City North America
Fairbanks
Fairbanks is a city in Alaska, far in the north. Its winters are very cold and dark.
Fairbanks is a city in the middle of Alaska, in the United States, about 200 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. It grew after gold was found nearby in 1902. The census of 1 April 2020 counted 32,514 people in the city.
Fairbanks, a city in central Alaska and a commercial and university center (Larousse), lies 125 miles south of the Arctic Circle (Geophysical Institute). Gold strike 1902 (Explore Fairbanks). Census 1 April 2020: 32,514 in the city (City Population, from the U.S. Census Bureau); estimate 1 July 2025: 31,468.
Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Fairbanks
Fairbanks is a city in Alaska, in the far north of the United States.
In winter it is very cold, and the nights are long.
Fairbanks is a city in central Alaska. A writer at the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute places it 125 miles, about 200 kilometers, south of the Arctic Circle. Larousse calls it a center for trade and for its university.
The census of 1 April 2020 counted 32,514 people in the city, and an estimate for July 2025 gives 31,468. The photo shows the city in August 2025, with buildings among green trees.
Larousse: city of the United States in central Alaska, founded in 1902 by gold prospectors; a commercial and university center. Ned Rozell (Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks): a sub-Arctic location 125 miles south of the Arctic Circle. City Population (U.S. Census Bureau): city of Fairbanks 30,941 (1990), 31,551 (2010), 32,514 (census 1 April 2020), 31,468 (estimate 1 July 2025); Fairbanks North Star Borough 95,665 (2020).
- Located in
- central Alaska, United States (Larousse)
- People in the city (census, 1 April 2020)
- 32,514
- Arctic Circle
- 125 miles (about 200 km) to the north (Geophysical Institute)
- Known for
- trade and its university (Larousse)
A river, a museum and gold
Long ago, a trading post was built by a river called the Chena.
A museum there shows lots of real gold!
After gold was found in 1902, a riverboat captain built a trading post on the banks of the Chena River. Explore Fairbanks, the city's visitors bureau, says the university's museum has the largest public display of gold in Alaska, and visitors can see the Pedro Monument or try panning for gold.
At the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, people who have seen the northern lights can pick up an Aurora Certificate.
Explore Fairbanks: E.T. Barnette's trading post stood on the banks of the Chena River; the university's museum holds the state's largest public display of gold; the Pedro Monument; gold panning; the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum (85-plus vehicles, among them Alaska's first automobile, built in 1905). Aurora Certificates at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center. Wikidata: University of Alaska Museum of the North (Q7895036), 5.86 km WNW of the city's point.
- River
- the Chena River, where E.T. Barnette built his trading post (Explore Fairbanks)
- University museum
- the largest public display of gold in Alaska (Explore Fairbanks)
- Visitors center
- the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center (Explore Fairbanks)
A gold rush town
In 1902, a man found gold near Fairbanks.
Many people came to look for gold, and the town grew.
Explore Fairbanks tells the story: in 1902 Felix Pedro, an immigrant from Italy, found gold. The strike led a riverboat captain, E.T. Barnette, to build a trading post on the Chena River, and a gold rush began. Larousse says Fairbanks was founded in 1902 by gold seekers.
The area became Alaska's biggest gold producer. About one third of all the gold found in Alaska came from within 25 miles, about 40 kilometers, of Fairbanks. Explore Fairbanks calls its gold rush roots one of the many reasons Fairbanks is called the Golden Heart City.
Explore Fairbanks: gold found in 1902 by the Italian immigrant Felix Pedro; the strike prompted riverboat captain E.T. Barnette to build a trading post on the Chena River. Larousse: founded in 1902 by gold prospectors (Wikidata gives 1901). The Fairbanks mining district became Alaska's largest gold producer ('America's Klondike'): 15.4 million ounces, about one third of Alaska's gold, from within 25 miles; eight bucketline dredges from the 1920s produced 4.2 million ounces in 1928–1965; the Fort Knox mine started in 1996 and had produced more than 6 million ounces by the end of 2016.
- Gold strike
- 1902, by Felix Pedro (Explore Fairbanks)
- Founded
- 1902, by gold prospectors (Larousse)
- Gold from near the city
- 15.4 million ounces within 25 miles, about one third of Alaska's gold (Explore Fairbanks)
Trails, riverboats and plug-in cars
In winter, people in Fairbanks plug their cars in to keep the batteries warm!
