Fairfield, California

Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, United States, in the North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The city has a diversified economy, with government, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, professional and commercial construction sectors.

Fairfield was founded in 1856 by clipper ship captain Robert H. Waterman, and named after his former hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut.

It is the location of Travis Air Force Base and the headquarters of Jelly Belly. The population was 119,881 at the 2020 census.

History
Native Americans inhabited the area.

A clipper ship captain from Fairfield, Connecticut, named Robert H. Waterman, parceled out the town in 1856. He entered Fairfield in the race for Solano County seat in 1858, and won it from Benicia. As an inducement, he granted 16 acre of land for the construction of county buildings. In 1903, Fairfield was incorporated as a city.

In August 2020, parts of Fairfield were evacuated due to the LNU Lighting Complex Fires, which resulted in the burning of over 315,000 acre in five counties, including in nearby Vacaville.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.6 sqmi, of which, 34.4 sqmi of it is land and 3.2 sqmi of it is water. The total area is 5.65% water.

Located within the California Coastal Ranges, the city is centered directly north of the Suisun Bay and northeast of the San Pablo Bay. Much of the Suisun Bay contains the Suisun Marsh, the largest saltwater marsh on the west coast of the United States.

Climate
Fairfield has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). Summers have hot afternoons with cool nights with a lengthy dry period, whereas winters see frequent rainfall with mild to cool temperatures.

2020
According to the 2020 United States Census, Fairfield had a population of 119,881. The population density was 2882.4 PD/sqmi. During the period between 2017 and 2021, on average, 3.16 people lived in a household. The racial makeup of Fairfield is 42.2% White, 15.9% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 17.7% Asian, 1.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 12.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 29.3%. Non-Hispanic White was 29.0%.

Approximately one-quarter of Fairfield's population is under the age of 18 (25.3%). People who were 65 years or older constituted 13.0% of the population.

2010
The 2010 United States Census reported that Fairfield had a population of 105,322. The population density was 2,798.5 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of Fairfield was 48,407 (46.0%) White, 16,586 (15.7%) African American, 869 (0.8%) Native American, 15,700 (14.9%) Asian (9.1% Filipino, 1.8% Indian, 1.0% Chinese, 0.6% Vietnamese, 0.6% Japanese, 0.4% Korean, 0.3% Laotian, 0.2% Thai, 0.1% Pakistani), 1,149 (1.1%) Pacific Islander, 13,301 (12.6%) from other races, and 9,309 (8.8%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28,789 persons (27.3%); 21.2% of Fairfield was Mexican, 1.1% Puerto Rican, 1.0% Salvadoran, 0.5% Nicaraguan, 0.3% Guatemalan, 0.2% Cuban, and 0.2% Peruvian.

The Census reported that 102,832 people (97.6% of the population) lived in households, 1,221 (1.2%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,268 (1.2%) were institutionalized.

There were 34,484 households, out of which 14,725 (42.7%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 18,461 (53.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 5,203 (15.1%) had a female householder with no husband present, 2,179 (6.3%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,052 (6.0%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 237 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6,802 households (19.7%) were made up of individuals, and 2,500 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98. There were 25,843 families (74.9% of all households); the average family size was 3.42.

The population was spread out, with 28,499 people (27.1%) under the age of 18, 11,246 people (10.7%) aged 18 to 24, 28,917 people (27.5%) aged 25 to 44, 25,884 people (24.6%) aged 45 to 64, and 10,775 people (10.2%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

There were 37,184 housing units at an average density of 988.0 /mi2, of which 20,835 (60.4%) were owner-occupied, and 13,649 (39.6%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%. 61,652 people (58.5% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 41,180 people (39.1%) lived in rental housing units.

2000


As of the census of 2000, there were 96,178 people, 30,870 households, and 24,016 families residing in the city. The population density was 986.3 /km2. There were 31,792 housing units at an average density of 326.0 /km2. The racial makeup of the city was 56.21% White, 15.02% Black or African American, 0.77% Native American, 10.89% Asian, 0.93% Pacific Islander, 8.77% from other races, and 7.41% from two or more races. 18.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 30,870 households, out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,151, and the median income for a family was $55,503. Males had a median income of $38,544 versus $30,616 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,617. 9.3% of the population and 7.1% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 12.1% of those under the age of 18 and 5.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy


Fairfield has a diversified economy, with government, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, professional and commercial construction sectors. Anheuser-Busch operates a large regional Budweiser brewery, Clorox produces bleach products, and the Jelly Belly Candy Company manufactures its jelly beans in Fairfield. Partnership HealthPlan of California, an insurer, is based in Fairfield.

