Fairview’s post office opened in 1894, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 57% of U.S. towns · #40 of 131 in Oklahoma. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Major County Courthouse, the First United Methodist Church and the Fairview Community Center. Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 1910.
Founding year: the first Fairview post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Fairview’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fairview is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #40 of 131 in Oklahoma. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fairview’s overall grade.
Oklahoma towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oklahoma town has 5.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fairview’s 11.2 sits above most of its state (68% of Oklahoma towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±5.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Fairview’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first permanent settlers arrived in the area of the present town at the time of the Cherokee Outlet land opening on September 16, 1893. The town received its name from Adam Bower, an early settler, because of its scenic location along the Cimarron River. The Bower family built a wooden building in which they opened a post office on April 18, 1894. One of Adam's sons, Clifford, served as the first postmaster.
The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway (later part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad), built a track through Fairview. The first train arrived on August 20, 1903. The railroad soon established machine shops, a roundhouse, and a division office in the town.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fairview. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1969Fairview sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fairview.
Every building
Fairview, building by building, 1910–1916
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
The Fairview post office opened in 1894, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Fairview rank for history?
Fairview is more historic than 57% of U.S. towns, #40 of 131 in Oklahoma. 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 Fairview?
Three places: the Major County Courthouse (listed 1984), the First United Methodist Church (2010) and the Fairview Community Center (2015).
How old are the homes in Fairview?
15% of Fairview’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 7.0% for an Oklahoma town; the median home was built in 1971.
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 (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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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