According to USGS Fairview is the 2nd most common town name in our country. The United States Geological Survey should know. This scientific agency that’s part of The Government studies our landscape constantly looking for hazards like earthquakes and resources like minerals. According to USGS the #1 town name is Midway. Others disagree. Geotargit.com says there are exactly 41 places in the USA called Fairview and names them.
A town named Washington, like Washington, MO, was more than likely named for George. It actually was! A town named Fairview was more than likely named by residents who liked looking out their windows at the scenery. I doubt that Fairview is anyone’s surname.
According to ThoughtCo.com, which claims to be the world’s largest education resource, Fairview is one of the most used town names. It goes on to say that the Fairview in New Jersey is the largest one with 14,000 people. It’s in the Newark-New York area. ThoughtCo.com last updated in 2019, but this Fairview is probably still the largest. I checked some of them, and most are tiny or have become part of larger, more familiar community like the one in Oregon which has become part of troubled Portland even though it’s in Multnomah County and 15 miles away.
Fairview has also become a part of names. There is a town called Fairview Park in Indiana. Two others are California’s Fairview Shores and Illinois’ Fairview Heights. There are also Fairviews in Canada and New South Wales. It seems a bit unusual, but there’s a Fairview in Namibia.
The word Fairview is also found in the names of churches, plantations, and counties. Some states, like Maryland, even have more than one Fairview.
Hank
