Fairmont City, IL

Fairmont City is a village split between St. Clair and Madison counties on the east side of the St. Louis metro. Its industrial past centered on the American Zinc smelting plant, which drew immigrant workers from across Europe. The village's later population story is different: Hispanic residents became the clear majority by the 2020 census, and Mexican restaurants are now part of the everyday commercial picture. That mix—old smelter ground, immigrant neighborhoods, and a strong Hispanic community—gives Fairmont City a more layered identity than its small footprint suggests.

Collinsville Road runs through the village on the line of the old National Road and Route 66, tying Fairmont City to the Gateway Arch skyline, Cahokia Mounds, and the cluster of racing and casino facilities farther east. The former company town of National City was annexed in 1997, extending the village's map. The old zinc site is now known as Old American Zinc, a 132-acre former smelting property under Illinois environmental and restoration work. Fairmont City is a roadside place, but the interesting part is what the road crosses: industrial history, county lines, a changing immigrant story, and the last stretch of historic Route 66 before St. Louis.