What are the “Hills” north of Fairbanks like? (Fox: apartments, power lines)

[Thewisehobbit]

So I recently applied and got approved for a dry cabin northeast of Fairbanks (gold mine and Gilmore trail area) and the elevation of the cabin is about 1300-1400 feet. While the elevation itself is “meh” (my current elevation in the Midwest is 1200), the rapid rise of elevation from town to the apartment is what makes me interested. According to the internet Fairbanks sits at 460’, so a 1000 foot climb in such a short time would be kind of a “wow” factor haha. The Midwest is flat. Anyways, how bad do the winds get up there? The cabin is in a birch woods, and is west facing. Will the wind be bad? As to temperatures, how much difference on average is there between town and the hills? I was told I will be above the ice fog. Does snow fall totals increase in the hills? Wildlife? Any stories or knowledge would be appreciated!!

[riceme]

Originally Posted by Thewisehobbit

So I recently applied and got approved for a dry cabin northeast of Fairbanks (gold mine and Gilmore trail area) and the elevation of the cabin is about 1300-1400 feet. While the elevation itself is “meh” (my current elevation in the Midwest is 1200), the rapid rise of elevation from town to the apartment is what makes me interested. According to the internet Fairbanks sits at 460’, so a 1000 foot climb in such a short time would be kind of a “wow” factor haha. The Midwest is flat. Anyways, how bad do the winds get up there? The cabin is in a birch woods, and is west facing. Will the wind be bad? As to temperatures, how much difference on average is there between town and the hills? I was told I will be above the ice fog. Does snow fall totals increase in the hills? Wildlife? Any stories or knowledge would be appreciated!!

In general that is a pretty nice area, and yep the elevation in town is ~450'. Was heating fuel or electricity included in your rent? It's probably too late now, but those are important questions to ask - how much fuel does the place burn in a year on average, and what is the average electricity bill? Plowing? Oh wait, is it an apartment or a dry cabin? Big difference, although I don't know of any apartments in that area.

The wind doesn't blow much here, but when it does blow in the wintertime, it is not a good time and it is cause for caution and concern. Large and small branches getting blown out of tree tops, trees getting blown down, power lines, etc. If the power goes out there are potentially lots of folks with no heat. How big of a problem that is depends on how cold it is and how widespread the outages are.

Most of the time it is a lot warmer in the hills in the wintertime - maybe 10 - 20 degrees. It's like living in the banana belt. I think whether you get more or less snow probably depends on exactly where you are. When I lived in the hills on the north side of the Goldstream Valley I got way, way more snow than anyone else I knew, but one of my friends lives in the hills just northeast town and doesn't get much snow at all.

When will you arrive? Do you have a good reliable vehicle?

[Thewisehobbit]

It’s a cabin, I don’t know why I worded it as an apartment. The owner said about $60 a month in electric, and I will only have to fill my oil tank once a winter. So rent plus utilities with oil averaged out I would say about $650-700 a month. Not including WiFi cable ect..

[riceme]

Originally Posted by Thewisehobbit

It’s a cabin, I don’t know why I worded it as an apartment. The owner said about $60 a month in electric, and I will only have to fill my oil tank once a winter. So rent plus utilities with oil averaged out I would say about $650-700 a month. Not including WiFi cable ect..

Oh wow that is super cheap for electric. Hopefully that means that it's a really efficient place. Do you know how big the heating fuel tank is? I am not asking to be be nosy. If the landlord told you that you'd just have to fill the tank once a year and it's 200 gallons, you're winning at life. If It's 500 gallons, I hope you packed a lot of money.

You may already know this but you should not assume that cable and internet will be available where you're living. I have only lived one place where in Alaska where I could get internet service, and tv is just forget it.

Saying "that area is pretty nice" might give the impression that I think it's "just okay". I do not. I would be stoked if I found a house in the Gold Mine Trail / Gilmore area. It is in my personal top three areas I'd like to live in Fairbanks. So, I hope it's as great as I expect it to be

[Chilkoot]

I lived in Fairbanks for a few years when I first moved to Alaska in 1980. I lived in town and that December we had 2-3 weeks of ice fog. I wasn’t getting out much due to the cold and being an Alaska newbie. I met some folks who had purchased some land from Joe Vogler up Farmers Loop and had built a home. They invited me up. What an incredible view above the ice fog, another world. My post may not be much help but the thread certainly brought back some good memories for me. Looks like the Howling Dog is alive and well out that way. Lucky you.

[riceme]

I would not say that the Howling Dog is alive and well. Ralph has not opened yet this year, and it looks like the dog may not open at all this summer.

The Turtle Club sort of reopened recently. Half-way. They are being pretty cautious.

[Thewisehobbit]

Can someone fill me in one this one..

[riceme]

The Howling Dog, or simply "the dog" is a much-loved hole-in-the-wall bar in Fox, which is roughly at the bottom of the hill you'll be living on. It used to be quite the hangout back in the day. It is normally open from Cinco de Mayo until just after Halloween. There's a jukebox, bands play there, a kitchen that serves pretty good bar food, volleyball courts, and a deck out back.

The Turtle Club is right down the road and has a bar, a deck, a great salad bar, and serves what folks generally consider to be the best prime rib around. I generally prefer to order off of the bar menu, but I've never had anything that wasn't good at the TC.

[alaskaflyer]

Is the brewery across from the Howling Dog still surviving? We enjoyed some idle hours there before we moved away in 2012...

[riceme]

Sort of. They're open for to-go only Thursday-Saturday from 5pm to 8pm