Fairview, Missouri, in southeast Newton County, had a rural school and a church at least as early as 1880, but the community was not platted as a town until about 1907, when the Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad was constructed through the area. The town also got its first post office about the same time. Its population quickly grew to about 270 presidents by 1910.
When a Springfield newspaperman visited Fairview in May of 1912, he found it to be a pleasant little village: "The town has good churches and an excellent High School building, a high-class banking institution, a bustling, enterprising realty firm, large elevator plant and much that speaks well of this, a comparatively new town.
The prairie land around Fairview was dedicated mostly to growing crops. Corn was the main grain crop, but rye, wheat, and other grasses were also grown. Small fruit was also a principal crop, especially strawberries and blackberries. The poultry industry was likewise a going enterprise.
Land around Fairview had become much more valuable with the coming of the railroad and formation of the town. According to the reporter, land which could have been purchased less than 10 years earlier for 15-25 dollars an acre was now going for 60-75 dollars an acre.
Fairview continued to flourish for the next decade or two after the newspaperman's visit and then began a period of decline during the mid-20th century. The town lost its school during the 1960s when the East Newton consolidated district was formed. However, Fairview rebounded somewhat beginning in the late 20th century, and today it has an estimated population of about 400.
Notable people from Fairview include Dabbs Greer, who played Rev. Alden on the Little House series, and John Q. Hammons, the well-known hotelier and housing developer who lived most of his life in Springfield.
