xoxo

Hi there,

My hubby and I just got orders (he is active duty Army) to Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska. Does anyone know anything about the area at all? I was born/raised, and still live in Southern California, and I know I am in for a culture shock... Is there anything to do there besides "outdoorsy" stuff? Because unfortunately, I am not an outdoorsy gal at all.

What are good road trips to take? Is it very far to get to Russia, Seattle, and Canada?

Thanks so much in advance! (ps: this is our very first duty station)

abram

The U. of Alaska is there, has an excellent museum, speakers, cultural programs. What kinds of things do you like to do?

xoxo

Mainly, I like to shop, travel, and hang out with my family - take my almost 2 year old boy out to have fun...

padams421

Alaska is the most beautiful state in the union and you will find many places to explore and visit. The people are friendly. The University of Alaska is a hub of activity. As for road trips, Alaskans often fly between towns. The distances are great. Going to Russia and Canada are like going from Southern Cal to Seattle and Texas.

A 2 year old will keep you busy no matter where you are. I think your biggest transition will be the winter darkest and the cold. I'd plan on going back to Southern Cal for the winter holidays.

padams421

meant to type "darkness"- kid distraction

Gardyloo

Well, how honest to you want us to be? Stop here if you want the candy coating.

Fairbanks is a helluva long way from most everywhere else. It's warm-to-hot in the summer, since the sun barely sets from mid-June till August, and in the winter it's dark and very cold (e.g. around 3 hours of daylight in late December, and temperatures often 20-40 degrees below zero.) That's not weather to be trifled with - it can be downright dangerous for people in ill health, babies, etc. In mid-winter air quality can be horrendous; the city sits in a bowl and stagnant air (sometimes "ice fog") can accumulate, polluted by car exhaust when it's so cold people leave their vehicles running to prevent freezing.

There are some decent excursions possible - Chena Hot Springs, Denali National Park, plenty of fishing and hunting opportunities, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing in winter, hiking, camping etc. in summer.

Anchorage is an hour away by air; Seattle is four hours. Former governors' statements to the contrary, you can't see Russia from there, nor can you travel there. If you want to drive "outside" it takes around a week to get to the lower 48. The closest point of interest in Canada is Dawson City YT, which is a seriously cool place; it's maybe 9-10 hours driving from Fairbanks.

It's a small town with small town characteristics - everybody knows everybody's laundry, lots of in-house socializing. I'm sure the base is quite self-contained; if you live on base it will be like most army bases - plenty of activities, cheap enough prices at the PX, all that. I honestly don't know how much mingling there is between military and civilians in Fairbanks; in Anchorage the two bases (Fort Richardson and Elmendorf AFB) seem to exist in parallel universes, except in fishing season and at some local schools close to base gates. But not sure if it's the same in Fairbanks.

Best of luck to you and your husband.

xoxo

gardyloo - i really appreciate your honesty... definitely not our first choice for our very first duty station, but we will make the most of it. i know it will only be as good as we make it to be.

padams421

If you approach it as an adventure, and one that won't last forever, I think you'll be fine. It is such a beautiful part of the world. Your toddler is going to think it's normal to see moose wandering down the road. It will be like living at the zoo for a 2 year old. We went to a musk ox farm outside of Fairbanks. Now where in Southern Cal are you going to see a musk ox herd in an open field?