Fairmont, WV
| Fairmont, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Downtown Fairmont and the Monongahela River in 2006
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| Nickname(s): "Friendly City" | |
| Motto: "Spend a Day... Spend a Lifetime" | |
 Location in Marion County and the state of West Virginia. |
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| Coordinates: 39°28′53″N 80°8′36″W / 39.48139°N 80.14333°WCoordinates: 39°28′53″N 80°8′36″W / 39.48139°N 80.14333°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Marion |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-manager government |
| • Mayor | Tom Mainella |
| • Deputy Mayor | Frank Yann |
| • City Manager | Robin I. Gomez |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.00 sq mi (23.31 km2) |
| • Land | 8.62 sq mi (22.33 km2) |
| • Water | 0.38 sq mi (0.98 km2) |
| Elevation | 984 ft (300 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 18,704 |
| • Estimate (2014) | 18,740 |
| • Density | 2,169.8/sq mi (837.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 26554-26555 |
| Area code(s) | 304 |
| FIPS code | 54-26452 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1560581 |
| Website | fairmontwv.gov |
Fairmont is a city in Marion County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 18,704 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Marion County.
Prior to the founding of Fairmont, the land that would become Marion County was part of Monongalia and Harrison County. In the 1700s, the earliest development of this area consisted of subsistence farming settlements. In 1789, Boaz Fleming, a Revolutionary War veteran, migrated to this area and purchased a 254-acre farm from Jonathan Bozarth. Oral history indicates that in 1808, Fleming made his annual trek to Clarksburg to pay his brother's Harrison County taxes. While in Clarksburg, Fleming attended a social gathering that included his cousin, Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison. Fleming complained to Mrs. Madison about having to travel over a hundred miles each year from his home to pay his Monongalia County taxes and his brother's Harrison County taxes. Mrs. Madison supposedly suggested that he create his own county to save him all that travel. In 1814, Fleming circulated a petition to do precisely that, naming the proposed county Madison County, in honor of Dolley and James Madison.
Milford (now Rivesville) was the only town within the borders of Fleming's proposed county, so Fleming decided to make Milford the seat of Madison County. However, Milford's citizens preferred to remain part of Monongalia County. As a result, Fleming's petition failed to gain sufficient support to be presented to the Virginia General Assembly. Fleming then focused on creating a new town near his farm, which was located on the west side of the Monongahela River. In 1817, Fleming's sons—William and David—began to clear land on part of their father's farm to make way for the new town; this part of the farm would later become downtown Fairmont. In 1819, a road was built from Clarksburg to Morgantown. Fleming's new town was about halfway between the two cities, making it a good resting point. The town was incorporated as Middletown on January 19, 1820. It is unknown if the town was called Middletown because of its location midway between Clarksburg and Morgantown or because Fleming's first wife, Elizabeth Hutchinson, was originally from Middletown, Delaware.
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