Fairbanks North Star Borough

The Fairbanks North Star Borough is a borough in Interior Alaska, incorporated on 1 January 1964 and named for Fairbanks and Polaris, the North Star. Its seat and largest city is Fairbanks, and it had 95,655 residents at the 2020 census.[1]

Geography

The borough covers 7,444 square miles, of which 7,338 are land and 105 water, with a land area slightly smaller than New Jersey. It adjoins the Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area to the north, the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area to the southeast and Denali Borough to the southwest.[1]

Population

The population was 43,412 in 1960, 45,864 in 1970, 53,983 in 1980, 77,720 in 1990, 82,840 in 2000 and 97,581 in 2010, falling 2.0 percent to 95,655 in 2020 with a 2025 estimate of 93,972. The 2020 median age was 32.6, 74.6 percent of residents lived in urban areas, and there were 114.1 males per 100 females.[1]

Institutions

The borough is home to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and two military installations, Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base. It operates a public library system whose main library is the Noel Wien Public Library, and a single school district covers the whole borough.[1]

Government

The borough has a strong-mayor system and a nine-member assembly elected at large to three-year terms.[1]

Metropolitan area

The borough makes up the Fairbanks Metropolitan Statistical Area, one of only two metropolitan areas in Alaska.[1]

FAQs

What is the borough seat? Fairbanks.

Which cities are in it? Fairbanks and North Pole.

Which bases are there? Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base.

How big is it? 7,444 square miles.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 12, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue