All except Amber Lake are connected by channels and extensively used for recreational boating and fishing.

Interstate 90 and Minnesota State Highway 15 are two of the main routes in the city.

[1] The five lakes in the city drain northward out of Lake George into Center Creek, an east-flowing tributary of the Blue Earth River, part of the Minnesota River watershed.

[citation needed] Fairmont products are exported around the world, although the dominant product, railroad speeders, is now mainly in the hands of railway enthusiasts who operate them for fun, such as the North American Railcar Operators Association and the Australian Society of Section Car Operators, Inc. Fairmont is home to the U.S. headquarters of Avery Weigh-Tronix, one of the world's largest suppliers of weighing solutions.

[13] The Fairmont Sentinel, cited as the most conservative newspaper in Minnesota,[14] is published here.

Until 1992, Fairmont was home to a major regional frozen food canning operation.

Long owned by Stokely-Van Camp, the plant fell under the United Foods International umbrella after United Foods' 1982 $50 million buyout of Van Camp's frozen vegetable division.

Before closing in December 1992, the Fairmont plant was one three frozen vegetable processing plants producing product for the United Foods family of canned vegetables for sale nationwide.

Its closing was announced, but Tony Downs Food Group purchased it and kept it open.

[17] According to the Fairmont's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[18] the city's largest employers: Local schools:[19] Higher education