Fairmont, Minnesota

Fairmont is a city in and the county seat of Martin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 10,487 at the 2020 census.

History
Fairmont was platted in 1857. The city was so named on account of its elevated town site. A post office has been in operation at Fairmont since 1858. Fairmont was incorporated as a city on February 28, 1878, with the first city charter adopted in 1902.

Geography
Fairmont is southeast of the center of Martin County and was built along a chain of five lakes: Lake George, Sisseton Lake, Budd Lake, Hall Lake, and Amber Lake. All except Amber Lake are connected by channels and extensively used for recreational boating and fishing. Interstate 90 and Minnesota State Highway 15 are two of the main routes in the city. I-90 leads east 57 mi to Albert Lea and west 59 mi to Worthington, while MN 15 leads north 27 mi to Madelia and south 20 mi to Armstrong, Iowa.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Fairmont has an area of 16.89 sqmi, of which 15.00 sqmi are land and 1.89 sqmi, or 11.2%, are water. The five lakes in the city drain northward out of Lake George into Center Creek, an east-flowing tributary of the Blue Earth River, part of the Minnesota River watershed.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 10,666 people, 4,812 households, and 2,816 families living in the city. The population density was 709.2 PD/sqmi. There were 5,251 housing units at an average density of 349.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.6% White, 0.5% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 1.9% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.3% of the population.

There were 4,812 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.5% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.78.

The median age in the city was 45.5 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,889 people and 2,962 families living in the city. The population density was 747.5 PD/sqmi. There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 345.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races.

There were 4,702 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the age of the population is varied with 24.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,709, and the median income for a family was $46,637. Males had a median income of $31,365 versus $22,447 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,658. About 8.0% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Fairmont has been home to Fairmont Railway Motors, Inc, now part of Harsco Corporation, for a century. The company pioneered motorized railway section cars, later road-rail technologies as well as track maintenance machinery that revolutionized and mechanized rail track engineering.

Fairmont products are exported around the world, although the dominant product, railroad speeders, is now mainly in the hands of railway enthusiasts who operate them for fun, such as the North American Railcar Operators Association and the Australian Society of Section Car Operators, Inc.

Fairmont is home to the U.S. headquarters of Avery Weigh-Tronix, one of the world's largest suppliers of weighing solutions.

The Fairmont Sentinel, cited as the most conservative newspaper in Minnesota, is published here. It was founded in 1885 and is published daily, except Sunday. As of 2019, it was owned by Ogden Newspapers and had a circulation of 3,629.

Fairmont's largest employer is Fairmont Medical Center, part of the Mayo Health System.

Until 1992, Fairmont was home to a major regional frozen food canning operation. Long owned by Stokely-Van Camp, the plant fell under the United Foods International umbrella after United Foods' 1982 $50 million buyout of Van Camp's frozen vegetable division. Before closing in December 1992, the Fairmont plant was one three frozen vegetable processing plants producing product for the United Foods family of canned vegetables for sale nationwide. The plant reopened and operated until 2015 as Fairmont Foods of Minnesota. Its closing was announced, but Tony Downs Food Group purchased it and kept it open.

Top employers
According to the Fairmont's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's largest employers:

Education
Local schools:


 * Fairmont Junior/Senior High School
 * Fairmont Elementary School
 * St. John Vianney Catholic School, K-6
 * St. Paul Lutheran School, K-8 (Martin Luther High School 9-12 is in nearby Northrop)

Higher education
 * Minnesota West Community College

Notable people

 * Frank A. Day, newspaper editor, Minnesota legislator and the 13th lieutenant governor of Minnesota
 * CJ Holstine, Education Minnesota's 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year
 * Jay Maynard, internet celebrity known as "Tron-Guy"
 * Paul Willson, actor best known for his role as Paul in Cheers and Bob Porter in Office Space