Access to Markets

Fairmont is centrally located and, as a result, well positioned to both participate in traditional modes of commerce and thrive as the world’s economy speeds to and from your door.

Planes

Most all types of prop or corporate jet aircraft can fly in-and-out of Fairmont’s Municipal Airport, which is equipped with an Instrument Landing System (ILS), 5,500 and 3,500-foot runways, 24-hour fuel service, meeting spaces and accessible ground transportation.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is just 150 miles from Fairmont and accessible both by Interstate 90 and 35. The 16th busiest airport in the United States, MSP International serves 155 nonstop markets, including 126 domestic and 29 international destinations. (Only Atlanta and Denver serve more nonstop markets per capita.)   

Trains

The Southern Minnesota Railroad came to Fairmont in 1878, marking a development renaissance. Today service to Fairmont is provided by the Union Pacific and the Canadian Pacific (owned IC & E railroads). Freight and grain service is available to almost any national market.

Automobiles

Highway access to the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area is available via Interstates 90 and 35 and also by Highways 15, 60 and 169. Access to other Upper Midwest commercial and industrial centers, such as Des Moines, Sioux Falls and Chicago is also available by the same Interstate Highways. Fairmont also serves as a hub to a strong network of county and local roads that support and feed the regional network.

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Utility Rebates/Utilities

Fairmont’s city leaders believe it’s important to continue to expand its public utility infrastructure, which currently serve 4,800 residential customers, including 828 commercial and 12 industrial users. Governed by a five-member Public Utilities Commission, the utility also provides service to 200 rural customers.

Fairmont’s Municipal Water System uses Budd Lake as its primary raw, with a storage capacity of over 5 million gallons. Wholesale electricity is purchased through Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (SMMPA) and local distribution lines are maintained by the City of Fairmont.  SMMPA also owns a 36 MW generating facility within city limits. Natural Gas is distributed by Minnesota Energy, which has a local branch in town. The city is also situated just four miles from the Northern Border Pipeline and Northern Natural Gas.

Fairmont Public Utilities, in conjunction with the (SMMPA), offers energy efficiency rebates on qualifying Energy Star appliances for our residential customers and rebates on Energy Star business equipment for our commercial clients.

Frontier Communications, Midcontinent Communications and BEVCOMM serve residents’ digital needs. In 2016, Martin County Broadband committee partnered with Frontier to acquire a “Border to Border” grant, to make Internet access even more feasible for citizens across the economic spectrum.

View the 2021 utility rates.

To use our 'Community Profile' tool, first click on the profile you want to view and select the specific data you want to view. You can select several or all the options by holding 'shift' when clicking on your selection.