Reasons to Visit Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks is known as The Golden Heart of Alaska. While there are many reasons to visit Fairbanks, perhaps the number one reason people come to the city is to view the world-famous northern lights.

You’re used to seeing blue, grey or clear skies during the day and black skies at night. How about seeing red, purple, green and white lights illuminating the skies? The northern lights are celestial pyrotechnic displays in the sky that visitors to Fairbanks regard as beautiful, mysterious and awesome. Typically visible from the end of August through early April, you’re likely to see northern lights in yellow and green hovering in the sky over Fairbanks. Indeed, the lights are there year-round, but the “midnight sun” keeps the skies too bright to see them in the summer months.

Speaking of midnight sun, in the summertime in Fairbanks you can experience daylight nearly 24 hours a day! Try getting that in New York or Los Angeles.

Fairbanks originally grew because of the great Alaskan gold rush of yesteryear. By 1905, the city was well-established, complete with a power plant, electricity and sewer services, a school, police and fire protection, a hospital and a three-story building. Today, the city has grown to house tens of thousands of people who work at area military bases, mining operations, oil fields (and the trans-Alaska oil pipeline), and the University of Alaska.

If you’re thinking of visiting Fairbanks, take guided tours of the area and all it has to offer. The 1^st Alaska Outdoor School of Fairbanks has trained guides to show you the city’s highlights and the city’s northern lights.

Posted by: Ralf Dobrovolny