This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Fairbanks.
Known as the "Golden Heart City," Fairbanks, Alaska, is the largest city in the state’s interior region, and the city with the second highest number of hostels as well, next to Anchorage. It is the home of Alaska’s oldest college, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. This city combines technology and modern amenities with borderline atmosphere, which is why it is hailed as the “Gateway to the Arctic.”
Fairbanks has a colorful history which dates back as early as the nineteenth-century Gold Rush. In its early history, it is known for its important agricultural center for the state, and producer of agricultural goods and farming activities, until the establishment of the Matanuska Valley Colonization Project, alongside with the town of Palmer in the thirties. Agricultural activity is still present today, but mostly in the Tanana Valley and southeast part of the city such as communities of Delta Junction and Salcha.
In its first six decades since it was established at the turn of the twentieth century, it has suffered tremendous number of floods, caused by ice jams at spring breakup or heavy rainfall. After an unprecedented rainfall in the late sixties, Chena River started to surge up and over its banks, causing flood to the entire city overnight. This disaster has led to the construction of Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project, an institution that commenced the building and operation of a five-hundred-foot-high Mouse Creak Dam that comes with an eight-mile spillway. The dam and spillway work by diverting water in the Chena upstream from the city all the way to Tanana River, bypassing the city.
Climate in this city is considered as subarctic, while its borders are classified as humid continental with short warm summers and long cold winters. The varying temperature is caused by three contributory factors -- daylight, temperature inversion, and wind direction.
Today, this city is known for exciting things and activities all seven days of the week in all seasons. It houses some of the best businesses and organizations for attractions and activities that guide guests to different kinds of adventures in its remote areas of the Arctic wilderness. Also, this city is home for energy, light, and warmth found nowhere else in the world, as it is one of the best places in the world to see the breathtaking Northern Lights, also known as paintings in the sky. Tours in the city includes crossing the Arctic Circle and the chance to experience Eskimo culture. Also, summer in Fairbanks allows you to get the most out of your visit, as sun shines almost twenty-four hours a day.
Guests can find Fairbanks hostels, hotels, and motels, both nationally recognized and locally owned, all over the city. These places hold the best venues for guests traveling in a group, such as families and business trips. B&Bs and cabins are also great options for budget-friendly stopover before going out for wilderness excursions, and there are quite a multitude of them all over Fairbanks. There are vacation rentals, lodges, and RV parks for people looking for unconventional places to stay.
Written by local enthusiast for Fairbanks hostels
Angelica Burrage