Subarctic
College, Alaska
Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska · Population 12k · 433 ft elevation
Living in College
College has a subarctic climate: pleasantly warm summers (July highs around 73°F) and bitterly cold winters (January lows around -13°F).
Precipitation is dry at about 13″ a year, and it is a snowy place (61″ a season).
Skies are sunny (60% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 44, with about 20 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
There is plenty to explore outdoors around College: about 21% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 1,500 ft around town.
College at a glance
- Population
- 12k
- Elevation
- 433 ft
- Average daily high
- 39°F0th percentile
- Average daily low
- 19°F0th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 13″6th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 61″92th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,733 hrs42th percentile
- Median AQI
- 4462th percentile
- Median home value
- $279k54th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,405/mo63th percentile
- Median household income
- $77k52th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 1.31%66th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 0.0%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 1.8%
- Unemployment rate
- 1.7%
- Homes with broadband
- 92%55th percentile
- Walkability index
- 6.619th percentile
- Average commute
- 16 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 12%3th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 27%
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 8946th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 8282th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 3%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 21%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 1,509 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3°F | -13°F | 0.6″ | 10.6″ | 94 hrs |
| Feb | 13°F | -6°F | 0.5″ | 9.5″ | 147 hrs |
| Mar | 25°F | 0°F | 0.5″ | 6.8″ | 286 hrs |
| Apr | 46°F | 22°F | 0.3″ | 2.7″ | 360 hrs |
| May | 62°F | 37°F | 0.6″ | 0.5″ | 375 hrs |
| Jun | 72°F | 48°F | 1.9″ | — | 381 hrs |
| Jul | 73°F | 51°F | 2.5″ | — | 330 hrs |
| Aug | 67°F | 46°F | 2.4″ | — | 270 hrs |
| Sep | 55°F | 35°F | 1.5″ | 1.2″ | 206 hrs |
| Oct | 35°F | 18°F | 0.8″ | 7.9″ | 119 hrs |
| Nov | 13°F | -1°F | 0.8″ | 11.4″ | 84 hrs |
| Dec | 6°F | -9°F | 0.6″ | 10.3″ | 82 hrs |
Near College
- Farmers Loop, AK · 4.9k
- Fairbanks, AK · 32k
- Ester, AK · 2.8k
- Goldstream, AK · 3.2k
- Chena Ridge, AK · 5.9k
- Steele Creek, AK · 5.9k
- Badger, AK · 19k
- North Pole, AK · 2.7k
Largest places in Alaska
- Anchorage, AK · 289k
- Juneau, AK · 32k
- Knik-Fairview, AK · 19k
- North Lakes, AK · 11k
- Tanaina, AK · 9.7k
- Wasilla, AK · 9.4k
- Meadow Lakes, AK · 9k
- Sitka, AK · 8.4k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology