Fairmont is a town in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,191 at the 2020 census.
History
thumb|Fairmont town hall
Fairmont was originally known as Ashpole in homage to the nearby Ashpole Swamp. It was incorporated as Union City in 1899, but the name was changed back to Ashpole in 1901. Six years later the name was changed to Fairmont.
thumb|right|Farmers taking tobacco to market in Fairmont in the early 1900s
The first settlers to this area received land grants from the Lords Proprietors and worked in the logging and naval stores industries producing lumber, turpentine and pitch for ships. The Bufort County Lumber Company opened in the northern section of town in the late 1890s employing 300 men and becoming one of the largest lumber companies in the south. By the late 19th century, a thriving tobacco market had been established as well. The railroads later followed to rapidly move these goods. By the early 20th century, tobacco became king, and by the late 1940s, Fairmont was considered the "Biggest Little Tobacco Market In the World." In 1951 Fairmont sold twice as much tobacco as was grown in Robeson County. As health concerns have affected the sales of tobacco, many local farmers have turned to other cash crops, mainly corn, soybeans and wheat. The Border Belt Farmers Museum was established in 1989 by converting an unused former railroad depot into a museum filled with farming, tobacco related, and historical memorabilia. It is open five days a week (M, W, F-11:00-3:00 & T, TH 9-12:00 & 1:00-3:00). The town has recently started promoting itself as "the shortest route to the S.C. beaches" by encouraging motorists traveling south on Interstate 95 to take exit 10. The advertising campaign, utilizing a very prominent billboard on the interstate, has resulted in a higher traffic flow and increased commercial traffic to the community.
Scenes from the movie Arthur Newman were filmed here.
The Fairmont Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.
Geography
Fairmont lies within the Carolina Border Belt, a regional network of tobacco markets and warehouses along both sides of the North Carolina-South Carolina border.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable"
|+Fairmont racial composition
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|White (non-Hispanic)
|532
|24.28%
|-
|Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|1,266
|57.78%
|-
|Native American
|272
|12.41%
|-
|Asian
|7
|0.32%
|-
|Other/Mixed
|84
|3.83%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino
|30
|1.37%
|}
As of the 2020 census, Fairmont had a population of 2,191. The median age was 50.0 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.2% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 78.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.5 males age 18 and over.
There were 955 households in Fairmont, of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18. There were 644 families residing in the town. Of all households, 27.5% were married-couple households, 19.2% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 48.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 35.7% of households were made up of individuals, and 19.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.