Fairfax

Granted in 1763 by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, Fairfax was among the early towns chartered in what would become Franklin County. Settlement came slowly at first, but by the early 1800s farming families had established themselves along the Lamoille River, which cuts through the town's southern portion. The river powered early mills and shaped the town's economic life for generations.

Fairfax has grown considerably in recent decades, with a population now approaching 4,500. Its location along Route 104 between St. Albans and Cambridge makes it accessible to both the commercial center of Franklin County and the recreational areas of Lamoille County. The Bellows Free Academy in Fairfax serves as the local high school, continuing a tradition of community-supported education that dates to the nineteenth century.

Town meeting remains the governing institution here. Each March, Fairfax voters gather to set budgets, approve spending, and weigh in on local matters, carrying on one of the oldest democratic traditions in American civic life.