As the second largest city in the state of Alaska, modern-day Fairbanks is a thriving city nestled in pristine Alaska frontier wilderness. Winter visitors enjoy dog sledding and Northern Lights displays, while visitors in warmer months enjoy a wide variety of may other recreational activities popular to the area including canoeing, kayaking, camping, mountain biking, golf, hiking and climbing.

Visitors and locals alike also enjoy the city's Georgeson Botanical Gardens, the Migratory Bird Refuge center, the array of year-round symphony and theater performances, and the many well-preserved collections of indigenous and contemporary art and music and an impressive selection of galleries and specialty stores. Fairbanks is also home the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the oldest university in Alaska, which houses the University of Alaska Museum of the North.