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 such as the Suisun people 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 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 in five counties, including in nearby Vacaville.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and, representing 5.65%, is 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. Summers have hot afternoons with cool nights with a lengthy dry period, whereas winters see frequent rainfall with mild to cool temperatures.

Demographics

Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
Latino whites|White] alone 47,09437,09133,26548.97%35.22%27.75%
Black or African American alone 14,09715,97917,21614.66%15.17%14.36%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 5184623840.54%0.44%0.32%
Asian alone 10,27715,26521,92110.69%14.49%18.29%
Pacific Islander alone 8511,0491,2010.88%1.00%1.00%
Other Race alone 2702316600.28%0.22%0.55%
Mixed race or Multiracial 5,0216,4558,5115.22%6.13%7.10%
Hispanic or Latino 18,05028,78936,72318.77%27.33%30.63%
Total96,178105,321119,881100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020

The 2020 United States census reported that Fairfield had a population of 119,881. The population density was. The racial makeup was 32.5% White, 14.9% African American, 1.3% Native American, 18.7% Asian, 1.1% Pacific Islander, 16.3% from other races, and 15.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.6% of the population.
The census reported that 98.6% of the population lived in households, 1.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 0.4% were institutionalized.
There were 39,026 households, out of which 39.1% included children under the age of 18, 52.4% were married-couple households, 6.4% were cohabiting couple households, 25.5% had a female householder with no partner present, and 15.7% had a male householder with no partner present. 18.9% of households were one person, and 8.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.03. There were 29,401 families.
The age distribution was 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% aged 18 to 24, 27.8% aged 25 to 44, 24.6% aged 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65years of age or older. The median age was 36.1years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males.
There were 40,539 housing units at an average density of, of which 39,026 were occupied. Of these, 60.2% were owner-occupied, and 39.8% were occupied by renters.
In 2023, the US Census Bureau estimated that the median household income was $102,321, and the per capita income was $41,878. About 7.8% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line.

2010

The 2010 United States census reported that Fairfield had a population of 105,322. The population density was. The racial makeup of Fairfield was 48,407 White, 16,586 African American, 869 Native American, 15,700 Asian, 1,149 Pacific Islander, 13,301 from other races, and 9,309 from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28,789 persons ; 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 lived in households, 1,221 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 1,268 were institutionalized.
There were 34,484 households, out of which 14,725 had children under the age of 18 living in them, 18,461 were opposite-sex married couples living together, 5,203 had a female householder with no husband present, 2,179 had a male householder with no wife present. There were 2,052 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 237 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 6,802 households were made up of individuals, and 2,500 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98. There were 25,843 families ; the average family size was 3.42.
The population was spread out, with 28,499 people under the age of 18, 11,246 people aged 18 to 24, 28,917 people aged 25 to 44, 25,884 people aged 45 to 64, and 10,775 people 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, of which 20,835 were owner-occupied, and 13,649 were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.5%; the rental vacancy rate was 7.1%. 61,652 people lived in owner-occupied housing units and 41,180 people lived in rental housing units.

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. Larry's Produce, a 1,200-acre produce farm, is part of the local economy as well.

Top employers

According to the city's 2021-2022 Popular Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
#Employer# of Employees
1Travis Air Force Base13,414
2County of Solano2,633
3Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District2,213
4Northbay Healthcare1,969
5Solano Community College750
6Partnership HealthPlan of California561
7City of Fairfield553
8Jelly Belly Candy Company489
9Sutter Regional Medical Foundation475
10Westamerica Bancorporation418

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 2018, a plan was adopted to renovate the Allan Witt park. A 6 mile section of the old Sacramento Northern Railway right of way has been developed into the Fairfield Linear Park, with a bicycle trail, plazas, and park features.

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 are Democrats, 12,810 are Republicans, and 14,808 stated no party preference.

Education

Public education is administered by Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District in most of the city limits and Travis Unified School District in the eastern portion.
High schools in the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District include:
High school in the Travis Unified School District include Vanden High School.
Holy Spirit School is a Catholic private school.

Infrastructure

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

Sister cities