FAIRMONT l WV
economic development
ABOUT US
Fairmont, West Virginia
Geography
Size: 9.00 sq mi (5,760 acres)
Elevation: 984 ft
Accessibility
Distance to North Central
West Virginia Airport (CKB): 15 miles
Distance to Pittsburgh
International Airport (PIT): 95 miles
Distance to Washington DC: 220 miles
Population
Fairmont Total Population: 18,575
Marion County Total Population: 56,575
Population within 50 miles: 893,271
Demographics
Median Age: 34.5
Median Household Income: $39,759
Education
High School Graduates or higher: 89.5%
Bachelor's Degree or higher: 26.1%
Higher Education Institutions: 2
Fairmont State University
Pierpont Community & Technical College
Distance to West Virginia University: 20 miles
Distance to Alderson Broaddus
University: 30 miles
Distance to Salem University: 35 miles
Distance to West Virginia Wesleyan
College: 52 miles
Distance to Glenville State College: 74 miles
Distance to Davis & Elkins College: 76 miles
Distance to Bethany College: 86 miles
Distance to West Liberty University: 88 miles
Distance to Wheeling Jesuit University: 93 miles
Distance to University of Pittsburgh: 94 miles
Notable People
Johnnie Johnson - Inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
as the "Father of Rock & Roll
Mary Lou Retton - 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist
in Women's Gymnastics
Nick Saban - Six-time National Champion
Head Football Coach
of the Alabama Crimson Tide
Frank Kendall Everest - Air Force aeroengineer
best known as
the "Fastest Man Alive"
Fuzzy Knight - Famous Western film actor from
the early to mid-1900s
John Knowles - Author of A Separate Peace
Robert Tinnell - Screenwriter, director, producer,
and author
of Feast of the Seven Fishes
David Carpenter - Professional Baseball Player
(Texas Rangers)
Hershel W. Williams - Battle of Iwo Jima
war hero who was
awarded Medal of Honor.
Did you know?
Fairmont was originally settled in 1820 by
Boaz Fleming as Middletown, being centrally
located in between Morgantown and Clarksburg.
The pepperoni roll was originally invented at the
Country Club Bakery in 1927 by
Giuseppe "Joseph" Argiro.
Fairmont is home to the first Father's Day service
which took place during the summer of 1908.
The Feast of the Seven Fishes Italian street festival
which takes place in Downtown Fairmont each
December is inspired by a famous comic strip and
book by author Robert Tinnell, and has also been
adapted into a feature length film inspired by
the festival.
The inventor of the world-famous
Original McDonald's Big Mac Sandwich,
Jim Delligatti, was a 1936 graduate of
Fairmont Senior High School.
Fairmont State University is home to many state and nationwide robotics competitions such as the
Robotics Coding Competition, the FIRST LEGO
League robotics tournament, the VEX U Robotics
Competition, and the World Robot Olympiad.
In the early 1900s, Fairmont had as many as
100 millionaires living within its borders, most with
heavy ties to the coal industry.
Thanks to an abundance of sand and natural gas,
Fairmont was well known for its glass industry in
the early 20th century.
The Celebration of Lights Festival at Morris Park,
which runs during the winter months, is ranked
as a 2018 Top Twenty event by the Southeastern
Tourism Society.
Data from: US Census Bureau