Fairbanks Alaska Photos
 Fairbanks is home to photographer Patrick Endres, and we therefore have extensive photographic coverage of the area. All of the pictures are available for licensing as stock photos or for purchase as fine art display pictures for home and office decor.
You may browse the Fairbanks images by category, search all our files of Fairbanks, or use the keyword search above for
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Fairbanks' history is strongly connected with the Chena river, which flows through town. © Patrick J. Endres Fairbanks is located in the heart of Alaska's interior and dubs itself as the Golden Heart City, serving as the gateway to Alaska's Interior and Arctic. With a population of close to 32,000, Fairbanks' citizenry reaches to 82,000 when including the surrounding Fairbanks North Star Borough. Situated at 64.837N degrees latitude, at an elevation of approximately 400 feet, the town is transected by the Chena river, with the larger Tanana river flowing nearby.
Gold and Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska and the surrounding areas were struck
by gold fever in 1902. For many, the fever is still alive,
and the city remains a testament to the mining spirit. © Patrick J. Endres  Pedro soon discovered a rich claim, which began a full-fledged
stampede by 1904. Barnette’s trading post grew into
a town and, within five years, Fairbanks was the largest
and busiest city in Alaska. From the 1920s to the 1950s,
prospectors and sluice boxes were followed by huge gold
dredges moving through the valleys and creek beds surrounding
Fairbanks, Alaska. The claims around Fairbanks, Alaska
ultimately produced more gold than the strikes in Dawson
or Nome.
World Ice Art Championships
Good Omen, title of the award winning Single Block Ice Sculpture by Vladimir Zhikartsev, lit by colored lights at night, Fairbanks. © Patrick J. Endres  The event in Fairbanks begins with a single block competition
that consists of smaller but no less spectacular sculptures.
Later the multi-block competition begins, which can often
be a mad rush against time, with teams of carvers working
together all through the night. For the kids, a play area
is constructed with slides and mazes and spinning chairs,
all created from ice! Quick
search for Ice Art photos
The Aurora Borealis: (Northern Lights)
 Aurora borealis swirls across the sky over the White Mountains National Recreation Area log cabin, north of Fairbanks, Alaska. © Patrick J. Endres Due to its northerly latitude and its position under the Van Allen Belt, Fairbanks, Alaska is one world's foremost locations
for viewing the aurora borealis, or northern lights. In Fairbanks, The aurora can be seen an average of 250 nights a year, with the greatest occurrence around the spring and the fall equinoxes. The
aurora can be viewed in clear skies all throughout the
dark months of the winter. The aurora is active nearly
every day of the year, but can not be seen in the summer
due to the lack of darkness. Learn more on our Aurora
Borealis page.
The Gateway to the Arctic
 Known as the golden heart of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska
is also considered the gateway to the arctic, being just
a short drive from the arctic circle. Here, marked by
a sign, people can view the first latitude where the sun
does not set one day a year on December 21st, and does
not rise one day a year, on June 21st. These dates are
known as the winter and summer solstice.
The Yukon Quest
Musher Jennifer Cochran in Fairbanks on the Chena river at the start of the 1000 mile Yukon Quest sled dog race 2006, between Fairbanks, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon. Dubbed the toughest dogsled race in t |
