West Fairlee is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States.

The town remained predominantly agricultural until copper was discovered in nearby Vershire in 1813.

With the opening of the Ely Copper Mine in 1821 the town rapidly began to grow.

Combined with a fire that destroyed much of the town in 1910 and the mine's closure in 1920, West Fairlee's economy suffered immensely.

The town also sent men from Company A of the 15th Vermont Infantry Regiment, which was organized in West Fairlee in 1862.

West Fairlee was the summer residence of Nobel-winning economist Milton Friedman, which he named "Capitaf.

"[citation needed] It was here that he and his wife, Rose Friedman wrote the 1980 bestselling book, Free to Choose.