Fairport Harbor's location at the mouth of the Grand River made it an ideal place for a settlement. After being claimed as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve by the Connecticut Land Company in 1796-1797, the town of Grandon was platted there on May 16, 1812. When the town incorporated in 1836, the name was changed to "Fairport." Fairport is a commendatory name. The current name was adopted in 1959. After receiving federal sponsorship, the village's port flourished, and an influx of Finns, Hungarians, and Slovaks arrived there. The port also imported iron ore for use at area steel mills. The port continues operation at a more limited capacity. Later in the village's history, the Diamond Alkali Company operated from 1912 to 1976. In recent years Fairport Harbor has hosted the Lake County Perch Fest and opened the Finnish Heritage Museum. On January 24, 2011, an overpressurized Dominion East Ohionatural gas pipeline caused devices in at least 17 dwellings to explode, causing the structures to burn and leading to a mass evacuation. The excess pressure has been attributed to ice present in a sensor line causing a false reading in a pressure regulator. The backup regulator for the pipeline also failed. While no injuries were reported in the community, the cost of damage was placed at approximately $1.2 million.
Geography
Fairport Harbor is located at , within Painesville Township. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of, of which are land and are water.
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,109 people, 1,427 households, and 764 families living in the village. The population density was. There were 1,677 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 94.7% White, 2.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 1,427 households, of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couplesliving together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.5% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the village was 41 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 29.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,180 people, 1,404 households, and 839 families living in the village. The population density was 3,052.2 people per square mile. There were 1,546 housing units at an average density of 1,483.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 97.96% White, 0.57% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population. 15.9% were of German, 12.3% Finnish, 11.5% Hungarian, 11.2% Irish, 9.3% Italian and 5.2% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 95.5% spoke English, 2.4% Finnish and 2.1% Hungarian as their first language. There were 1,404 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90. In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $35,205, and the median income for a family was $45,142. Males had a median income of $31,971 versus $24,657 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,722. About 5.9% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
