Fairbanks, Alaska

Life in Fairbanks, Alaska, explained by people who’ve lived in Fairbanks:

*Response format = Answer (Your name, How long you’ve lived in Fairbanks)

Fairbanks Favorites

What’s your favorite thing about living in Fairbanks?

Good community, good small local businesses. Lots of land for camping, hiking, etc., I trust that the land the soil I forage from and grow my food in is organic. (Anonymous, 20 years)
The outdoors. (Jason, 23 years)
The diverse people. (Bea, 25 years)
Making a lot of money. (Gern, 30 years)
The friendly people who live here. (Tracy, 46 years)
It used to be a small town, the people. I still love the history. (Patricia, 50 years)
A 30 minute drive gets you to the wilderness and less people. (Tina, 50 years)

What’s your least favorite thing about living in Fairbanks?

High rate of crime, expensive cost of living and low minimum wage, high rate of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness, high rate of theft. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Thieves. (Jason, 23 years)
Warm winters are a bummer. (Bea, 25 years)
January, February. (Gern, 30 years)
The cost of fuel. (Tracy, 46 years)
It has gotten too big, the drugs have caused a big problem in Fairbanks. (Patricia, 50 years)
The last couple months of winter. (Tina, 50 years)

What are fun things to do in Fairbanks?

Ski, dogsled, snowmachine, hike boat, golf, drink. (Jason, 23 years)
Craft beer tasting competition. (Bea, 25 years)
Weed. (Gern, 30 years)
Fish, watch sled dog races, midnight sun. (Tracy, 46 years)
Boat, fish, hunt, camp out of town, dine out. (Patricia, 50 years)
Summer – anything outside, same with winter, except when truly cold. (Tina, 50 years)

What’s Fairbanks known for?

We’re the second biggest city in Alaska, many people who live on northern villages and small towns, out of town areas in the interior rely on visiting Fairbanks and ordering food and purchasing other necessary items here. We have a big military community that supports the community financially, as they make a big portion of the businesses profits. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Northern lights and good people. (Jason, 23 years)
Gold in them thar hills. (Bea, 25 years)
Cold, dark. (Gern, 30 years)
It’s golden heart. (Tracy, 46 years)
The Golden Heart of Fairbanks but more being a gold rush town. (Patricia, 50 years)
Good people and northern lights. (Tina, 50 years)

What’s the crime like in Fairbanks? (hot spot areas, etc.)

High rate of crime, South Cushman area. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Seems to be all over. (Jason, 23 years)
If you are “friends” with that element then it will bite you in the butt eventually. (Bea, 25 years)
It’s a great place to commit crime- lots of cops, but they are all lazy and stupid. (Gern, 30 years)
Bars. (Tracy, 46 years)
It has become terrible, it is everywhere, no one is safe. (Patricia, 50 years)
Like any place, addiction to alcohol and drugs is a problem. (Tina, 50 years)

Any advice for people moving to Fairbanks?

Wear protection; bring a gun, be comfortable and trained with a weapon if you’re out, around town, especially if you have little ones to protect, you should be watchful for potential predators. As well as being comfortable using it for protection against bears, moose, wolves, etc. If you’re camping or on the river. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Prepare for the dark and cold. (Jason, 23 years)
Have an open mind and Golden Heart. (Bea, 25 years)
Buy a pick-up with 4-wheel-drive. (Gern, 30 years)
Summers are beautiful, winters are too, but, in the winter be prepared for really cold and sometimes rain. We have odd weather at times. (Tracy, 46 years)
Know what you are getting into. The cost of living is high. (Patricia, 50 years)
Research carefully, be sure you can do the winters and come prepared. (Tina, 50 years)

Share an experience you’ve had in Fairbanks (fun, crazy, dangerous, etc.).

Jumping off of the walking bridges in town into the Chena river. The midnight sun run and our summer parades and fairs. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Working for the Yukon quest and being at the finish line when Brent Sass won. (Jason, 23 years)
Midnight Sun costumes: Reno 911 guys!! The pixelated naked running guy – OMG!! So funny! (Bea, 25 years)
My grandkids and I enjoy road trips in the summer, and watching the river regata duct tape boats floating on the Chena River. (Tracy, 46 years)
Snow-machine racing, drinking in the bars during the pipeline days and the prostitutes! (Patricia, 50 years)
When we get a lot of snow in the winter everyone helps stuck vehicles. (Tina, 50 years)

How do you think Fairbanks will change over the next 10 years?

There’s an increasing need for local food and local farming, people want to buy local organic goods, and shop at our farmers markets instead of three week old irradiated, low quality produce from the grocery stores. The increasing profit for small local farmers will allow for more people to invest in these and other small businesses and farming locally. More small farms in the interior and more support for local businesses. (Anonymous, 20 years)
Air quality will be a growing issue in winter. (Jason, 23 years)
Not much. (Bea, 25 years)
It’s getting bigger but unfortunately businesses have a hard time sustaining here and we have a lot of vacant buildings. (Tracy, 46 years)
It will continue to grow, hopefully in a good way. (Patricia, 50 years)
After the present recession, growth. (Tina, 50 years)

Any other interesting facts about Fairbanks?

The aurora is amazing to see here. (Anonymous, 20 years)
I’ve seen 57 below and 99 above in the same year. (Jason, 23 years)
UAF has a great STEM program. (Bea, 25 years)
It’s just beautiful here! (Tracy, 46 years)
It has a interesting history of how it started and became Fairbanks. (Patricia, 50 years)
Pioneer Park is really Alaskaland to the Sourdoughs. (Tina, 50 years)