Fairbanks is an unincorporated community in

Alachua County Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus ope ...

, Florida, United States. It is located along

Florida State Road 24 State Road 24 (SR 24) is an east–west state highway that runs between Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico and Waldo, Florida, at US 301. State Road 24 runs along a former branch of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. This branch was originally owne ...

between Gainesville and

Waldo Waldo may refer to: People * Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Waldo (surname), a list of people * Waldo (footballer) (1934-2019), full name Waldo Machado da Silva, Brazilian footballer Places Canada * Waldo, ...

History

Fairbanks was established in 1873 by C. D. Furman, on the Atlantic, Gulf and West India Transit Company, commonly known as "the Transit railroad" and which eventually became part of the

Seaboard Air Line Railway The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

. The rail line was removed late in the 20th century. The community is named after

George Rainsford Fairbanks George Rainsford Fairbanks (1820–1906) was a lawyer, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Florida State Senator, president of Florida Fruit Growers Association and the Florida Fruit Exchange; editor of the '' Florida Mirror''; the author of books on ...

. Furman purchased and sold lots. In 1883, the community had a post office, three merchants, an Episcopal church, and a school with about 30 students, with prospects that a hotel would be constructed. Most of the residents that year were originally from the Northern United States. Furman had fruit- and nut-bearing trees in production, including date, Japanese plum, orange, peach, grape, almond, pecan, Spanish chestnut, and walnut. Vegetable growing was also important in the community. The post office was established in 1875, and closed in 1943.

References

{{coord, 29, 43, 29, N, 82, 15, 50, W, type:city_region:US-FL, display=title Unincorporated communities in Alachua County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida