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City in the United States
Photo: WeaponizingArchitecture, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Fairmont, nicknamed the "Friendly City", is a city of 18,313 people (as of 2020) in West Virginia, and the county seat of Marion County (pop. 56,000). It was established in 1820 as Middletown, and changed in 1843 to Fairmont, short for "Fair Mountain". The city is located on the Monongahela River at its origin at the confluence of the Tygart Valley River flowing northwest from Grafton, and the West Fork River flowing north from Clarksburg. Fairmont claims to be the origin of the Pepperoni Roll, West Virginia's official state food. Mary Lou Retton — a gold-medalist gymnast in the 1984 Olympics, who was highly popular around the country and particularly in West Virginia — came from Fairmont. Fairmont is home to Fairmont State University, the third largest in the state, and is located 20 minutes south of Morgantown, home to the largest university in West Virginia; West Virginia University. Fairmont is the third largest metro area in the North Central West Virginia region, also known as 'Mountaineer Country' and the 'I-79 High-Technology Corridor', sitting about halfway between Clarksburg and Morgantown, the largest city in the region. This part of the state is home to companies such as Allegheny Energy, the FBI Identification Facility, and numerous software-oriented businesses.
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A 148-foot single-lane historic covered bridge.
At Fairmont State. Dedicated to the identification, preservation, and perpetuation of the region's rich cultural heritage, through academic studies, educational programs, festivals and performances, and publications.
Walking tours available for the historic section of town.
Curtisville Pike
WV-7 past Logansport. 695 acres and a 30-acre lake. Hiking trails, fishing.
State Street Extension. 32 acres. Tennis, basketball, softball, horseshoes, mini-golf, hiking and jogging trails, playground, wave pool, and waterslide. Mini-golf open from 11AM to 8PM daily; admission $2.
Mary Lou Retton Drive and Old Monongah Road. 25 acres. Four baseball fields, one football field, tennis courts with practice wall, playgrounds, West Virginia Miner's Memorial.
WV-3 off I-79 (exit 139). Features a recreation of the rustic log Pickett's Fort from 1774. Guides in period costume recreate late 18th-century life and demonstrate colonial crafts. The park includes Pricketts Creek and Bay, the Monongahela River, an interpretive nature trail, hiking, walking, jogging, cycling, boating, fishing, and a 400-seat amphitheatre.
US-19 in Worthington. 10 acres. Waterfall, softball, horsheshoes, fishing, West Fork River Trail.
Salads, pasta, chicken, pork, seafood and hand-cut steaks.
A local favorite since the 1960s, serving pizzas, salads, sandwiches, chicken wings, and large pepperoni rolls for $3.50. Freshly-baked bread and cookies daily. $2.50-10.50.
Bakery supplying pepperoni rolls to grocery stores and convenience stores around Fairmont; try them hot and fresh for just $1. They also carry Italian breads, rolls and cookies.
Self-proclaimed purveyors of "the biggest cones in town!" which, depending on your age or ego, may actually be bigger than your head. Along with their FlavorBurst ice cream (used for sundaes, shakes and malts), they offer fried appetizers, salads, sandwiches, barbecue, pepperoni rolls and funnel cakes. Try their peanut butter milkshakes.
1950s-style diner with waitresses in poodle skirts. Classic American favorites, milkshakes and ice cream floats.
Home-style meals.
Family-owned Mexican restaurant.
Fine Italian food and home-cooked meals.
A nostalgic 1950s restaurant which began as a barbecue stand in the late 1940s and turned into a sit-down diner in the 1950s. Munchies, breakfast foods, soups, salads, wraps, sandwiches, steak, chicken, cheesecake, pie, cobblers, milkshakes, malts, sundaes and ice cream floats. Try the appetizer-laden Dot Combo Platter.
Open 8AM to 9PM Monday through Saturday, and 8AM to 8:30PM on Sunday. A local favorite for 45 years. Steaks, chicken and Italian specialties.
Chicken wings, salads, side dishes, sandwiches, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas.
A Fairmont tradition and proud of it. The best hot dogs in the state. No special order; comes with everything or plain only. Mr. Yann is the "hotdog Nazi" of West Virginia but respected and loved by all.
Great hotdogs (mild, medium, hot) and many other wonderful menu items. Low prices for exceptional food. A second location has now opened in Belleview.
85 rooms. Fitness center, outdoor pool. Complimentary continental breakfast.
I-79 and 930 East Old Grafton Road, 304-366-5500. 106 rooms. Outdoor pool. On-site restaurant (Simmering Pot Family Restaurant) and bar (Franny's Lounge). Complimentary newspaper.
108 rooms. Complimentary newspaper.
54 rooms. Whirlpool rooms available. Complimentary continental breakfast and newspaper.
80 rooms. Exercise room, heated indoor pool, whirlpool. Complimentary deluxe continental breakfast.
In Shinnston. 3 rooms. Front porch, rail trail for walking or biking. Full breakfast with muffins, fruit, juices, entrees, fresh-roasted coffee (nightly) and a selection of over 100 teas. Breakfast served 4AM-10AM Overnight stabling, off-street parking for motorcycles. Children welcome. Pet-free and smoke-free.
Fairmont sits at the intersection of US-19, between Morgantown and Clarksburg, and US-250, between Wheeling and Elkins.
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