Fairmont is a city located in Marion County, West Virginia, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 19,097. It is the county seat of Marion County. Established in 1820 as Middletown, then located in Monongalia County, it was chartered by the Virginia General Assembly in 1843 as Fairmont, a contraction of "Fair Mountain". Fairmont is nicknamed "The Friendly City" and is also touted as "The Home of the Originial Pepperoni Roll".
Fairmont is located in the northern region of the state, along West Virginia's I-79 High Tech Corridor, about 18 miles southwest of Morgantown. Fairmont's National White Collar Crime Center provides nationwide support to law enforcement agencies involved in prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime. The NASA Independent Verification and Validation Facility, governed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, houses more than 150 full-time employees and more than 20 in-house partners and contractors.
Fairmont State University, established in 1865, is located in Fairmont.
Fairmont is located at 39°28'53" North, 80°8'36" West (39.481253, -80.143453). The Tygart Valley River and the West Fork River join in Fairmont to form the Monongahela River.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.2 km2 (8.2 mi2). 20.3 km2 (7.8 mi2) of it is land and 0.9 km2 (0.4 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 4.40% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 19,097 people, 8,447 households, and 4,671 families residing in the city. The population density is 941.7/km2 (2,438.5/mi2). There are 9,755 housing units at an average density of 481.0/km2 (1,245.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 90.16% White, 7.26% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. 0.82% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 8,447 households out of which 21.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% are married couples living together, 11.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% are non-families. 36.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 16.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.16 and the average family size is 2.83.
In the city the population is spread out with 18.4% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $25,628, and the median income for a family is $37,126. Males have a median income of $27,944 versus $20,401 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,062. 20.1% of the population and 12.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 22.0% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Source:
FairmontWestVirginia.com
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