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Fairfax, Iowa

15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Fairfax Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52228. The Survey maps it on the Fairfax quadrangle. 2,828 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 774 feet above sea level.

Fairfax within Linn County

Population over time

2 figures

Fairfax grew from 2,123 to 2,828 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20102,123
20202,828+705 (+33%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 15 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

7 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Fairfax between 2006 and 2018, burning about 207 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning4
Missing data/not specified/undetermined3

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
12 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
15 July 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
9 April 2014Debris and open burning40 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
24 April 2018Debris and open burning25 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
13 April 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
12 April 2014Debris and open burning120 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
26 February 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined20 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Linn County

Mines and quarries near this place

6 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Fairfax: 3 producers, 3 past producers. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Crozier QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Knickerbacher QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Lee Crawford Quarry & MillStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Modsley QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Morgan Creek QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
UnknownStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Linn County

Storms near this place

30 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Fairfax in 30 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 14 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 2 heavy rain, 1 funnel cloud. The reports record 1 death and 6 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2014Thunderstorm WindFairfax1 killed, 1 hurtLaw enforcement reported a business building destroyed by high winds from a severe thunderstorm. One person was killed and another injured due to the collapsed structure. A NWS survey found the roof had been blown off which caused the walls to collapse inward and the body was found underneath the rubble.
July 2016Tornado (EF2)Fairfax4 hurt, $250,000A tornado from Benton County continued southeast through southeastern portions of Walford. The tornado damaged the roofs of numerous homes. One home was completely destroyed when it collapsed on itself, apparently aided by wind blown debris.
July 2001LightningFairfax1 hurtReported by law enforcement.
May 2003HailFairfax$3,000,000no account filed
June 1994Thunderstorm WindFairfax$500,000no account filed
June 1994HailFairfax$50,000no account filed
May 2004Thunderstorm WindFairfax$15,000no account filed
August 2004Thunderstorm WindFairfax$10,000Water ponding on the road heading toward Walford. Roof damage to a gas station with some windows broken out.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindFairfax$8,000Measured by wind equipment.
May 2004HailFairfax$5,000no account filed
April 2006HailFairfax$3,000On the Benton/Linn Rd
April 2006HailFairfax$2,000Report is from Co-op observer located 1.9 miles southeast of Walford on the Linn/Johnson line; walnut size hail.
May 2005Thunderstorm WindFairfax$2,000Location is 2 miles southeast of Walford, Iowa. Co-op observer reported several large trees down and a corn crib damaged. The trees were partially or fully rotten. The estimated 52 knots (60 mph) was based on a measured gust of 49 knots (56 mph) at 0135 CST from the KCID ASOS 5 miles to the east northeast and KDVN 88D velocities indicating 50 to 55 knots (58 to 63 mph) in the bow section.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindFairfax$500Report is from Co-op observer located 1.9 miles southeast of Walford on the Linn/Johnson line; tree branches down. The KCID ASOS (located about 5 miles to the east northeast) reported a 49 knot wind gust at 1919 CST.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindFairfax-The county emergency manager reported winds up to 70 mph.
June 2010HailFairfax-Quarter-sized hail fell in Fairfax, IA at 648 pm June 18.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindFairfax-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph occurred in Fairfax.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindFairfax-Wind estimated to be 65 mph flattened some corn fields. Time estimated.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindFairfax-Winds estimated at 60 mph flattened corn fields. Time is estimated.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindFairfax-Several corn fields were flattened to the west and south of Fairfax in Fairfax Township.
July 2006Heavy RainFairfax-minor street flooding
May 2004Heavy RainFairfax-Ditches full with creeks near bankfull.
May 2001HailFairfax-Golfball sized hail reported by trained storm spotter.
May 2001Funnel CloudFairfax-Reported by trained storm spotter.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindFairfax-Widespread tree damage was reported due to strong thunderstorm winds.
May 1997Thunderstorm WindFairfax-Tree damage and report of 70 mph winds.
April 2026HailFairfax-no account filed
July 2020HailFairfax-no account filed
May 2004HailFairfax-no account filed
March 2002HailFairfax-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Linn County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Grand View Village3.0 miles16
Beverly Depot (historical)3.0 miles16
Hometown-Cedar Terrace3.2 miles16
Cedar Hills4.3 miles16
Konigsmark5.1 miles16
Lincolnway Village6.1 miles16
Covington6.1 miles16
West Cedar Rapids6.5 miles16

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on FairfaxAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1932660The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 456463. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.