It's Not That People Choose Fairbanks, ...

3 May 2012
8:39 PM

Sunrise at	5:08 AM	in direction	48°	Northeast
Sunset at	10:30 PM	in direction	313°	Northwest

Duration of day: 17 hours, 21 minutes (7 minutes longer than yesterday)

... it's that living there makes them incapable of living anywhere else.

Fairbanks is an unusual town in an unusual setting.  Yet, I am at a loss for words to describe why that is.  Yes, Fairbanks is the farthest northern city in the world.  All other settlements at this latitude qualify as villages.  Yes, the edge of town is only 160 miles from the Arctic Circle, so our winter light is far less than any other town of 36,000+ in the world.  Yes, there is that interesting tradition of midnight baseball on solstice.  It can get a bit hard to see the ball for about an hour, but then the light returns and who notices a few swings did not connect as hoped for?  Yes, residents endure mosquitoes and fire smoke while also enjoying the summer light.  Yes, many residents prefer winter over summer for the reasons stated above.

Yes, those that choose to remain in Fairbanks are independent, crazy, friendly, and an unusual mix of folks from a wide variety of backgrounds and interests.  But. not everyone likes living here - for example, here is a link to a blog on Fairbanks where several speak in the highest terms of life here, but one person associated with the military has a totally different view:  Perspectives of Fairbanks.

I find that commentary interesting since a lot of the older population is comprised of those who have returned after having been stationed here in the military.  This article, an oral history of a wild life manager, shows the early interdependence between the university, state (then territory), and military and I think reflects attitudes of some early residents:  Military Game Warden.  Some in the younger generation of military families still appreciate it. My husband and I chatted with a military family,  pilot for the army, his wife, and two young girls, while eating out.  They told us their tour of duty was nearly over and they accepted this was their way of life, but Fairbanks was the place that they felt they had actually been a home to them, not just a tour stop.

I would like to say it is the contrast that makes Fairbanks what it is .. A highly educated populace living next to junk hoarders and native peoples living next to Army Strykers, but I think it is the rare opportunity to live so far north that draws people who stay here.  Residents can live in an extreme climate, yet not have to live in dry cabins isolated along the banks of the Yukon to do it - unless that is their life choice.  It is the unique interplay of light and dark, cold and warmth, that keeps folks interested.  And I think those that like it here are those who do not especially care for the intensity, lack of human interaction, busy roads and busy people.  They find things to do rather than have to have them available as ready-made activities.  They find ways to endure the cold and winter in order to retain the placid quality of day to day life.  They rely on each other, the sense of community, more than objects, things, and material goods.