In 1902, gold seekers followed the Valdez-Fairbanks trail to Fairbanks, and a riverboat captain set up a trading post on the Chena River.
Winter changes how people drive. A Geophysical Institute writer explains that people in Fairbanks plug in their cars to keep the battery warm and the oil runny enough for the engine to move. Some aurora tours drive part way up the Dalton Highway or fly above the Arctic Circle.
Explore Fairbanks: the Valdez-Fairbanks trail, followed by gold seekers in 1902 (a replica of the Sourdough Roadhouse on that trail is shown in the auto museum); a riverboat captain founded the trading post on the Chena River; aurora tours by dog sled, snow cat, part way up the Dalton Highway or by air above the Arctic Circle. Ned Rozell (Geophysical Institute): in Fairbanks 'we plug in our cars to keep the battery warm and the oil liquid enough to allow the pistons to move'.
- Gold rush trail
- the Valdez-Fairbanks trail, followed by gold seekers in 1902 (Explore Fairbanks)
- Winter driving
- cars are plugged in to keep the battery warm (Geophysical Institute)
- Road north
- aurora trips go part way up the Dalton Highway (Explore Fairbanks)
Very cold winters, warm summers
Winter in Fairbanks is very, very cold. Summer is warm.
It does not rain or snow very much.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for 1981 to 2010 show January days of about −17 °C and nights of about −25 °C. In July, days average about 23 °C and nights about 11 °C.
Fairbanks gets only about 313 millimeters of rain and melted snow in a year. July is the wettest month, with about 62 millimeters, and March the driest, with less than 7.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Fairbanks (U.S. National Weather Service; period 1981–2010 as given in the data): mean daily maximum −16.8 °C (Jan) to 23.1 °C (Jul); mean daily minimum −25.3 °C (Jan) to 10.9 °C (Jul); six months (Oct–Mar) have mean highs at or below 0.2 °C. Precipitation 6.6 mm (Mar) to 61.5 mm (Jul); sum of the months 312.7 mm, of which June to August give 163.3 mm (52%). Explore Fairbanks links the region's low precipitation and distance from the coast with clear nights.
- January, average daily high and low (WMO, Fairbanks, 1981–2010)
- −16.8 °C and −25.3 °C
- July, average daily high and low (same table)
- 23.1 °C and 10.9 °C
- Precipitation in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 313 mm
Northern lights and long summer days
On dark nights, lights can dance in the sky over Fairbanks. They are called the northern lights!
Fairbanks lies under the Auroral Oval, a ring-shaped zone in the far north where the northern lights are concentrated, says Explore Fairbanks. Its Aurora Season runs from 21 August to 21 April, when the nights are dark enough, and the lights show on about four of five clear, dark nights.
The Geophysical Institute says the best chance in winter is usually from about 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. A Geophysical Institute writer noted that in June 2022, Fairbanks received more sunshine in one day than Tucson, Arizona, did in two.
Explore Fairbanks: under the 'Auroral Oval'; low precipitation and distance from the coast give consistently clear nights; Aurora Season 21 August to 21 April; aurora visible on average four nights out of five when the sky is clear and dark. Geophysical Institute aurora page: at average activity, Fairbanks has a good chance to see the aurora overhead; 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. is typically the best window over interior Alaska in winter. Ned Rozell: in mid-December the sun arcs 'just two fingers above the Alaska Range' at solar noon; one June day brought more sunshine than Tucson received in two.
- Aurora Season
- 21 August to 21 April (Explore Fairbanks)
- Best viewing hours
- about 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. in winter (Geophysical Institute)
- Under the Auroral Oval
- a ring-shaped zone where aurora activity is concentrated (Explore Fairbanks)
Fairbanks on the map
Find Alaska on the globe. Fairbanks is in the middle of Alaska.
Fairbanks lies at about 64.8° north and 147.7° west, in the middle of Alaska, about 200 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, the University of Alaska Fairbanks is about 5.6 kilometers west-northwest, and its Museum of the North about 5.9 kilometers west-northwest.
