The University of Alaska - Fairbanks (Anchorage, Tanana: maintenance, landscaping, apartments)

[Arcticthaw]

Originally Posted by HG_75

Right on, everything is sounding real good.

What is the general political attitude in Fairbanks? And would you say the area around the campus is safe/well-kept? I just don't want to be close to a rough, run-down kind of neighborhood...

Hi, I don't recall if you said where your from, but Fairbanks is spread out a bit. Fairbanks is not a walk downtown kind of city. Things are more spread out. The neighborhoods near the U are older but decent. The U sits up on a fairly large hill and any rifraff that may be in the area are too lazy to climbe the stairs. There is three coffee shops at the bottom of the hill, one in a used / new book store. This is a pretty safe place to live as long as you follow normal comon sense rules. Don't leave valuables visible in you car. Lock the car. Walking down the hill, take a friend for company and to laugh at you when you slip and bust your butt.

Polotics varies, but the U has most the liberals and the tend to live close. I think Fairbanks is still fairly concervative financially, but give more to good causes than any other city in the state. Mal's description is very fitting.

So what do you need to convice you? Photos or what? Come on up and visit first hand.

[RAMFEB31]

If I was young again, U of A in Fairbanks would be my 1st choice. It look so modern and clean with a great museum. I've visited this place 4 times and am not tired of it yet. w/the new latest addition to the museum, it is even better.

[HG_75]

Originally Posted by Arcticthaw

So what do you need to convice you? Photos or what? Come on up and visit first hand.

Heh, I would indeed visit first if I make up my mind. I've tried looking at all the photos I can on the internet, and it looks pretty nice, but if you happened to have any other ones on hand you could post without any trouble, I'd love that. I also should be receiving some brochures in the mail on UAF as well as Fairbanks.

I've talked to some others online and read comments and a lot of the complaints deal with the "dreary, dungeon-like quality of the buildings", "lack of foliage" on campus, not enough views of the nearby scenery, and less than adequate campus maintenance. Could anybody comment on those?

If I go for a campus visit, what time of year would be best?

[mal_flisk]

I wouldn't say that the campus is dreary. It might be that someone is not acclimatized to the winter dark and has a case of sour grapes. Personally, I find the campus is fascinating and most of the curricula up there have a lot to do with things like weather and climate modelling, wildlife management, etc, that have a lot to do with life in Alaska.

[RAMFEB31]

Originally Posted by HG_75

Heh, I would indeed visit first if I make up my mind. I've tried looking at all the photos I can on the internet, and it looks pretty nice, but if you happened to have any other ones on hand you could post without any trouble, I'd love that. I also should be receiving some brochures in the mail on UAF as well as Fairbanks.

I've talked to some others online and read comments and a lot of the complaints deal with the "dreary, dungeon-like quality of the buildings", "lack of foliage" on campus, not enough views of the nearby scenery, and less than adequate campus maintenance. Could anybody comment on those?

If I go for a campus visit, what time of year would be best?

Wow!! The next thing you are going to tell us you've heard they have race riots and the hallways have guards armed w/AK47s. Of course, I've only visit the campus as a tourist and seen only a few buildings but from what I've seen it look a lot cleaner and open than Santa Ana College, Ca where I've taught math in the 60s. Those were the days where U suffer inside when it was cold outside and roast when it was hot.

[HG_75]

haha, gotcha, thank you everybody. I will try to get a bit more involved on here and get a feel for everything just in case. Thanks again.

[Arcticthaw]

I took a Sunday drive by the U just for you HG _75. Today was overcast and someone had a large burn pile going, so it looks a bit hazy, but I will post a buch of Photos, as soon as I get time.

In the mean time here are a couple to give you the lay of the land.

Photos in sequence: Some of the original dorms, School of Mines and engineering, The campus from a distant hill, Caribou (reindeer) at the research farm.

[UAFBOUND]

And all of them just reinforce my thought in going to UAF! Seriously, the complaint about a lack of scenery and a lack of foliage is pretty outlandish. There may not be many trees on the campus hill, but go 100 yards in any direction and meet many miles of trees! Plus, the hill has an amazing view of the town. One of my favorite attractions is the Dalton Highway. This highway stretches for nearly a thousand miles and shows some of the state's best scenery! You can actually go from complete forrest to the desert-like part of the state in just a few hundred miles without ever seeing a car! Fairbanks is placed perfectly in the state! Denali is a two hour drive from the campus and has an endless amount of trails!

These are some of the reasons why I'm for sure going to UAF! You should too!

[mountain_time_Blues]

Originally Posted by Arcticthaw

I took a Sunday drive by the U just for you HG _75. Today was overcast and someone had a large burn pile going, so it looks a bit hazy, but I will post a buch of Photos, as soon as I get time.

In the mean time here are a couple to give you the lay of the land.

Photos in sequence: Some of the original dorms, School of Mines and engineering, The campus from a distant hill, Caribou (reindeer) at the research farm.

Already snow on the ground. The photo looking at the school from the hill is great.

[RayinAK]

Something else about UAF: it has a great engineering department. Physics is another department that is internationally known. The International Research Center (IARC) also is a well known place. And don't forget the Nanooks Rifle Team.

Here is the UAF's web page:
University of Alaska Fairbanks

And the Geophysical Institute's:
Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks