Oral history indicates that in 1808, Boaz Fleming made his annual trek to Clarksburg to pay his brother's Harrison County taxes. While in Clarksburg, he attended a social gathering that included Dolly Madison, his cousin. He complained to her about having to travel over a hundred miles each year from his home to pay his Monongalia County taxes and his brother's Harrison County taxes. Dolly Madison supposedly suggested that he create his own county to save him all that travel. Six years later, Boaz Fleming circulated a petition to do precisely that, naming the proposed county Madison County, in her and her husband's, President James Madison, honor. The petition failed to gain sufficient support to be presented to the Virginia General Assembly. He then focused on creating a town near his farm. In 1819, a road was built from Clarksburg to Morgantown. His farm was about halfway between the two, making a good resting point. He laid out the town on the west side of the Monongahela River in 1819. It was incorporated on January 19, 1820 as Middletown. It is unknown if the town was called Middletown because of its location midway between Clarksburg and Morgantown or because Boaz Fleming's first wife, Elizabeth Hutchinson, was originally from Middletown, Delaware. Middletown was named newly formed Marion County's first county seat on February 18, 1842. At that time, William Haymond, Jr. suggested that the town's name be changed to Fairmont because the town had a beautiful overlook of the Monongahela River, giving it a "fair mount." The Borough of Fairmont was incorporated in 1843 by the Virginia General Assembly."
Established in 1820 as Middletown, then in Monongalia County, it was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1843 as Fairmont, a contraction of "Fair Mountain".
Country Club Bakery in Fairmont is "The Home of the Original Pepperoni Roll."
The former head of the art department at Fairmont State University, Luella Mundel, was the subject of a documentary called American Inquisition by Helen Whitney. Mundel was the victim of blacklisting during the McCarthy era, and the documentary showed how the negative effects of that era reached even smalltown West Virginia. This documentary was the subject of a very famous case about the First Amendment.
The site of the first Father's Day on July 5, 1908, originally celebrated in honor of the more than 200 fathers lost in the Monongah Mining disaster several months earlier. However, neither Fairmont nor the state of West Virginia chartered the holiday to make it official, so several other locales have erroneously taken credit for its inception over the years.
William S. Barnes born 1735, recognized patriot, militia man in the Revolutionary War, and progenitor of the Barnes family currently living in Fairmont and surrounding areas was the first person to live in what is currently Marion County and Fairmont, WV. He constructed a corn mill to process grain a short distance above where the Fairmont City Reservoir currently resides, and his pioneer house stood where the Fairmont Chemical Company is constructed.
The Tygart Valley River and the West Fork River join in Fairmont to form the Monongahela River. Buffalo Creek, a tributary of the Monongahela River, flows through the northern part of the city.
According to the US Army Corp of engineers, Fairmont, West Virginia, is the port city farthest from the ocean (2,085 miles) via an inland waterway.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.00 square miles (23.31 km2), of which, 8.62 square miles (22.33 km2) is land and 0.38 square miles (0.98 km2) is water.
Fairmont is located in the North-Central region of the state, along West Virginia's I-79 High Tech Corridor. Major highways include:
Interstate 79
U.S. Highway 19
U.S. Highway 250
West Virginia Route 310
West Virginia Route 273
Fairmont Municipal Airport (Frankman Field) is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the central business district of Fairmont. It is owned by the Fairmont-Marion County Regional Airport Authority.
At the 2010 census, there were 18,704 people, 8,133 households and 4,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,169.8 inhabitants per square mile (837.8/km2). There were 9,200 housing units at an average density of 1,067.3 per square mile (412.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.9% White, 7.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.
There were 8,133 households of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.6% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.83.
The median age was 36.8 years. 18% of residents were under the age of 18; 16.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.
At the 2000 census, there were 19,097 people, 8,447 households and 4,671 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,438.5 per square mile (941.7/km2). There were 9,755 housing units at an average density of 1,245.6 per square mile (481.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.16% White, 7.26% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 8,447 households of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.83.
18.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.
The median household income was $25,628 and the median family income was $37,126. Males had a median income of $27,944 vand females $20,401. The per capita income was $16,062. About 12.6% of families and 20.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Fairmont has a Council-manager government, whereby the mayor serves as chairman of the city council and the city manager takes care of the day-to-day operations. The current mayor, Ronald J. (Ron) Straight was elected to a two-year term as Mayor in January 2013.