Fairbanks lies at about 64.84° N, 147.72° W (Wikidata point Q79638; the Natural Earth/sheet point is 0.94 km SE of it). From the Wikidata point: University of Alaska Fairbanks (Q1285262) 5.58 km WNW; University of Alaska Museum of the North (Q7895036) 5.86 km WNW. Geophysical Institute: 125 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
- Latitude
- about 64.8° north
- Longitude
- about 147.7° west
- Region
- central Alaska (Larousse)
Amazing facts
-
People in Fairbanks plug in their cars in winter!
A Geophysical Institute writer says people in Fairbanks plug in their cars in winter to keep the battery warm and the oil runny.
Ned Rozell (Geophysical Institute): cars are plugged in 'to keep the battery warm and the oil liquid enough to allow the pistons to move'.
-
In Fairbanks, the northern lights can be seen on most clear, dark nights!
Explore Fairbanks says that in its Aurora Season the northern lights show on about four out of five nights when the sky is clear and dark enough.
Explore Fairbanks: during the Aurora Season (21 August to 21 April) the aurora is visible on average four nights out of five when the sky is clear and dark enough.
-
A lot of Alaska's gold came from near Fairbanks!
About one third of all the gold found in Alaska came from within 25 miles of Fairbanks, says Explore Fairbanks.
Explore Fairbanks: 15.4 million ounces, about one third of all gold recovered in Alaska, came from deposits within 25 miles of Fairbanks.
Words to know
- gold rush
- a time when many people hurry to a place where gold has been found
- trading post
- a small store in a faraway place where people trade goods
- aurora
- colored lights that glow in the night sky near the poles; in the north they are called the northern lights
- Arctic Circle
- an imaginary line around the far north of the Earth; north of it the sun stays up all day in midsummer
- dredge
- a big floating machine that digs up mud and gravel
- census
- an official count of all the people in a country
Discovery challenge
-
Fairbanks is a city in which state?
Fairbanks lies in the middle of which U.S. state?
Larousse places Fairbanks in the center of which state?
- Alaska
- Florida
- Hawaii
Show the answer
Alaska
Alaska!
Alaska.
Alaska.
-
What did people find near Fairbanks in 1902?
What was found near Fairbanks in 1902, starting a rush of people to the area?
What did Felix Pedro find in 1902, according to Explore Fairbanks?
- Gold
- Oil
- Diamonds
Show the answer
Gold
Gold!
Gold.
Gold.
-
When can you look for the northern lights in Fairbanks?
When is Fairbanks's Aurora Season?
Which dates does Explore Fairbanks give for the Aurora Season?
- From late August to late April
- Only in June
- Only in July
Show the answer
From late August to late April
From late August to late April, when nights are dark!
From 21 August to 21 April.
21 August to 21 April.
-
Which month gets the most rain in Fairbanks?
In the 1981–2010 averages, which is Fairbanks's wettest month?
Which month has the highest mean precipitation in the WMO 1981–2010 normals for Fairbanks?
- July
- January
- March
Show the answer
July
July!
July, with about 62 millimeters.
July, 61.5 mm.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Fairbanks in central Alaska, south of the Arctic Circle.
- Explain how a gold rush can start a town.
- Explain why days are very short in winter and very long in summer in the far north.
- Read a climate table with temperatures below zero.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might people travel a long way when gold is found?
- How would very short winter days change your daily life?
- Why do clear, dark skies matter for seeing the northern lights?
Try at home or in class
- Gold panning: mix small washers or shiny beads into sand in a pan of water and swirl to find them.
- Day length: shine a lamp on a tilted globe and see how much of Alaska is lit in December and June.
- Cold chart: draw Fairbanks's monthly highs and lows as bars, with a line at 0 °C.
Key vocabulary: gold rush, trading post, aurora, Arctic Circle, dredge, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Fairbanks , Larousse encyclopédie
- Alaska (USA): Incorporated Places in Boroughs and Census Areas , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the U.S. Census Bureau
- Gold Rush History , Explore Fairbanks (Fairbanks Convention & Visitors Bureau)
- Aurora Borealis Season , Explore Fairbanks (Fairbanks Convention & Visitors Bureau)
- The dark season turns on winter solstice (Ned Rozell, 8 December 2022) , Alaska Science Forum, Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Aurora Forecast (FAQ) , Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Fairbanks: climatological information (1981–2010) , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- File:Fairbanks, Alaska skyline.jpg (Quintin Soloviev) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.