Fairburn is a city in

Fulton County Fulton County is the name of eight counties in the United States of America. Most are named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first practical steamboat: *Fulton County, Arkansas, named after Governor William Savin Fulton *Fulton County, Georgia *F ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States, with a population of 12,950, according to the 2010 census. Though it has a rich history of its own, the city is now a closely linked suburb of Atlanta, which lies just 17 miles to the north.

History

Fairburn is located along a railroad line and was the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Campbell County starting in 1871. It was chosen as county seat in a referendum in 1871 that was spurred by the original seat of Campbellton refusing to allow the

Atlanta & West Point Railroad The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia, forming the east portion of the Atlanta- Selma West Point Route. The company was chartered in 1847 as the Atlanta and LaGrange Rail Road and renamed in 1857; constr ...

line through on account of the anticipated noise in the 1850s. The railroad instead passed through Fairburn. Campbellton then faded away as Fairburn grew. The government of Campbell County went bankrupt in 1931 during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and, along with

Milton County Milton County was a county of the U.S. state of Georgia from to . It was created on December 18, 1857, from parts of northeastern Cobb, southeastern Cherokee, and southwestern Forsyth counties. The county was named for John Milton, Secretary ...

to the north, was absorbed into Fulton County when 1932 began. The community is named after Fairburn, in England.

Geography

Fairburn is located at (33.562411, -84.581443). Fairburn is located along

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, n ...

, which leads northeast 20 miles (32 km) to

downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The larger of the city's two other commercial districts ( Midtown and Buckhead), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, s ...

and southwest 142 miles (229 km) to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

Georgia State Route 74 State Route 74 (SR 74) is a state highway that runs southeast-to-northwest through portions of Bibb, Monroe, Upson, Pike, Meriwether, Coweta, Fayette, and Fulton counties in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route con ...

also runs through the city, leading south 13 miles (21 km) to

Peachtree City Peachtree City is the largest city in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 34,364. Peachtree City is located in South Metro Atlanta. Peachtree City is noted for its extensive use o ...

. Some areas in nearby Fayette County have a Fairburn mailing address. According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.24%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 16,483 people, 5,051 households, and 3,442 families residing in the city.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 5,464 people, 1,879 households, and 1,416 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,005 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 47.64%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 43.08%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.29% Native American, 0.71%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 6.46% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.81% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 13.01% of the population. There were 1,879 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.26. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $39,679, and the median income for a family was $42,219. Males had a median income of $32,708 versus $28,940 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,898. About 6.1% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

* Fulton County Schools serves Fairburn. * Arlington Christian School is a private school in Fairburn. * Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System operates the Fairburn Branch. *

Landmark Christian School Landmark Christian School is a K-12 private school, private Christian school in the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. It has a main campus in Fairburn, Georgia, Fairburn, serving students in grades K4 thr ...

is a private school in Fairburn. *

Georgia Military College Georgia Military College (GMC) is a public military junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is divided into the junior college, a military junior college program, high school, middle school, and elementary school. It was originally known as M ...

has a campus located in Fairburn, offering associate degrees. * Brenau University has a satellite campus in Fairburn. * University of Georgia at Fairburn is located in Fairburn.

Culture

Fairburn is home to the

Georgia Renaissance Festival The Georgia Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance fair that recreates England's renaissance for entertainment purposes. The time period for the festival is set as the 16th century, during the reign of King Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII. The fes ...

, in operation during the springtime. The City of Fairburn hosts the "Fairburn Festival" each fall, featuring a parade, local food and crafts vendors and musical performances.

In Popular Culture

Fairburn was referenced in the 1970 song "Good Friends and Neighbors" by country singer Jerry Reed, a Georgia native. The song follows the story of a circuit judge from Monroe, Georgia who has been robbed by a hitchhiker he picked up in Fairburn and then continues to have trouble solving his situation in town, before walking into a local restaurant and telling his story to the friendly staff. There is also a popular YouTube series by YouTuber "Not The Expert", centered around a fictitious

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

team known as the

University of Georgia Fairburn (UGF) A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

Pandas.

References

{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Fulton County, Georgia Fairburn Populated places established in 1870 Former county seats in Georgia (U.S. state) 1870 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)