Ok, here are the answers I got from my friend. She has lived many places (including Seattle) but is from the state of Alaska. She transferred to Fairbanks, by choice, a couple of years ago.

Hope this helps!

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Anchorage weather is less fluctuating, but actually feels colder because it is so damp. The dampness gets into your bones there. In Fairbanks, we have a pretty big temperature range. It can be 20 above in the morning and drop to -20 at night. Usually, there is some time between to give you a chance to adjust.

Smoke is of course dependant upon where the fire is. Fairbanks tends to get hazy when there is a fire within about 200 miles. So far this year (knock on wood) it hasn't been smoky at all.

Mosquitos come out as soon as it's warm enough. This year they were pretty early, out in April. As long as you don't mind eu'de Cutters, you'll be fine. Each year varies as to when break up occurs. I've seen spring roll in in March and as late as June. Fall can be as early as Aug or as late as Oct.

It's really not as bad as people make it sound. Yes, it's cold, it snows, it's dark....but it can be beautiful when the snow blankets everything, there are ice carving sculptures, sledding, skiing, snowmachining. In the summer, it's light all day, you can have a BOUNTIFUL garden, hiking, swimming.