Fairborn is home to the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, one of the nation's most important military installations.

Fifteen minutes northeast of Dayton in Greene County, Fairborn hosts not only the Air Force Base, but also Wright State University, and the Nutter Center on its campus hosting events, concerts and shows. WPAFB is headquarters for vast, worldwide logistics systems and is the foremost research and development center in the U.S. Air Force. By many measures, the base is the largest, most diverse and organizationally complex in the Air Force and can be compared to a large industrial park or medium-sized community, all in Fairborn's backyard. Steeped in tradition, Wright-Patterson has been a leader in military aviation development from the time of airplane inventors Wilbur and Orville Wright to today's aerospace age. Nearly all major advances in aviation have their roots at Wright-Patterson or nearby McCook Field. In 1992 the part of the base where the Wrights taught themselves to fly -- a field called Huffman Prairie -- became one of four sites in the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park. With all that rich aviation tradition next door, many of Fairborn's residents are affiliated with the base. The wide-open fields near the base are alive with new construction. Farms are slowly disappearing with the addition of golf course communities, and upscale wooded developments. Enterprising people are rediscovering housing stock of renovated farmhouses and modest single-family homes.

I-675 is the main artery through Fairborn, with I-75 less than five miles to the north. St. Rt. 444 provides transportation on the western side of town.

Hospitals within a 10-mile radius include Children's Medical Center, Miami Valley Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital. Greene Memorial Hospital in nearby Xenia is the county hospital.

Located minutes away in Beavercreek, the Mall at Fairfield Commons contains five department stores and 130 franchise clothing, shoe and specialty store. Strip malls, fast food restaurants and new shops are springing up all over the city. Local merchants provide general merchandise and services conveniently located for residents.

Fairborn is the home of the Dayton Bombers professional hockey team. The city of Fairborn's Parks & Recreation Commission maintains thirteen parks, a nature preserve and a bikeway. The 4.2 mile Kauffman Avenue Bikeway is popular with Fairborn citizens for walking, jogging, biking and in-line skating. The parks have several softball/baseball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts and volleyball courts. Hiking is popular at the Cold Springs Nature Preserve's 36 acres of wooded trails. The Fairborn County swimming pool provides swimming and diving opportunities for kids of all ages. The private Greene Country Club offers an 18-hole golf course for members.