Fairdale, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fairdale, Illinois
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 Fairdale, Illinois
Location in Illinois
Fairdale, Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | DeKalb |
| Township | Franklin |
| Area | |
| • Total | .23 sq mi (0.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 781 ft (238 m) |
| Population
(2012)
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| • Total | 152 |
| • Density | 661/sq mi (255/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
60146
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| Area codes | 815 and 779 |
| GNIS feature ID | 421795 |
Fairdale is a small community in Illinois, United States. It is an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own city government. Instead, it's part of Franklin Township in the northwestern corner of DeKalb County. Fairdale is located near the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad and Illinois Route 72. It's about 4.8 miles (7.7 km) east of Interstate 39.
History of Fairdale
The community we know as Fairdale today was first planned out in 1875 or 1876. It was built around the land owned by a farmer named Henry Koch. The original name for this community was Fielding. It was likely named after a person called Albert Fielding.
Some of the first buildings in Fielding included a general store owned by Lewis Keith. There was also a drug store run by L.W. King. A Methodist church was also an early part of the community. In 1875, a post office was opened. It was first called Wallace, named after Henry Koch's son.
Over time, a nearby community called Kirkland grew much faster than Fielding (Fairdale). This might have happened because Kirkland had a special station for trains to get coal and water.
The name of the community, Fielding, and the post office name, Wallace, were both changed to Fairdale in late 1895 or early 1896. The post office in Fairdale eventually closed its doors in 1953.
The 2015 Tornado Event
On April 9, 2015, Fairdale was hit by a very powerful EF4 tornado. This tornado caused a lot of damage to homes and businesses. Sadly, two people lost their lives, and many others were injured.
Local officials reported that about 15 to 20 homes were completely destroyed. Almost every building in Fairdale had some kind of damage. Special rescue teams from DeKalb and Rockford came to help search for people in the damaged buildings. The tornado had very strong winds, reaching up to 200 miles per hour (320 km/h). This speed is at the highest end of the EF4 scale.
Education in Fairdale
By 1881, a school was already open in Fielding, which is now Fairdale. In the early 1900s, a high school opened that offered two years of study. By 1924, it became a full four-year high school.
The high school closed in 1945. However, the school building continued to be used as an elementary school. It served students in the Kirkland School District until 1967. Since then, students from Fairdale have attended schools in the Hiawatha Community Unit School District 426. Most of these students go to schools in the neighboring town of Kirkland. As of 2018, the old school building in Fairdale is now a private home.
