East Bay Business Times
Harry T. Price was elected to the Fairfield City Council in 1997 and elected mayor in 2005. He is a retired high school English teacher and was Solano County�s 1986 Teacher of the Year. He is past president of the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District and serves on the board of the California Association of Sanitation Agencies.
What excites you the most about Fairfield's future? Fairfield is poised to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves. Our community has the intellectual capacity, the business acumen and the tools to make things happen quickly.
What troubles you the most about Fairfield's future? The state budget crisis worries me. We've done our best to be fiscally responsible during this economic downturn, and we're concerned about how much the state is going to have to take from cities to balance its budget.
What is the biggest opportunity in Fairfield? We have approved business parks with shovel-ready sites for office and manufacturing. Fairfield's land/property values are about 30 percent below the Bay Area average, making us perfect for expanding companies.
What is Fairfield's biggest asset? Our biggest asset is Travis Air Force Base. The base is Solano County's largest employer, employing over 15,000 active duty and civilian personnel, and has an economic impact of over $1 billion each year.
What is its biggest liability? The I-80/I-680 interchange and the traffic impacts it causes. However, a new interchange and carpool lanes are being planned, along with a new frontage road that is designed to provide relief to local drivers.
What is the most important development project going or to come soon? We have a major new transit-oriented development around a new train station in the planning stages. This project will have new residential and commercial development on a Capitol Corridor stop. Also, the Garaventa retail project, located near the I-80/I-680 interchange, will provide over 45 acres of prime freeway commercial land.
What is something people don't know about Fairfield? We have an ideal balance of jobs and housing, with 15,000 more jobs than housing units. Forward-thinking companies are moving to Fairfield and bringing quality jobs. Major manufacturers, corporate headquarters and tech companies are choosing Fairfield for our value-priced real estate, executive housing and our strategic location between the Bay Area and Sacramento metropolitan area.
History: The area where Fairfield is located was originally inhabited by Suisun Indians 6,000 years ago. The Mexican government sent Gen. Mariano Vallejo to colonize the region in 1835, and two years later gave Chief Solano the Suisun Ranch land grant. In 1842, Solano sold it to Vallejo for $1,000. Robert Waterman, a clipper ship captain, mapped out the site for Fairfield, named after his Connecticut hometown, in 1856 and organized efforts to move the county seat from Benicia to Fairfield. In 1903, Fairfield was incorporated as a city. Travis Air Force Base was established in 1942. It later became a major departure point for troops during the Vietnam War. Today the base is home to the 60th Air Mobility Wing, which is the largest air-mobility organization in the Air Force. Above, downtown Fairfield.
Population: 106,753
Biggest private employer: NorthBay Medical Center
No. of hospital employees: 1,301
No. 2 private employer: Anheuser-Busch
No. of brewery employees: 465
Number of business licenses: 5,370
Number of jobs in Fairfield: 49,940
Median household income: $75,400
Median home price, March '08: $350,000
On the Web: www.ci.fairfield.ca.us
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