[6] The town is adjacent to the 289-acre (1.17 km2) Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary.

A petition to request an incorporation election for Fairview was submitted to the county judge and commissioners' court on April 21, 1958, and following an election on May 7, 1958, and count of all 50 ballots, the town was incorporated, ordered by Collin County Judge W. E.

It is bordered by McKinney, the county seat, to the north, by Allen to the west and south, and by Lucas to the southeast.

Wilson Creek, a tributary of the East Fork Trinity River, forms part of the northeastern boundary.

[5] [10] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 10,372 people, 3,681 households, and 2,629 families residing in the town.