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DHistory
History · Fairchild AFB

Fairchild AFB dates to 1942

More historic than 8% of U.S. towns · #247 of 285 in Washington. What drives it

Most of Fairchild AFB was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1970.

1942founded
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Fairchild AFB’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Fairchild AFB began

When was Fairchild AFB founded?

1942

Fairchild AFB dates its founding to 1942 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 6,754 in 19702020 census: 2,69584 years

How historic is Fairchild AFB?

D

More historic than 8% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1948.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Fairchild AFB’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Fairchild AFB is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #247 of 285 in Washington. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Fairchild AFB’s overall grade.
Founding era1942, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 19402.1% of homes (±2.2) · typical WA town 4.3% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WA town 0.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 8%
NewerOlder
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 13%

Few Washington towns list much on the Register (a typical Washington town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Fairchild AFB’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (27% of Washington towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be D. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1942.

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 Fairchild AFB’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Fairchild AFB, and 1 old place names are still on the map.A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1950–1990.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Bong
1948–1951
Fairchild
1951–1956
Fairchild Air Force Base
1956–today
19401980today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Fairchild

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

By decade

Fairchild AFB, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1950s–1960s10 items
Spokane Air Force Base, circa 1950c. 1950Spokane Air Force Base, circa 1950Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Nathan F. Twining arrived at Spokane Air Force Base1951Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Nathan …Atlas 42E Missile entering the Main Gate at Fairchild A.F.B.. Date- 05-05-19611961Atlas 42E Missile entering the Main Gate at Fairchild…MapPhotocopy of engineering drawing, April 10, 1958 (original drawing located at Fairchild Air Force Base, Civil Engineeri…1968Photocopy of engineering drawing, April 10, 1958 (ori…Photocopy of engineering drawing, August 17, 1965 (original drawing located at Fairchild Air Force Base, Civil Engineer…1968Photocopy of engineering drawing, August 17, 1965 (or…Photocopy of engineering drawing, January, 1988 (original drawing located at Fairchild Air Force Base, Civil Engineerin…1968Photocopy of engineering drawing, January, 1988 (orig…Photocopy of engineering drawing, March 3, 1988 (original drawing located at Fairchild Air Force Base, Civil Engineerin…1968Photocopy of engineering drawing, March 3, 1988 (orig…Photocopy of engineering drawing, May, 1941 (original drawing located at Fairchild Air Force Base, Civil Engineering Bu…1968Photocopy of engineering drawing, May, 1941 (original…Photocopy of historic photograph (original photograph on file at Fairchild Air Force Museum, Spokane, WA) Photographer …1968Photocopy of historic photograph (original photograph…Photocopy of historic photograph (original photograph on file at Fairchild Air Force Museum, Spokane, WA) Photographer …1968Photocopy of historic photograph (original photograph…
1970s–1990s2 items
Fairchildafb-aug19701970Fairchildafb-aug1970Chiao wilderness training1990Chiao wilderness training
The story

How Fairchild AFB came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fairchild AFB.

Read it all →

Fairchild Air Force Base is named in honor of General Muir S. Fairchild (1894–1950). Born in Bellingham, he graduated from Olympia High School and attended the University of Washington in Seattle.

Fairchild received his wings and commission in 1918, and served as a pilot during World War I. He held various air staff positions during World War II and received his fourth star in 1948. While serving as Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, he died on 17 March 1950.

ChaptersOperational historyB-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 StratotankerAir refuelingAir refueling wingPrevious namesMajor commands to which assignedBase operating unitsMajor units assigned

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Fairchild AFB, 1942 to 1990

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1942
    FoundingFairchild AFB is established
  3. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1948Post officeThe Bong post office opens
  5. 1950In the archiveSpokane Air Force Base, circa 1950
  6. 1951Post officeThe Bong post office closes
  7. 1951Post officeThe Fairchild post office opens
  8. 1956Post officeThe Fairchild post office closes
  9. 1956Post officeThe Fairchild Air Force Base post office opens
  10. 1961In the archiveAtlas 42E Missile entering the Main Gate at Fairchild A.F.B.. Date- 05-05-1961
  11. 1970In the archiveFairchildafb-aug1970
  12. 1990In the archiveChiao wilderness training
On the map

Fairchild AFB on the map, 1943 to 1973

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fairchild AFB. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fairchild AFB on the 1943 USGS mapFairchild AFB on the 1954 USGS mapFairchild AFB on the 1963 USGS mapFairchild AFB on the 1973 USGS map1943Medical Lake sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fairchild AFB.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Spokane Air Force Base, circa 1950
Retake this viewSpokane Air Force Base, circa 1950, c. 1950

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fairchild AFB’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Fairchild AFB, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,500198020002020Peak: 6,754

Between 2,695 and 6,754 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fairchild AFB’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Fairchild AFB

Nobody well known was born in Fairchild AFB itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
S
Sydney SweeneyAmerican actress · b. 1997
John StocktonAmerican basketball player · b. 1962
Chuck JonesAmerican animator and filmmaker · b. 1912
Craig T. NelsonAmerican actor and comedian · b. 1944
Anne McClainAmerican astronaut · b. 1979
Susan PetersAmerican actress · b. 1921
Help out

Finish Fairchild AFB’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
4 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewSpokane Air Force Base, circa 1950: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Fairchild AFB’s history

What year was Fairchild AFB founded?

In 1942, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fairchild AFB’s post office opened in 1948, and the census of 1970 counted 6,754 people here.

How does Fairchild AFB rank for history?

Fairchild AFB is more historic than 8% of U.S. towns, #247 of 285 in Washington. 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.

How old are the homes in Fairchild AFB?

2% of Fairchild AFB’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 4.3% for a Washington town; the median home was built in 1965.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (12), Wikipedia, 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.