Fairfield County is located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. Its county seat and largest city is Lancaster. Its name is a reference to the Fairfield area of the original Lancaster. Fairfield County is part of the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Fairfield County originally encompassed all or parts of Knox, Hocking, Licking, Perry, and Pickaway Counties. Fairfield is a descriptive name referring to the beauty of their fields.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.
Fairfield County sits just on the edge of Ohio's Appalachian region. While the once-glaciated northern portion of the county is fairly flat, as one travels south along U.S. 33 one can easily recognize the foothills of a mountainous region beginning around the village of Carroll. Although not officially part of the state or federal definition of Appalachia, certain areas of Fairfield County—particularly those south of U.S. 22—bear a distinctly Appalachian feel in both physical geography and demographics.
The scenic Hocking Hills region lies immediately to the south, mostly in neighboring Hocking County. A large portion of Buckeye Lake is located in northeastern Fairfield County.
Mudhouse Mansion, an allegedly haunted house, was located in the county.
Adjacent counties
- Licking County (north)
- Perry County (east)
- Hocking County (south)
- Pickaway County (southwest)
- Franklin County (northwest)