Compared with the Bay Area and Sacramento, Fairfield is where a lot of commuters settle when they want more house for the money. It is the seat of Solano County, sits between San Francisco and Sacramento, and has about 122,000 residents. Travis Air Force Base is a major part of the community, and Napa Valley is only about 20 minutes away.
The best-known attraction is the Jelly Belly factory tour, and you can also hike Rockville Hills Regional Park, visit the Travis Heritage Center, or taste wine in Green Valley and Suisun Valley. Life here is suburban and practical, with hot summers that often top 95 degrees. It is cheaper than Napa or Contra Costa, but still expensive by national standards. Violent crime is around or a bit above the state average, and car break-ins and theft are the main risks in shopping lots.
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- Known as
- Home of Jelly Belly (Jelly Belly Candy Company); Solano County seat; Gateway to Napa and Sonoma Valleys; Travis Air Force Base community
- Founded
- 1856 founded by Robert Waterman; 1903 incorporated
- Languages
- English; Spanish; Tagalog; Chinese; Vietnamese; Punjabi
- Airports
- Oakland International (OAK), about 45 miles southwest; Sacramento International (SMF), about 45 miles northeast; San Francisco International (SFO), about 55 miles southwest; Travis Air Force Base (SUU) is military with limited civilian use, adjacent to the city; Napa County Airport (APC), about 25 miles, general aviation
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $2-5 per bag; winery tasting staff 15-20% (often per party); delivery 15-20%
About this data
Population 122,489 (July 1, 2025), land area 41.59 sq mi, median value and rent are from Census QuickFacts (ACS 2020-2024). Metro figure 455,376 is the Vallejo MSA as specified (Fairfield is in Solano County's Vallejo MSA; the Bay Area CSA is larger). visitor_website is the Visit Fairfield attractions page seen in search results, and I did not confirm it is an official bureau site; the city calendar is official. Elevation, coordinates, founding, event months, hotel ranges, tipping, crime rate, cost index and distances are approximate or from general knowledge; lower confidence. URLs not load-tested.