Fairmont, North Carolina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fairmont, North Carolina
Town
Main Street
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "A Proud Past, A Promising Future"
Fairmont, North Carolina Location in North Carolina
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
County	Robeson
Area
• Total	2.77 sq mi (7.16 km2)
• Land	2.76 sq mi (7.15 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation	118 ft (36 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,191
• Density	793.55/sq mi (306.44/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	28340
Area codes	910, 472
FIPS code	37-22360
GNIS feature ID	2406479
Website	www.fairmontnc.com

Fairmont is a town in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,191 at the 2020 census.

History

Fairmont town hall

Fairmont was originally known as Ashpole in homage to the nearby Ashpole Swamp. It was incorporated as Union City in 1899, but the name was changed back to Ashpole in 1901. Six years later the name was changed to Fairmont.

Farmers taking tobacco to market in Fairmont in the early 1900s

The first settlers to this area received land grants from the Lords Proprietors and worked in the logging and naval stores industries producing lumber, turpentine and pitch for ships. The Bufort County Lumber Company opened in the northern section of town in the late 1890s employing 300 men and becoming one of the largest lumber companies in the south. By the late 19th century, a thriving tobacco market had been established as well. The railroads later followed to rapidly move these goods. By the early 20th century, tobacco became king, and by the mid-1950s, Fairmont was considered one of the major tobacco markets in the world. Based upon its 1950 population of a little over 2,000 Fairmont was considered as the "biggest little tobacco market in the world. In 1951 Fairmont sold twice as much tobacco as was grown in Robeson County. As health concerns have affected the sales of tobacco, many local farmers have turned to other cash crops, mainly corn, soybeans and wheat. The Border Belt Farmers Museum was established in 1989 by converting an unused former railroad depot into a museum filled with farming, tobacco related, and historical memorabilia. It is open five days a week (M, W, F-11:00-3:00 & T, TH 9-12:00 & 1:00-3:00). The town has recently started promoting itself as "the shortest route to the S.C. beaches" by encouraging motorists traveling south on Interstate 95 to take exit 10. The advertising campaign, utilizing a very prominent billboard on the interstate, has resulted in a higher traffic flow and increased commercial traffic to the community.

Scenes from the movie Arthur Newman were filmed here.

The Fairmont Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

Geography

Fairmont lies within the Carolina Border Belt, a regional network of tobacco markets and warehouses along both sides of the North Carolina-South Carolina border.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,191 people, 1,046 households, and 644 families residing in the town.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,663 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 56.0% Black, 26.0% White, 13.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from some other race and 2.5% from two or more races. 1.9% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Notable people

• Rod Griffin, 1977 ACC Player of the Year (basketball)
• Joy J. Johnson, Baptist minister and state legislator
• Effie Neal Jones, civil rights activist
• Joseph Mitchell, American writer
• Thomas Avery Nye, Jr., politician

See also

In Spanish: Fairmont para niños