USA/Alaska: Fairbanks
Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska, but still population is only about 40,000. It owes its existence to two booms in the past – one was the gold rush when plentiful gold was discovered around it, and the second was the Transalaskan Oil Pipeline construction in the 1980s. The town is located along the Chena River where it flows into the Tanana. During the boom times, the downtown was booming area full of saloons and bars. Nowadays, the Golden Heart Plaza is collection of some monuments, a whitewashed wooden church, now river views, and old glory buildings. Quite a lot of homeless and intoxicated people hanging around as well.