Top employers
According to the city's 2021-2022 Popular Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Arts and culture


The city's libraries are operated by Solano County Library, and include Fairfield Civic Center Library, and Fairfield Cordelia Library.

Annual festivals include a Tomato and Vine Festival, 4th of July, and Día de los Muertos.

The City Council appoints a Poet Laureate every two years. The Poet Laureate's role is to advocate for poetry and the advancement of literary arts in the community.

Parks and recreation
Recreation facilities and parks include Community Center, Adult Recreation Center, the Allan Witt Aquatics and Sports Complex, Dunnell Nature Park and Education Center, Laurel Creek Neighborhood Center, and Mankas Neighborhood Center. In 2017, a plan was adopted to improve a linear trail in Fairfield, and in 2018, a plan was adopted to renovate the Allan Witt park.

Golf courses
Public golf courses include Paradise Valley, and Rancho Solano.

Government


Prior to 2020, there were five city councilmembers, which include the Vice-Mayor and Mayor. Councilmembers are elected at large for four-year, staggered terms. Elections are held in November of even-numbered years. Beginning in November 2020, city council elections in Fairfield were conducted by district, with six district seats and an at-large mayoral seat for a total of seven council seats.

As of September 2022, there were 63,897 registered voters in Fairfield; of these, 32,104 (50.2%) are Democrats, 12,810 (20.0%) are Republicans, and 14,808 (23.2%) stated no party preference.

Education


Public education is administered by Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District and Travis Unified School District.

High schools in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District include:
 * Angelo Rodriguez High School (Early College program)
 * Armijo High School (International Baccalaureate program)
 * Fairfield High School

High school in the Travis Unified School District include Vanden High School.

Private schools
Holy Spirit School is a Catholic private school (K-8).

Transportation
Highways include Interstate 80, Interstate 680, and State Route 12.

The Fairfield-Vacaville Hannigan railroad station opened in November 2017. The station is served by Capitol Corridor trains operated by Amtrak California.

Fairfield Transportation Center is a transportation hub. Fairfield and Suisun Transit provides local bus service.

Healthcare
NorthBay Medical Center is a 154-bed hospital with a level II Trauma Center.

Notable people

 * Sasha Banks, professional wrestler for WWE
 * Brad Bergesen, starting pitcher for the MLB Baltimore Orioles
 * Desmond Bishop, Super Bowl Champion former starting middle linebacker for the NFL Green Bay Packers, Graduated from Fairfield High School class of 2002
 * Deone Bucannon, starting safety for the NFL Arizona Cardinals, Graduated from Vanden High School class of 2010
 * Chris Daly, former San Francisco supervisor
 * Jacob Duran, professional Kickboxing, UFC and boxing cutman/Actor appeared in Rocky Balboa & Creed 1,2
 * Huck Flener, MLB Pitcher, graduated from Armijo High School
 * Augie Galan, MLB All-Star outfielder, lived and died in Fairfield
 * Quinton Ganther, NFL free agent, graduated from Fairfield High School class of 2002
 * Luis Grijalva, professional runner representing Guatemala, Olympian, graduated from Armijo High School
 * Kathleen Hicks, 35th US Deputy Secretary of Defense, born in Fairfield
 * Susan Hutchison, Chair of the Washington State Republican Party, former television news journalist
 * James-Michael Johnson, NFL linebacker
 * Stevie Johnson, starting NFL wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers
 * Lee Kohler, musician and leader of the band This World
 * Linda Mabalot, filmmaker and activist who founded the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
 * Pat Morita, Oscar-nominated actor best known as Mr. Miyagi from Karate Kid, longtime Fairfield resident, graduated from Armijo High School
 * CC Sabathia, MLB starting pitcher for the New York Yankees and a resident of the Fairfield area
 * Alan Sanchez, WBC Continental America's Welterweight Boxing Champion fighting out of Fairfield
 * Tony Sanchez (American football), former American College Football coach and player
 * Jesse Scholtens, MLB pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
 * Chester See, singer, songwriter, producer, prior host of Disney 365 with over one million subscribers on his YouTube channel as of 2013
 * Tracy K. Smith, U.S. Poet Laureate, Pulitzer prize winner
 * Anthony Swofford, former U.S. Marine and author
 * Mychal Threets, American librarian and 2023 ALA Outstanding Public Service Award winner
 * Jason Verrett, NFL cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers
 * Dominic Wynn Woods, aka Sage the Gemini, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer

Sister cities

 * 🇯🇵 - Nirasaki, Yamanashi, Japan