Fairfax is a town in Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. The Osage Nation reservation is coterminous with the county. As of the 2020 census, Fairfax had a population of 1,136. It was the home of the ballerinas Maria and Marjorie Tallchief.

History

When the Santa Fe Railway chose to go up Salt Creek valley and bypassed the village of Gray Horse (which continues to exist today as the home of one of the Osage tribe's three major historic bands) the present day town of Fairfax was created. Local merchants, including Lew A. Wismeyer, moved buildings from Gray Horse and leased acres for a townsite. Wismeyer rejected the name Coda proposed by the railroad and convinced them to call the depot Fairfax after a hotel he had stayed at in Washington, D.C. The Osage tribe retained title to the townsite until March 3, 1905, when Congress provided for the land to be sold at public auction, with the proceeds credited to the tribe. Fairfax had 470 residents at the time of statehood in 1907. The murders occurred following the discovery of oil on the Osage Nation Reservation (coterminous with the county).

|date=October 2, 2010

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Fairfax had a population of 1,136. The median age was 41.9 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 85.0 males age 18 and over.

There were 492 households in Fairfax, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 32.5% were married-couple households, 22.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

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| White || 637 || 56.1%

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| Black or African American || 9 || 0.8%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 314 || 27.6%

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| Asian || 2 || 0.2%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.1%

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| Some other race || 11 || 1.0%

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| Two or more races || 162 || 14.3%

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| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 45 || 4.0%

|}

2000 census

As of the census formed in 1990 when the Fairfax school district merged with the Ralston district.

Notable people

  • Maria Tallchief, professional ballerina

A documentary about Fairfax Hospital titled Country Doctor was released in 2025 by HBO Max. The documentary portrays the plight of rural hospitals in the United States, many of which are closing.

References

  • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Fairfax