Why visit Fairfield
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 4 parks and trails, 6 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include G.J. George House, Turney-Hall House, Wayne County Fairgrounds and Southwest Park.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 90°F; January lows average 24°F.
Weather in Fairfield
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Fairfield
Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Wayne County, Illinois, United States, and the location of Frontier Community College. The population was 4,883 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Fairfield, Illinois (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks5
G.J. George House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Historic house in Illinois, United States
Turney-Hall House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
Historic house in Fairfield, Illinois
Parks, trails and playgrounds4
Wayne County Fairgrounds
Park · 0.4 mi
Park in Wayne County, Illinois, United States of America
Restaurants and cafes6
Smash & Dash
Restaurant · Burger
105 SW 6th St, Fairfield
Mo-Sa 10:00-22:00
McDonald's
Fast food · Burger
1212 West Main Street
Mo-Th 05:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 05:00-24:00; Su 05:00-23:00
Where to stay1
History
Fairfield is most famous for being the hometown of the "friendly" people, and for the Shelton Brothers Gang, notorious bootleggers who fought it out with the Harrisburg, Illinois-based Birger Gang to control criminal activities in Southern Illinois. During the first half of the 20th century, gang leaders Carl, Earl and Bernie Shelton made Fairfield a household name. Based on testimony of Charlie Birger himself, the Shelton Brothers were convicted for a 1925 unsolved mail carrier robbery of $15,000 and were sentenced to 25 years. They were released a few years later. Birger dominated bootlegging in Southern Illinois until he himself was hanged in Benton for the murder of West City Mayor Joe Adams in 1928. After serving their time, the Shelton brothers built a new criminal empire. Based in East St Louis, one of the most prosperous cities of its day, they controlled all vice from Peoria and southward.
They met their demise at the hands of the Chicago mob and an insider Charles "Blackie" Harris. A land dispute led to Blackie joining forces with the Mob to kill off members of the Shelton gang. His most notable victim was Carl Shelton, the leader. He was ambushed several miles southeast of Fairfield, shot from his Jeep. Bernie was killed at his Peoria roadhouse. Earl moved to Jacksonville, Florida and became a successful land speculator.
From the History section of Fairfield, Illinois on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship20
Shopping3
Schools, colleges and libraries11
Healthcare2
Map of Fairfield
52 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41°F | 24°F | 3.3 in |
| Feb | 46°F | 28°F | 2.7 in |
| Mar | 57°F | 36°F | 4.2 in |
| Apr | 69°F | 46°F | 5.0 in |
| May | 78°F | 56°F | 5.0 in |
| Jun | 87°F | 64°F | 4.7 in |
| Jul | 90°F | 68°F | 3.8 in |
| Aug | 89°F | 66°F | 3.5 in |
| Sep | 83°F | 58°F | 2.9 in |
| Oct | 70°F | 47°F | 3.7 in |
| Nov | 56°F | 36°F | 3.8 in |
| Dec | 45°F | 29°F | 3.3 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Fairfield Radio Wfiw (2 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Wayne County has had 6 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for biologicals.
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2013-11-26: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (Tornado)
- 2011-06-07: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2005-09-07: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation (Hurricane)
- 2002-05-21: Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding (Tornado)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Olney-Noble Airport (OLY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 26 miles away.
- Carmi 23 mi southeast, about 37 min by car
- Mount Vernon 30 mi west, about 48 min by car
- Benton 39 mi southwest, about 1 h by car
- Eldorado 39 mi south, about 1 h by car
- Bridgeport 40 mi northeast, about 1 h by car
- Centralia 42 mi west, about 1 h by car
- Central City 43 mi west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Christopher 47 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Vincennes 51 mi northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Evansville 53 mi southeast, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Wayne County Courthouse in Fairfield, Nyttend, Public domain
- G.J. George House in Fairfield, Nyttend, Public domain
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