and sun barely peeking over the horizon. The people of Fairbanks are equally diverse, from gun-toting leave-me-alone miners to greenie scientists. Surrounded by wooded hills, this city of 31,000 straddles the placid Chena River, a popular spot for canoeing, rafting, boating, and fishing. The rich gold-rush history of Fairbanks is exemplified by a multitude of historical structures and a historic riverboat at Pioneer Park, but the university's art museum is dramatically modern, and visitors enjoy excellent restaurants and comfortable lodging options. The city is also a jumping-off point for flights to bush Alaska (including Barrow, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Gates of the Arctic National Park), and nearby Chena Hot Springs features a unique ice hotel and wintertime northern lights viewing.
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- Don Pitcher for Triporati
Home to the University of Alaska, two large military bases, and the state's largest gold mine, Fairbanks is a study in contrasts. Summer means long days, temperatures into the 80s F, and midnight baseball games, but winters are infamously cold, with the thermometer plummeting into the -20s and sun barely peeking over the horizon. The people of Fairbanks are equally diverse, from gun-toting leave-me-alone miners to greenie scientists. Surrounded by wooded hills, this city of 31,000 straddles the placid Chena River, a popular spot for canoeing, rafting, boating, and fishing. The rich gold-rush history of Fairbanks is exemplified by a multitude of historical structures and a historic riverboat at Pioneer Park, but the university's art museum is dramatically modern, and visitors enjoy excellent restaurants and comfortable lodging options. The city is also a jumping-off point for flights to bush Alaska (including Barrow, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Gates of the Arctic National Park), and nearby Chena Hot Springs features a unique ice hotel and wintertime northern lights viewing.
- Don Pitcher for Triporati
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