Fairfield, California

Fairfield is a city located in the northeastern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California, USA (See East Bay and North Bay). It is approximately 40 miles from both San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately 30 miles from Oakland, and less than 10 miles from Napa Valley. 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, and has a population of over 108,000, slightly less than Vallejo, which is the Bay Area's ninth-largest city^[1]. It shares a border with its sister city, Suisun City. Other nearby cities include Vacaville, Benicia, Napa and Vallejo. Fairfield is the county seat of Solano County.

Geography

Fairfield is located at 38°15'28" North, 122°3'15" West (38.257763, -122.054256)^[2].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.7 square miles (97.623 km²), of which, 37.7 square miles (97.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.05% water.

The city is located within the California Coastal Ranges of the San Francisco Bay Area. 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.

History

The history of Fairfield stretches back five to six thousand years. That is the age of artifacts of native people which have been excavated here. 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 a land grant from Mexico named Suisun Rancho. 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 sixteen acres of land for the construction of county buildings. In 1903 Fairfield was incorporated as a city.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there are 96,178 people (Over 106,000 as of 2006), 30,870 households, and 24,016 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,554.2 people per square mile (986.3/km²). There are 31,792 housing units at an average density of 844.3/sq mi (326.0/km²). 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.

Politics

In the state legislature Fairfield is located in the 5th Senate District, represented by Democrat Michael Machado, and in the 8th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Lois Wolk. Federally, Fairfield is located in California's 10th congressional district.

Industry and Major Employers

Fairfield has an enviably diversified economy, with robust government, manufacturing, health care, retail, professional and commercial construction sectors.^[10] Anheuser-Busch operates a large Budweiser brewery facility, Clorox produces bleach products here and the Jelly Belly Candy Company confects its specialty jelly beans here.^[11]

• Agriculture; see Suisun Valley;
• Anheuser-Busch; regional brewery
• Copart Auto; worldwide headquarters
• Edwards Cinema
• Jelly Belly; worldwide headquarters and factory
• Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum; located on Travis AFB
• Solano County Government Offices
• Travis Air Force Base
• Wal-Mart
• Westfield Shopping Mall

Schools

Fairfield's public schools belong to the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District; (FSUSD) and the Travis Unified School District; (TAFBUSD).

Area High Schools

• Armijo High School;
• Fairfield High School;
• Angelo Rodriguez High School;
• Sem Yeto Continuation School;
• Mary Bird Community Day School;
• Vanden High School;

• Sem Yeto Continuation School and Mary Bird Community Day School are part of the FSUSD. Vanden High School is part of the TAFBUSD, and is located near Travis Air Force Base. All others are part of the FSUSD.

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^[12]. The main campus of Solano Community College is located in Fairfield.

Recreation

• Downtown Fairfield;
  • Offers shopping, community festivals and entertainment.

Parks

• Rockville Hills Regional Park
  • The Park is located on Rockville Road approximately 3/4 of a mile from the corner of Suisun Valley and Rockville Roads. Allows bicycling, hiking, and provides walking trails.
• Fairfield Linear Park
  • The Linear Park stretches through the city along a former railroad right-of-way. Picnic tables and play equipment can be found along the route. Runners, walkers and bicyclists enjoy this park.
• Alan Witt Park
  • Contains the Fairfield Sports Center and City of Fairfield Rotary Skate Park. The park offers tennis courts, a recreation building, picnic area, ball fields, basketball courts, volleyball courts and horseshoe pits. Restroom facilities are available.

Golf Courses

• Fairfield is home to three golf courses, two public and one private. Paradise Valley and Rancho Solano Golf Courses, both public, are rated in the Zagat Survey of “America’s Best Golf Courses,” rated 3 ½ stars by Golf Digest Magazine in 2004 and voted #1 & #2 golf courses in Solano County for consecutive years.

Notable Residents

People who live or have lived in Fairfield.

Celebrities

• Pat Morita (Mr. Miagi from the Karate Kid)
• Cat Cora (from the Iron Chef television show
• C.C. Sabathia (left handed pitcher from the Cleveland Indians)

Music artists

• The Federation
• Rick Rock
• Johnny Colla from Huey Lewis and the News

References

External links

• City Website
• Fairfield, California Photo Gallery

• Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce http://www.ffsc-chamber.com/

• Fairfield, California is at coordinates 38°15′28″N 122°03′15″W / 38.257763, -122.054256 (Fairfield, California)Coordinates: 38°15′28″N 122°03′15″W / 38.257763, -122.054256 (Fairfield, California)

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