Eielson AFB, Alaska
Population: 5,400
Located in Fairbanks North Star Borough
Eielson Air Force Base, AlaskaEielson is located 28 miles south of Fairbanks and is the primary Air Force base in interior Alaska. It provides arctic testing and training services for the Air Force. There are also tours every week through August 25, 2000. Ladd Field, now Fort Wainwright, was created in 1939 primarily for cold-weather testing of aircraft and equipment. Only Interior Alaska offered the consistently cold temperatures needed. But the air force realized they needed another base, and created what was then known as 26-Mile (because it was exactly 26 miles from Fairbanks to the gate of the base.) The original base was completed October 1944. There were about 600 acres with housing for 108 officers and 330 enlisted. It eventually had a 10-bed dispensary, two parallel runways 6,625 feet long by 150 feet wide and Birchwood Hangar. On Feb. 4, 1948, the Air Force changed the name of 26-Mile Post to Eielson Air Force Base. Strategically, Eielson’s location allows a faster response to hot spots in Europe, Korea, and the Far East than can be made by units at bases on the East Coast. Eielson units can respond quicker than many of the units based in California. Today, Eielson alone has more than three times the number of military personnel. The military in Alaska has over 24,000 active-duty people in the state, which helps to explain why its $1.5 billion in spending annually ranks second only to the oil industry. For housing, many families like to look to the North Pole. There is a huge replica of Santa & the "North Pole" and murals on the outside of the building. Santa's reindeer, Prancer, is in residence year round (when he is not helping deliver presents). This curiously-named small town is actually about 20 miles south of Fairbanks. City fathers encourage shops owners to carry out the Christmas theme. Since it is about midway between Ft. Wainwright and Eielson A.F.B. on the Richardson Highway, it is a bedroom community for military families who prefer to live off base. The nearby Chena Lakes recreation area is popular for skiing in the winter and swimming and boating in the summer, for a very small entrance fee. No other place in Alaska blends the richness of its history with present day, like the nearby city of Fairbanks. Sports buffs can take in a full schedule of hockey or basketball games. They can tee off late one summer evening under the midnight sun or view a baseball game at 10:30 p.m. with no artificial lights. Nature buffs can visit the local farmers market and the botanical gardens. Visitors can enjoy a wide selection of indigenous and contemporary art and music and an impressive selection of galleries and specialty stores. Fairbanks is the venue for local fine arts, a symphony orchestra, and world-renowned theatrical and musical performances year-round. Eielson Air Force Base has so much to offer, as does Alaska. With good housing choices, all year round activities, the great city of Fairbanks nearby, this base can definitely become a home away from home! Photo courtesy US Air Force Find homes for sale in Eielson AFB Alaska
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Eielson AFB's Premier Real Estate Agent
Hank BartosBroker, GRI, ABRGold Standard Real Estate
View My Website | View My Listings Also visit: College, Fairbanks, Fort Wainwright & North Pole |
