North Pole, Alaska: Christmas All Year, Fairbanks Next Door
North Pole is a small city of about 2,189 people located 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway. The name was chosen in 1953 by a developer who hoped a toy manufacturer would set up operations in a town called North Pole. That never happened, but the Christmas branding stuck. Street names include Snowman Lane and Santa Claus Lane, lampposts are decorated like candy canes, and the Santa Claus House gift shop on the highway has become a roadside attraction drawing tourists year-round.
Beyond the holiday theming, North Pole functions as a bedroom community for Fairbanks and nearby military installations, including Eielson Air Force Base roughly 12 miles to the southeast. A refinery operated by Petro Star processes North Slope crude oil on the edge of town, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline passes through the area.
The community deals with the same extreme climate as the broader Fairbanks North Star Borough. Temperatures can hit minus 50 in winter, while summer brings nearly 24 hours of daylight and temperatures occasionally reaching the 80s. Air quality becomes a concern during winter inversions, when wood smoke and vehicle emissions get trapped in the valley.
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North Pole is a small city of about 2,189 people located 14 miles southeast of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway. The name was chosen in 1953 by a developer who hoped a toy manufacturer would set up operations in a town called North Pole. That never happened, but the Christmas branding stuck. Street names include Snowman Lane and Santa Claus Lane, lampposts are decorated like candy canes, and the Santa Claus House gift shop on the highway has become a roadside attraction drawing tourists year-round.
Beyond the holiday theming, North Pole functions as a bedroom community for Fairbanks and nearby military installations, including Eielson Air Force Base roughly 12 miles to the southeast. A refinery operated by Petro Star processes North Slope crude oil on the edge of town, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline passes through the area.
The community deals with the same extreme climate as the broader Fairbanks North Star Borough. Temperatures can hit minus 50 in winter, while summer brings nearly 24 hours of daylight and temperatures occasionally reaching the 80s. Air quality becomes a concern during winter inversions, when wood smoke and vehicle emissions get trapped in the valley.
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