of the population, particularly the availability of the workforce, which is composed primarily of younger residents. Declining school populations are a source of concern in Fairbanks as well as other communities, but this must be seen in a broader context, Hopkins said. The outmigration of working-age families is a factor, but what is actually happening is that families are putting children into alternative education, such as home schooling, rather than public schools, Hopkins said. “There has been a 20% decline in public school enrollment in the Fair- banks North Star Borough School District,” but this is being offset to a large degree by parents choosing to home school, Hopkins said. “The overall size of the school-age pop- ulation hasn’t declined that much.”
expanding at Fort Wainwright, which also supports a Stryker Bri- gade, one of the Army’s mobile quick-response units that is also trained for northern climate war- fare. The addition could expand the local military population by 1,000, with 300 to 400 uniformed person- nel and 600 to 700 family members. The military has been an eco- nomic anchor for the Fairbanks community since World War II and the Interior bases have been steadi- ly expanded through the Cold War years and the recent geopolitical tensions. Additions in recent years have included at Fort Greely near Delta, east of Fairbanks, with missile in- terceptors, and at Clear Force Sta- tion, southwest of the city, which has advanced radar to detect and track enemy missile attacks. Most recently, advanced F-35 intercep- tors have been based at Eielson. While the North Slope work and military expansions have boosted Fairbanks, there is new uncertainty over continued federal support for research at the University of Alas- ka Fairbanks, another pillar of the local economy. Federal funding cuts at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) have raised concerns, Hopkins said. The NSF and NIH are both major sources of funding for research at UAF, which is the state’s major re - search university. The new uncer- tainties could result in difficulties in retaining highly skilled research faculty and staff at the Fairbanks campus, Hopkins said. “It’s a mixed picture in general, but the local economy is generally stable,” Hopkins said. Population trends in Fairbanks are similar to those of other Alaska communities, including Anchorage, with a gradual out-migration of working-age adults, which typically have families, but a rising popula- tion of senior citizens. “The trend is for us to have 5,000 80-year-olds by 2035,” Hopkins said, which will require a steady development of local senior housing and services, such as in health care.
Older Alaskans help stabilize the local economy because many are on pensions and other forms of sup- port, which is money brought into the community. However, there also are concerns for the composition
— Tim Bradner
Fairbanks economy in a good spot, mayor says Support industries Fairbanks continues to be a hub for multiple industries in the Interior, Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins says.
nies, equipment rental firms and other support providers busy, as well as union labor halls. “It’s a huge boost for us,” Fair- banks North Star Borough May- or Grier Hopkins said, particularly with work for the new Willow and Pikka projects and the numerous associated support industry jobs vi - tal for the work. The community is also catching a big tailwind from continued mil- itary expansion at the U.S. Army’s
Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks and at Eielson Air Force Base east of the Interior Alaska city. At Eielson, the Air Force is bring- ing in four additional KC-135 aerial refueling tankers to join tankers al - ready stationed there, Hopkins said. This will require additional hangars and other aircraft support facilities, and likely additional on-base hous- ing for new Air Force personnel and families. The Army’s 11th Airborne is also
continue to play large Interior role Like all Alaska communities, Fairbanks is facing some economic uncertainties, but there are many positives, too. One of them is the new North Slope oil field develop- ment that is keeping pipe compa-
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