In 1754, when control of the area was still in dispute between France and Great Britain, 22-year-old George Washington fought against the French at the Battle of Jumonville Glen and Fort Necessity.

British forces under Washington and General Edward Braddock improved roads throughout the region, making the future Fayette County an important supply route.

During the Revolutionary War, Fayette County was plagued by attacks from British-allied Indians and remained isolated as a frontier region.

However, they were talked out of any violent action by owner of Friendship Hill and future Secretary of the Treasury, Albert Gallatin.

As Pittsburgh developed its industries in the mid-19th century, Fayette County became a center of coal mining and coke production.

Both new European immigrants and African Americans in the Great Migration from the rural South were attracted to the Pittsburgh area for industrial jobs.

The historic Scottish and German farming communities established in the earlier 19th century were soon overshadowed by the wave of immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe.

The region's wealth has been concentrated largely among the old English and Scottish families who had established businesses and political power in Pittsburgh prior to and in the advent of industrialization, often building the new manufacturing concerns, as did Andrew Carnegie.

By World War II, Fayette County had a new unionized working class that enjoyed increased prosperity.

In the 1970s, the restructuring and collapse of American steel resulted in a massive loss of industrial jobs and hard times in the area.

Current commissioners are Democrat Vince Vicites and Republicans David Lohr and Scott Dunn.

[11][12] The Fayette County Court of Common Pleas serves as the primary judicial arm in the region.

However, similar to much of the rest of Western Pennsylvania outside of Pittsburgh and Erie, most residents tend to be socially conservative, and the county has been trending steadily towards the Republicans since 1996.

Services for children during the preschool years are provided without cost to their families when the child is determined to meet eligibility requirements.

State highway plans call for the establishment of direct freeway connections with Pittsburgh to the north and Morgantown, West Virginia to the south.

Amtrak rail service along the Chicago-to-Washington-via-Cleveland Capitol Limited route stops at Connellsville Station.

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns.

The following cities, boroughs and townships are located in Fayette County: Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data.