Largely a bedroom community for nearby Marion, Fairmount is best known as the boyhood home of actor James Dean, who is buried there.

The town was laid out in 1850 and named for Fairmount Park in Philadelphia;[5] it was formally incorporated in 1870.

Shortly after the depletion of the gas in 1900 the automobile industry set up factories in the nearby large cities, and Fairmount became a bedroom community, restoring some of its lost prosperity.

In the 1940s, James Dean lived with an aunt and uncle, Ortense and Marcus Winslow, on a farm north of Fairmount.

During the prosperity of the 1960s, Fairmount enjoyed a time of building with a new town hall, water works, post office and elementary school.

Patterson House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[7] According to the 2010 census, Fairmount has a total area of 1.58 square miles (4.09 km2), all land.

28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.