Fairfield, city in southeastern Australia, in the state of New South Wales, part of greater Sydney. Fairfield is about 35 km (about 22 mi) west of central Sydney on the main road and rail line to Liverpool. With an area of 184 sq km (71 sq mi), Fairfield is bounded by the cities of Blacktown, Penrith, Liverpool, Bankstown, Parramatta, and Holroyd. It includes the suburbs of Fairfield, Cabramatta, Mount Pritchard, and Lenora. Industrial parks like the Wetherhill Park Industrial Estate provide employment opportunities for the young population. In the late 1980s Fairfield was the fastest growing city in greater Sydney. It has a large percentage of immigrants and is a particularly important residential area for Australia's growing Vietnamese population.
Before white settlement in the 18th century, the Dharuk Aborigines inhabited the district. Fairfield was named for Fairfield in Somerset, England, by Captain John Horsley, who bought the Fairfield Estate in 1840. Initially a rural area, Fairfield began to grow after the construction of the railway to Liverpool in 1856. Fairfield was officially established in 1888. It was named a city in 1979. Population (1994 estimate) 184,000.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Fairfield Information info
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