Fairbanks, Alaska

64° 51 ′ N. Latitude
147° 40 ′ W. Longitude

Fairbanks was founded in 1901 when E.T. Barnette was forced to unload his supplies on the banks of the Chena River when the paddle-wheel steamer, the Lavelle Young could ascend the river no furtther due to shallow water. The success of theBarnette's trading post, and the town was assured when a year later Felix Pedro found gold in the nearby creeks. Gold mining kept the town alive through the first 4 decades of the 20th century, by which time other sources of income (including tourism and the U.S. Army and Air Force) overtook mining as the key source of revenue.

The town is located in the taiga (spruce, birch and aspen forests). Summers are warm (70°F) often sunny while winters are cold ( it can reach -50°F). Rainfall is also low, with at least half of the prcipitation coming in winter in the form of snow. The snow pack lasts from October through April.

Today the town has a population of about 30,000 people, with another 30,000 living in outlying areas. There are dozens of malls in the town, several giant box stores, and a world class university (the University of Alaska: see image below).

For more information see http://fairbanks-alaska.com/

______________________________________________________________________________________________