1st District- Marianne Moran
2nd District- Frank Yann (Deputy Mayor)
3rd District- Rob Linger
4th District- William "Bill" Burdick
5th District- Fran Warner
6th District- Dan Weber
7th District- Philip Mason
8th District- Tom Mainella (Mayor)
9th District- Ronald J. "Ron" Straight
Fairmont Senior High School (FSHS) is an historic secondary school, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 22, 2002. Architect William B. Ittner, who is responsible for over three dozen entries in the National Register, designed the school in the late 1920s. The school's architectural classification is Colonial Revival, with a stone foundation, brick walls, and asphalt shingle roofing.
Fairmont State University is a public university with an approximate enrollment of 7,700 students. The institution offers master's degrees in business, education, teaching, criminal justice, and nursing, in addition to 90 baccalaureate and 50 associate degrees. Originally named Fairmont Normal School, the college was located on the corner of Fairmont Avenue and Second Street and moved to its present location in 1917.
Pricketts Fort is a 22-acre (8.9 ha) West Virginia state park and site of an historic fort built to defend early European settlers from raids by hostile Native Americans. The feuds were generally over territory the settlers appropriated following the Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1768).
Valley Falls State Park is also located nearby to the east.
The Johnnie Johnson (musician) Blues & Jazz Festival is held annually in Fairmont, WV.
Fairmont's National White Collar Crime Center provides nationwide support to law enforcement agencies involved in prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime.
NASA Independent Verification and Validation Facility, governed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, houses more than 150 full-time employees and more than 20 in-house partners and contractors.
The Jacobs-Hutchinson Block building, also known as Peoples' National Bank and Friendly Furniture Store
The Aerial Port Gymnastic Center is where the 1984 Olympic Medalist Mary Lou Retton was trained, now relocated to the former site of ABC Printing.
Tony Adamle, played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns (1947–1951, 1954).
Frank J. Breth, United States Marine Corps brigadier general.
David Carpenter (baseball, born 1985), professional baseball player
Joe Cerisano, singer, songwriter, musician ("Be All That You Can Be", "Hands Across America")
Augusta Clark, librarian, politician and lawyer; second African-American woman to serve on the Philadelphia City Council (1980-2000).
Ann K. Covington, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri, the first woman to hold that position.
Frank Kendall Everest, Jr., U.S. Air Force officer who is best remembered as an aeroengineer and test pilot during the 1950s. Once known as The Fastest Man Alive.
Ron Everhart, assistant basketball coach at West Virginia University, former head basketball caoch at Duquesne University, Northeastern University and McNeese State University.
Art Finley, North American television and radio personality, mostly in San Francisco and Vancouver, remembered by many as "Mayor Art", the host of a live children's show that was aired on KRON-TV in San Francisco from 1959 to 1966.
Aretas B. Fleming, 8th Governor of West Virginia.
Carrie Watson Fleming, First Lady of West Virginia, 1890–1893
Frank Cruise Haymond, Judge of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, 1945-1972
Thomas Haymond, a nineteenth-century congressman and lawyer.
Philip C. Jimeno, long-serving member of the Maryland State Legislature.
Johnnie Johnson, piano player and blues musician, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Rashod Kent, NFL player
Fuzzy Knight, film and television actor, appeared in over 180 films between 1929 and 1967, usually as a cowboy hero's sidekick.
John Knowles, author.
Alan Mollohan, former member of United States House of Representatives, who represented West Virginia's 1st district.
Luella Mundel, professor and McCarthyism victim
Michael Oliverio II, member of the West Virginia Senate, representing the 13th District.
Doris Piserchia, science fiction writer.
Roman W. Prezioso, Jr., West Virginia state senator representing the 13th senatorial district.
Francis H. Pierpont, Governor of the union controlled parts of Virginia during the American Civil War, known as the "father of West Virginia".
Mary Lou Retton, American Olympic gold medal winner, member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Nick Saban, head coach of University of Alabama football team.
Robert Tinnell, motion picture screenwriter, director, and producer, the author of several comic books and graphic novels.
Hershel W. Williams, awarded the Medal of Honor for his outstanding heroism in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Clarence Wayland Watson, founded several companies that became Consolidation Coal and Mining Companies, United States Senator from West Virginia from 1911 to 1913.
