| City of Fairfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
| The "Welcome to Fairfield" roadside sign along Interstate 80 | |||
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| Nickname(s): The Flats, Jelly Belly Land | |||
| Location in Solano County and the state of California | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | California | ||
| County | Solano | ||
| Incorporated | 1903 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Harry T. Price | ||
| • Senate | Lois Wolk (D) | ||
| • Assembly | Mariko Yamada (D) | ||
| • U. S. Congress | John Garamendi (D) | ||
| Area[1] | |||
| • Total | 37.635 sq mi (97.475 km2) | ||
| • Land | 37.390 sq mi (94.839 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.245 sq mi (2.635 km2) 3.65% | ||
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 108,321 | ||
| • Rank | 2nd in Solano County 60th in California 257th in the United States |
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| • Density | 2,878.2/sq mi (1,111.3/km2) | ||
| Time zone | PST (UTC−8) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC−7) | ||
| ZIP codes | 94533, 94534 | ||
| Area code(s) | 707 | ||
| FIPS code | 06-23182 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 1656005 | ||
| Website | http://www.ci.fairfield.ca.us/ | ||
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately 44 miles (71 km) from the city center of both cities, approximately 41 miles (66 km) from the city center of Oakland, less than 20 miles (32 km) from Napa Valley, 18 miles from the Carquinez Bridge, and 15 miles from the Benicia Bridge. Fairfield was founded in 1859 by clippership captain Robert H. Waterman, and named after his former hometown of Fairfield, Connecticut.
It is the home of Travis Air Force Base and the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory. With a population of 108,321 at the 2010 census, it is slightly smaller in population than Vallejo, which is the Bay Area's ninth-largest city.[2] It shares a border with its sister city, Suisun City. Other nearby cities include Vacaville, Benicia, and Napa. Fairfield is the county seat of Solano County.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.6 square miles (97 km2), of which, 37.4 square miles (97 km2) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2) of it is water. The total area is 3.65% water.
The city is 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. The Sacramento Valley lies east of Fairfield.
According to the City of Fairfield website,[3] Native Americans, such as those from the Ion culture, settled in the Rockville and Green Valley areas. Artifacts that have been found from some of the earliest human inhabitants of the Fairfield area are dated to be around five to six thousand years old, making them some of the oldest Native American settlements in Northern California.
The first European contact came in 1810 when the Spanish army was ordered to attack the Suisin Indians. In 1835 the Mexican General Vallejo was so magnanimous in victory over the Indian Chief Sem Yeto that the chief later became his ally in conflicts against other tribes. In 1837 the Indian Chief Solano received the Rancho Suisun Mexican land grant. This grant eventually came into the hands of a clipper ship captain from Connecticut named Robert H. Waterman. He not only parceled out the town in 1856, but also, in a commercially shrewd move, arranged to have the county seat moved here in 1858 from Benicia. As an inducement he granted 16 acres (65,000 m2) of land for the construction of county buildings. In 1903 Fairfield was incorporated as a city.
The 2010 United States Census[4] reported that Fairfield had a population of 105,321. The population density was 2,798.5 people per square mile (1,080.5/km²). 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 is 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 per square mile (381.5/km²), 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.
As of the census[5] of 2000, there are 96,178 people, 30,870 households, and 24,016 families residing in the city. The population density is 986.3/km² (2,554.2/mi²). There are 31,792 housing units at an average density of 326.0/km² (844.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 30,870 households out of which 43.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% are married couples living together, 14.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% are non-families. 17.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 5.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.98 and the average family size is 3.33.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100 females there are 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 97.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $51,151, and the median income for a family is $55,503. Males have a median income of $38,544 versus $30,616 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,617. 9.3% of the population and 7.1% of families are 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 are living below the poverty line.
Fairfield has a diversified economy, with government, manufacturing, health care, retail, professional and commercial construction sectors.[6] Anheuser-Busch operates a large regional Budweiser brewery, Clorox produces bleach products, and the Jelly Belly Candy Company confects its specialty jelly beans in Fairfield.[6]
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[7] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Air Force Base | 14,353 |
| 2 | County of Solano | 2,850 |
| 3 | Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District | 2,000 |
| 4 | NorthBay Medical Center | 1,115 |
| 5 | Solano Community College | 650 |
| 6 | City of Fairfield | 608 |
| 7 | Sutter Health | 475 |
| 8 | Jelly Belly | 461 |
| 9 | Copart | 450 |
| 10 | Westamerica Bank | 407 |
Universities nearby include California Maritime Academy, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Sacramento State, CSU East Bay, Sonoma State, Trinity College of Massage, St. Mary's College, University of Phoenix and Chapman University.[8] The main campus of Trinity Biblical University and Solano Community College are located in Fairfield.
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| Vacaville | ||||
| Napa | Travis AFB | |||
| Fairfield | ||||
| Vallejo | Benicia • Suisun City | Rio Vista |