Fairburn is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States, with a population of 12,950, according to the 2010 census. Though it has a rich history of its own, the city is now a closely linked suburb of Atlanta, which lies just 17 miles to the north. History Fairburn is located along a railroad line and was the county seat of Campbell County starting in 1871. It was chosen as county seat in a referendum in 1871 that was spurred by the original seat of Campbellton refusing to allow the Atlanta & West Point Railroad line through on account of the anticipated noise in the 1850s. The railroad instead passed through Fairburn. Campbellton then faded away as Fairburn grew. The government of Campbell County went bankrupt in 1931 during the Great Depression and, along with Milton County to the north, was absorbed into Fulton County when 1932 began. The community is named after Fairburn, in England. Geography Fairburn is located at (33.562411, -84.581443). Fairburn is located along Interstate 85, which leads northeast to downtown Atlanta and southwest to Montgomery, Alabama. Georgia State Route 74 also runs through the city, leading south to Peachtree City. Some areas in nearby Fayette County have a Fairburn mailing address. According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.24%, is water. Demographics 2020 census As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,483 people, 5,051 households, and 3,442 families residing in the city. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 5,464 people, 1,879 households, and 1,416 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,005 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 47.64% African American, 43.08% White, 0.29% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 6.46% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.01% of the population. There were 1,879 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.26.