Fairfield, Illinois facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fairfield
|
|
|---|---|
Wayne County Courthouse
|
|
| Motto(s):
"Home of the Friendly People"
|
|
Location of Fairfield in Wayne County, Illinois.
|
|
.svg)
Location of Illinois in the United States
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Wayne |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.06 sq mi (10.52 km2) |
| • Land | 4.03 sq mi (10.43 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2) |
| Elevation | 459 ft (140 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 4,883 |
| • Density | 1,212.26/sq mi (468.02/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code(s) |
62837
|
| Area code(s) | 618 |
| FIPS code | 17–24816 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394732 |
Fairfield is a city in Wayne County, Illinois. It is the main city, also known as the county seat, of Wayne County. You can also find Frontier Community College here. In 2020, about 4,883 people lived in Fairfield.
Contents
Fairfield's History
Fairfield is known for being the home of the Shelton Brothers. They were a well-known family during the early 1900s. They were involved in conflicts with other groups in Southern Illinois.
The Shelton Brothers, Carl, Earl, and Bernie, were a famous name in Fairfield. They were once found responsible for a mail carrier robbery in 1925. They were sentenced to 25 years but were released a few years later.
After their release, the Shelton brothers became very influential. They were based in East St. Louis, Illinois. They had a lot of control over various activities in the area.
Later, the Shelton brothers faced challenges. A person named Charles "Blackie" Harris joined forces with another group. This led to conflicts within the Shelton group. Carl Shelton, the leader, was ambushed and killed near Fairfield. Bernie was also killed. Earl moved to Jacksonville, Florida and became successful in land deals.
Fairfield's Geography
Fairfield is located at 38°22′49″N 88°21′57″W / 38.38028°N 88.36583°W. It covers an area of about 4.054 square miles (10.50 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 4.02 square miles (10.41 square kilometers). A small part, about 0.034 square miles (0.09 square kilometers), is water.
Fairfield's Population
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 195 | — | |
| 1860 | 508 | 160.5% | |
| 1870 | 719 | 41.5% | |
| 1880 | 1,391 | 93.5% | |
| 1890 | 1,881 | 35.2% | |
| 1900 | 2,338 | 24.3% | |
| 1910 | 2,479 | 6.0% | |
| 1920 | 2,754 | 11.1% | |
| 1930 | 3,280 | 19.1% | |
| 1940 | 4,008 | 22.2% | |
| 1950 | 5,576 | 39.1% | |
| 1960 | 6,362 | 14.1% | |
| 1970 | 5,897 | −7.3% | |
| 1980 | 5,944 | 0.8% | |
| 1990 | 5,439 | −8.5% | |
| 2000 | 5,421 | −0.3% | |
| 2010 | 5,154 | −4.9% | |
| 2020 | 4,883 | −5.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, Fairfield had 5,421 people living in 2,495 households. About 24.8% of these households had children under 18. Many households were married couples living together.
The population's age was spread out. About 20.5% were under 18 years old. The median age was 43 years. This means half the people were younger than 43 and half were older.
Education in Fairfield
Fairfield has several schools for students of different ages:
- Center Street School
- North Side School
- Fairfield Community High School
- Frontier Community College
Notable People from Fairfield
Many interesting people have come from Fairfield:
- Ben C. Blades: An Illinois state legislator.
- Carroll C. Boggs: A justice on the Illinois Supreme Court.
- William Borah: A famous Senator known as the "Lion of Idaho."
- H. S. Burgess: An Illinois state legislator and lawyer. He also served as the mayor of Fairfield.
- Charles W. Creighton: An Illinois state representative and lawyer.
- Thomas H. Creighton: Another Illinois state representative and lawyer.
- Kenneth Michael Kays: He received the Medal of Honor for his bravery during the Vietnam War.
- Drue Pearce: An Alaska state legislator.
- Clyde W. Robbins: A farmer and Illinois state representative.
See also
In Spanish: Fairfield (Illinois) para niños
