Fairburn is a city in Fulton County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, United States, with a population of 16,483, according to the 2020 census. Though it has a rich history of its own, the city is now a closely linked

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, which lies just 17 miles to the north.

Name

The community is named after Fairburn, in England.

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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

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 and West Point Railroad The Atlanta and West Point Rail Road was a railroad in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, forming the east portion of the Atlanta, GA, Atlanta-Selma, AL, Selma West Point Route. The company was chartered in 1847 as the Atlanta and L ...

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 was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

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. Fairburn's population was 305 in 1870, with 208 white and 97 black residents.

Geography

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, ...

, which leads northeast to

downtown Atlanta Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The largest of the city's three commercial districts (Midtown Atlanta, Midtown and Buckhead being the others), it is the location of many corporate and region ...

and southwest to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

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 ...

also runs through the city, leading south to Peachtree City. 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

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,483 people, 5,051 households, and 3,442 families residing in the city.

Education

;K-12 education * Fulton County Schools serves Fairburn. * Arlington Christian School is a private school in Fairburn. * Landmark Christian School is a private school in Fairburn. ;Colleges and universities *

Georgia Military College Georgia Military College (GMC) is a Public college, 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 ori ...

has a campus located in Fairburn, offering associate degrees. ;Public libraries *

Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System The Fulton County Library System is a network of public libraries serving the City of Atlanta and Fulton County, both in the U.S. state of Georgia. The system is administered by Fulton County. The system is composed of the Atlanta Central Libr ...

operates the Fairburn Branch.Fairburn Branch
"

. Retrieved on February 24, 2010.

Culture

Fairburn is home to the Georgia Renaissance Festival, in operation during the springtime. The city of Fairburn hosts the popular "Third Friday" concert series annually from April through September. The city also hosts the "Fairburn Fall Festival" each fall, featuring a parade, local food and crafts vendors and musical performances. Both events draw thousands of participants from across the region.

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)