Fairmont, Minnesota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fairmont
|
|
|---|---|
Street in downtown Fairmont
|
|
| Nickname(s):
City of Lakes
|
|
Location in Martin County and the state of Minnesota
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Martin |
| Platted | 1857 |
| Incorporated (village) | 1860 |
| Incorporated (city) | February 28, 1878 |
| City Charter Adopted | 1902 |
| Area | |
| • City | 16.89 sq mi (43.74 km2) |
| • Land | 15.00 sq mi (38.85 km2) |
| • Water | 1.89 sq mi (4.90 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,188 ft (362 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • City | 10,487 |
| • Estimate
(2022)
|
10,260 |
| • Density | 684.05/sq mi (264.11/km2) |
| • Urban | 8,387 |
| • Metro | 19,650 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code |
56031
|
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-20330 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394735 |
| Sales tax | 7.375% |
Fairmont is a city in Martin County, Minnesota, United States. It is the main city and the county seat of Martin County. In 2020, about 10,487 people lived there.
Fairmont is known as the "City of Lakes." This is because it is built around a chain of five beautiful lakes. These lakes are popular for boating and fishing.
Contents
History of Fairmont
Fairmont was first planned out in 1857. It got its name because it was built on a high piece of land. A post office opened in Fairmont in 1858.
The city officially became a city on February 28, 1878. Its first city rules, called a charter, were put in place in 1902.
Geography and Lakes
Fairmont is located in the southeastern part of Martin County. It is famous for its five connected lakes: Lake George, Sisseton Lake, Budd Lake, Hall Lake, and Amber Lake. All of these lakes, except Amber Lake, are connected by channels. This makes them great for fun activities like boating and fishing.
Major roads like Interstate 90 and Minnesota State Highway 15 pass through the city. Interstate 90 connects Fairmont to other cities like Albert Lea to the east and Worthington to the west. Highway 15 goes north to Madelia and south to Armstrong, Iowa.
Fairmont covers an area of about 16.89 square miles (43.74 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, but about 1.89 square miles (4.90 square kilometers) is water from its lakes. The water from these lakes flows north into Center Creek, which then goes into the Blue Earth River.
Fairmont's Population
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 541 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,205 | 122.7% | |
| 1900 | 3,040 | 152.3% | |
| 1910 | 2,958 | −2.7% | |
| 1920 | 4,630 | 56.5% | |
| 1930 | 5,521 | 19.2% | |
| 1940 | 6,988 | 26.6% | |
| 1950 | 8,193 | 17.2% | |
| 1960 | 9,745 | 18.9% | |
| 1970 | 10,751 | 10.3% | |
| 1980 | 11,506 | 7.0% | |
| 1990 | 11,265 | −2.1% | |
| 2000 | 10,889 | −3.3% | |
| 2010 | 10,666 | −2.0% | |
| 2020 | 10,487 | −1.7% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 10,260 | −3.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census |
|||
In 2010, there were 10,666 people living in Fairmont. There were 4,812 households, which are groups of people living together in one home. About 24.8% of these households had children under 18.
The average age of people in Fairmont in 2010 was 45.5 years old. About 21.4% of the people were under 18, and 22.2% were 65 or older.
Economy and Jobs
Fairmont has a long history with manufacturing. For over 100 years, it was home to Fairmont Railway Motors, Inc. This company made special vehicles for railways, like motorized cars that helped workers maintain train tracks. These vehicles were used all over the world. Today, many of these old railway cars are used by hobbyists for fun.
Fairmont is also home to the U.S. headquarters of Avery Weigh-Tronix. This company is one of the biggest in the world that makes weighing machines and solutions.
The local newspaper, Fairmont Sentinel, has been published in Fairmont since 1885. It comes out every day except Sunday.
One of the biggest employers in Fairmont is Fairmont Medical Center. It is part of the Mayo Health System, which is a large healthcare organization.
Fairmont also had a big frozen food processing plant for many years. It closed in 1992 but later reopened as Fairmont Foods of Minnesota. It was almost closed again in 2015, but another company, Tony Downs Food Group, bought it and kept it running.
Top Employers in Fairmont
Here are some of the largest employers in Fairmont, based on a 2020 report:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairmont Foods of Minnesota | 325 |
| 2 | Weigh-Tronix Scale Manufacturing | 305 |
| 3 | Fairmont Mayo Health Systems | 300 |
| 4 | ISD 2752 (Fairmont Area Schools) | 300 |
| 5 | REM Heartland | 250 |
| 6 | Hy-Vee | 240 |
| 7 | Torgerson Properties | 218 |
| 8 | Preferred Capital Management | 194 |
| 9 | Walmart | 191 |
| 10 | Lakeview Health Care Facility | 167 |
Education in Fairmont
Fairmont has several schools for students of all ages:
- Fairmont Junior/Senior High School
- Fairmont Elementary School
- St. John Vianney Catholic School (Kindergarten to 6th grade)
- St. Paul Lutheran School (Kindergarten to 8th grade)
For higher education, students can attend Minnesota West Community College.
Notable People from Fairmont
Some well-known people have come from Fairmont:
- Frank A. Day: A newspaper editor and a former lieutenant governor of Minnesota.
- CJ Holstine: Named Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2018.
- Jay Maynard: An internet celebrity known as "Tron-Guy."
- Paul Willson: An actor famous for his roles in TV shows like Cheers and the movie Office Space.
See also
In Spanish: Fairmont (Minnesota) para niños
