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FAIRBANKS, ALASKA - USA
Fairbanks is a city located in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United
States. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 30,224 and the
population of the entire Borough numbers approximately 83,000.
Fairbanks is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the oldest college
in Alaska.
Geography
Fairbanks is the largest city in the interior region of Alaska.
Fairbanks is located at 64°50'17" North, 147°43'35" West (64.838092,
-147.726378)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
84.6 km˛ (32.7 mi˛). 82.5 km˛ (31.9 mi˛) of it is land and 2.1 km˛ (0.8 mi˛)
of it is water. The total area is 2.48% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 30,224 people, 11,075 households, and
7,187 families residing in the city. The population density is 366.3/km˛
(948.7/mi˛). There are 12,357 housing units at an average density of 149.8/km˛
(387.9/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 66.67% White, 11.15% Black or
African American, 9.91% Native American, 2.72% Asian, 0.54% Pacific Islander,
2.45% from other races, and 6.57% from two or more races. 6.13% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 11,075 households out of which 39.9% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 47.2% are married couples living together, 12.6%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% are non-families.
27.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.0% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.56 and the average family size is 3.15.
In the city the population is spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18,
14.7% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100
females there are 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 108.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $40,577, and the median
income for a family is $46,785. Males have a median income of $30,539 versus
$26,577 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,814. 10.5% of
the population and 7.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 11.6% are under the age of 18 and 7.0% are
65 or older.
History
Before Fairbanks was founded, Koyukon Athabascans, lived, fished, and hunted
along the shores of the Tanana River. The Tanana and other rivers also
served as trade routes with other Athabascans and Eskimos.
In the early 1900s, prospectors from the Klondike spread out into various
parts of Alaska in search of gold. This brought an Italian immigrant, Felix
Pedro (born Felix Pedrone), to the Tanana Valley. Outfitters, in turn,
sought to make money selling supplies to the prospectors. In the spring of
1902 a trader named E. T. Barnette chartered the riverboat Lavelle Young to
transport a large load of merchandise to the gold fields near Tanacross. He
was forced to disembark near the present site of First Avenue and Cushman
Street on the Chena River because the Chena was too shallow to follow
further upstream and the Tanana River was unpassable. Barnette, initially
unhappy to find himself far from the proven gold fields, nonetheless stayed
put when Pedro came to camp to trade. That summer Pedro discovered gold 16
miles (25 km) north of Fairbanks and the town began to grow around
Barnette's trading post. Within a few years, Fairbanks became the largest
city in Alaska (Anchorage is larger now), and an important commercial center.
In 1903, Alaska Territorial Judge Wickersham moved his offices from Eagle to
Fairbanks. In November of that year, Fairbanks was incorporated as a city
and named after a popular Indiana senator Charles W. Fairbanks, soon to
become Vice President under Teddy Roosevelt. Barnette was elected mayor and
set about to create a first-rate town replete with telephone service, fire
protection, sanitation ordinances, electric lights and steam heat.
The construction of the Richardson Highway in 1900, the Alaska Railroad in
1923, and the use of riverboats along the Tanana River established Fairbanks
as a commercial center for interior Alaska.
The Alaska Agricultural College and School of Mines opened its doors in
College, near Fairbanks, in 1922. The school grew quickly, and in 1935
became the University of Alaska. The University of Alaska system has since
expanded to include other campuses and the original campus is now called
University of Alaska - Fairbanks.
During World War II two United States military bases, Ladd Field and Eielson
Air Force Base, were constructed in the Fairbanks area to aid in sending
aircraft and supplies to the USSR and the Russian-controlled Far East.
During the Cold War Ladd Field became a U. S. Army base, Fort Wainwright.
These bases brought additional jobs to the Fairbanks area and brought
military personnel, some of whom stayed and became residents of the area
after finishing their military service.
Since its beginning, Fairbanks has been the commercial center for the
interior of Alaska. Fairbanks is now at the intersection of the Richardson
Highway, the Alaska Railroad, the Steese Highway, the Elliott Highway and
the George Parks Highway, completed in 1975. These connect it to Anchorage,
Canada and the lower 48 United States. The Dalton Highway, opened in 1995,
connects Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay near the Arctic Ocean. Fairbanks area has
an international airport, two military airports and many private airstrips.
Goods are transported to and from Fairbanks by truck, air, and rail.
Fairbanks was the construction hub for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in
1975-1977.
There is a park in Fairbanks built originally for the Alaska Purchase
Centennial Celebration in 1967. The park is now called Alaskaland and
contains museums, an old riverboat and many old buildings moved there from
around the Fairbanks area. There is a delightful musical presentation of the
history of Fairbanks given in one of the buildings during the summer.
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