Fairlea, West Virginia

The midway at the State Fair of West Virginia rages with color at dusk at Fairlea.

Fairlea, West Virginia (WV), is a community in Greenbrier County and the home of the State Fair of West Virginia. The community takes its name from its fairgrounds, meadows that were first home to the Greenbrier County Fair. “Lea” is a Middle English term for a grassland. The demand for lodging and dining increases during the State Fair in late summer, though traffic in the town is then accommodated by dual-lane highways that flank the fairground.

Lodging near Fairlea, West Virginia

Fairlea (WV) Hotels

History

White Rock Mountain extends across the horizon beyond Fairlea, West Virginia.

The roots of the community trace back to 1854, when the Greenbrier Agricultural Society organized the region’s first annual fair at Nesmith’s Grove in what is now downtown Lewisburg. This modest agricultural exhibition featured livestock, crops, and household goods, sowing the seeds for a tradition that endures to this day.

Decades later, in 1921, a group of local organizers—including members of the Shorthorn Association—chartered the Greenbrier Valley Fair and acquired approximately 40 acres of land between Lewisburg and Ronceverte for permanent fairgrounds. As the surrounding area developed and a post office was established, the locality became known as “Fairlea,” a name derived from the fair (“lea” meaning meadow) laid out in that fairground meadow

Location

The town is located on highway US-219, approximately two miles southwest of Lewisburg, West Virginia, and three miles northeast of Ronceverte, West Virginia.

Map of Fairlea, West Virginia

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Regional Information

Fairlea is located in the Greenbrier Valley Region in southeastern West Virginia.