Daylight and Seasons

Interior Alaska swings hard between seasons. Around the summer solstice on June 21st, Fairbanks gets roughly 21 hours and 50 minutes of daylight, part of a 70 day stretch of nearly round the clock light from mid May through late July. By the winter solstice on December 21st, that drops to about 3 hours and 41 minutes. Plan for good indoor lighting, blackout curtains for summer, and routines that work with the light you’ve got.

The upside of those long winter nights: Fairbanks is one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights, often right from your own driveway.

Heating

Homes here run on a mix of fuel, heating oil, natural gas where it’s available, and wood or pellet stoves in some properties. The setup varies property to property, so confirm your home’s heating equipment, fuel type, and service provider with your landlord or property manager. Our utilities guide has provider links.

Water and Wastewater

Water and wastewater setups vary by address too. Some homes have municipal water and sewer, others run on private wells and septic or holding tanks. Your mailing address won’t tell you which one you’ve got, so confirm directly using the provider links in our utilities guide.

Snow and Lawn Care

Winters mean regular snow removal for driveways, walkways, and parking areas, and summers bring lawn and yard upkeep. Whether that falls to you, your landlord, or your property manager is spelled out in your lease or management agreement, so check what applies to your property.

Preparing Your Vehicle for Winter

Interior Alaska winters are long and cold. Most residents use a block heater (that’s why you’ll see outdoor outlets in a lot of parking areas and driveways), keep an emergency kit and extra warm layers in the car, and switch to winter rated tires. Extreme cold is hard on batteries and fluids too, so a remote starter or a warmed garage goes a long way if you have the option.

Internet Availability

Home internet availability and speed depend on your address. Check our utilities guide for a link to current plans and coverage.

Schools

Fairbanks and North Pole are served by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. You can look up which schools serve a specific address using the district’s official boundary lookup, linked in our utilities guide.

Getting Out and About

Between winter events like ice sculpture festivals and aurora viewing, and summer fishing, hiking, and all that extra daylight, there’s something going on here year round. Explore Fairbanks keeps an up to date calendar of local events and activities.