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North Pole, Alaska, lies about 15 miles southeast of Fairbanks by way of the Richardson Highway. Within the incorporated area is a population of between 1,500 and 2,000, while outlying areas to the north and west claim about an additional 10,000 to 15,000 residents.
During our five years in Interior Alaska, we lived a little over a year in Fairbanks, but in November 1995 we moved to a house in the outskirts of North Pole, near where the Trans-Alaska Pipeline crosses Plack Road.
Greater North Pole, and nearby Moose Creek, have a considerable population of Army and Air Force personnel, both active and retired, thanks to the proximity of Fort Wainwright to the west and Eielson Air Force Base to the southeast. Because of the large population in the area, and because of the distance of the next large town to the south -- Delta Junction is about 85 miles away -- North Pole has a concentration of amenities much larger than would be expected of a city of its size, including a Safeway supermarket and several restaurants and fast food outlets. Even so, most residents do most of their shopping in Fairbanks.
Besides the military bases and the Pipeline itself, North Pole's major local employers are two oil refineries. It's also home to a favorite of the summer tourist trade, Santa Claus House.
North Pole has been an important part of the annual Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, which though overshadowed by the better known Iditarod is comparable in length and slightly more grueling.
As you might expect, wildlife is plentiful in the area -- moose and bald eagles are frequently seen, and grizzly bears occasionally put in an appearance.
Interior Alaska is characterized by short, warm, dry summers and bitterly cold winters. The coldest temperature on record for Fairbanks is -66° Fahrenheit (-54° Celsius), on January 14, 1934. In any given winter, North Pole stands an excellent chance of seeing the mercury plunge to -50° or colder at least once.
Winters are usually snowy, with periods of clear, extremely dry weather interspersed between (usually) gentle snowstorms. Long winter nights offer excellent viewing opportunities for the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis. Another kind of light is even more common here -- after all, this is where Santa Claus lives, so leaving the Christmas lights up all year long isn't just a redneck thing.
Because North Pole is located at about 64 degrees, 45 minutes North latitude, the sun's path across the sky is very shallow; this accounts for twilights far longer than those experienced in the Lower 48, so that even in December, when the sun is up for only four hours each day, daylight on clear days can last as many as eight hours. In June, when the sun sets for only two hours at night, Fairbanks' semi-pro baseball team, the Alaska Goldpanners, play their annual Midnight Sun game from 10:30pm to about 1:30 the following morning -- without lights.
Summer temperatures in the North Pole area normally range from lows in the 50s to highs in the 70s and even 80s. The record high in Fairbanks was 99° Fahrenheit (37° Celsius), achieved on July 28, 1919.
Interior temperatures can dip below freezing in any month of the year, and frequently do. Conversely, in winter they can also rise as high as 50° above zero, even in January and February -- most recently for Fairbanks on January 15, 1981. It can snow in any month of the year too, though the odds are lowest in July and August. The snowiest months tend to be November and December.
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