Fairfield dates to 1910, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 45% of U.S. towns · #83 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 4 buildings. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1920.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1912.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fairfield’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fairfield is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #83 of 187 in Alabama. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fairfield’s overall grade.
Alabama towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Alabama town has 2.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fairfield’s 7.2 sits near the middle of its state (63% of Alabama towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points). Two sources give 1910.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Fairfield’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
This city was founded in 1910 in which the featured speaker at the dedication ceremony was former President Theodore Roosevelt. It was originally named Corey, after the President of U.S. Steel Corporation. Corey departed U.S. Steel under a cloud of scandal, and the town's name was later changed to the city in which his successor as president lived, Fairfield, Connecticut. It was planned as a model city by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company to house workers in their new Fairfield Works plant, now owned by U.S. Steel, similar to its northeastern city of Ensley.
In May 2020, the city entered bankruptcy. Jefferson County had declared bankruptcy in 2011.
In 1910, according to Wikidata. Fairfield’s post office opened in 1912, and the census of 1920 counted 5,003 people here.
How does Fairfield rank for history?
Fairfield is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns, #83 of 187 in Alabama. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Fairfield?
Three places: the Miles Memorial College Historic District (listed 1994), the Parham Apothecary Building (1996) and the Flintridge Building (2004).
How old are the homes in Fairfield?
16% of Fairfield’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 3.2% for an Alabama town; the median home was built in 1963.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (7), the Library of Congress (10), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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