Fairfield is a city in southern Butler County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb located about 25 miles (40 km) north of Cincinnati and is situated on the east bank of the Great Miami River. The population was 44,907 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1955 from portions of Fairfield Township, it includes the former hamlets of Symmes Corner, Fair Play, Furmandale, and Stockton. The Fairfield City School District is one of the largest in Ohio and serves both the city and Fairfield Township.
At a Glance
- Counties: Butler County and Hamilton County
- State: Ohio
History of Fairfield
Prior to European settlement the Fairfield area was home to several Indian tribes, most prominently the Shawnee and the Miami. The prehistoric Hopewell and Adena peoples constructed numerous earthworks around the city, though most were unwittingly removed by early settlers in order to accommodate farm fields.
The area that is now Fairfield was part of the original Symmes Purchase. Also known as the Miami Purchase, the region was acquired by Judge John Cleves Symmes from the Continental Congress in 1788 and included much of the land between the Little Miami and Great Miami rivers that became the present day counties of Hamilton, Butler, and Warren.
As the area was settled hamlets developed to serve the surrounding countryside. Judge Symmes’ great nephew, Celadon Symmes, was the founder and first settler of Symmes Corner. Located at the intersection of Pleasant Avenue and Nilles Road it now serves as Fairfield’s town center.
The hamlet of Fair Play was located on the east bank of the Great Miami River. It was known for its mills, including Ohio’s first paper mill. The community was destroyed by a flood in the late 1800s. Today the Miami Chapel Cemetery and the Fair Play School are some of the few remaining vestiges of the village.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Fairfield, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.