The Athabascan people were the first to occupy the area that is now present-day Fairbanks but not as permanent residents. There is no known Alaska Native settlement in the area, and archeologists have concluded that the native people used the area as a seasonal hunting and fishing area. European settlers moved to the area after Captain E.T. Barnette founded Fairbanks in 1901. He was heading to Tanacross and intended to set up a trading post in the area. The Tanana Valley stood out as a crucial agricultural center for Alaska until the Matanuska Valley Colonization project and the town of Palmer was established in 1935. Fairbanks's economy began to thrive in the 1930s after the construction of the Ladd Army Airfield began in 1939. In the 1940s, the Canol Pipeline was extended north from Whitehorse for several years. The city has been affected by floods for several decades, caused by ice jams during spring breakup and heavy rainfall. In 1967, the town was flooded after the Chena River broke its banks. This flooding disaster led to the creation of the Chena River Lakes Flood Control Project. The project has successfully prevented floods in the city because there have never been floods in the city after the 1967 flood.

One of the things you can do after buying a house in Fairbanks is watching the Northern Lights. Fairbanks is one of the best destinations for seeing the Northern Lights, and many tourists love to visit this city. If you own a home in this city, you get to see the Northern Lights any time they appear. You can go to the Aurora Pionte Activity Center a few miles outside the city and enjoy a campfire, hot drinks, and the Northern Lights. You can also join a formal aurora viewing tours, which offers information, and photography tips, and they also provide the best locations where you get the best view of the Northern Lights without interference from the city lights.

Fairbanks is the coldest city in the interior region of Alaska, and the winter is very long and cold. There are some outdoor winter activities you can do to stay active, such as taking winter tours across the city. Dog sleds have been a big part of Fairbanks, and you can use dog sleds with tour guides to explore the trails in the city. If dog sledding is not your thing, you can hire or buy a snowmachine and dash through the snow. If you are good at skiing, you can explore the woods by joining the cross-country skiing that most Fairbanks residents participate in during the winter.

Another thing you can do while living in Fairbanks is visit the museums. You can learn about the city's history by visiting some of the museums in the city. You can start with the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum, which has more than 80 cars from 1898 to 1936 on display. The next museum you should visit is the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, where you can find any information about the city. You can learn about the history of pioneers and the gold rush in the city by visiting Pioneer Park. At the University of Alaska Museum of the North, you will find different cultural galleries from five distinct regions of Alaska.